Happy Birthday, Maine

by Lynn Plourde, Mark Scott Ricketts (Illustrations)

Maine is turning 200 and Paul Bunyan and his friend Moose want to throw a party as big as they are. With the help of their friends they plan a spectacular bash and invite every Mainer, as well as anyone from away who would like to attend. Culminating in a grand celebration, this book, weaving in elements of Maine facts and history, is itself a bicentennial celebration of Maine that will help the youngest readers come to love this special place.

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 5, 2020

About the author

I write kids' books--talk about a FUN job! I worked for 21 years as a speech-language therapist in Maine schools. When I got married, I got 3 & 4-year-old stepsons as part of my ready-made family. I read the boys picture books at bedtime. They fell asleep after 2 or 3 books, but I kept reading stacks and stacks of picture books and started to dream . . . maybe I could write picture books. I was already writing educational books (listening & speaking ideas for the classroom), but PICTURE BOOKS--that was different!

Different, and sloooooow! I had 13 years of rejections before getting my first book published, Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud, and I still get more rejections than acceptances--even after having more than 40 books published. So I'm still an author-in-training--learning to be a better author all the time.

I LOVE writing, the whole creative process. I also LOVE sharing my books with kids at schools: doing interactive readings, turning one of my books into a play, and teaching students how to plan and write different kinds of stories (i.e. problem stories, character stories, graphic novel scenes, fables) modeled after my books.

I love to try new kinds of writing such as poetic stories, a biography, a graphic novel, and more. Writing new kinds of stories is a challenge, but it makes writing fun and keeps me interested in the process.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great fun with lots of information about Maine. Perfect for the bicentennial!

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maine based author Lynn Plourde joins forces with Maine illustrator Mark Scott Ricketts to celebrate March, 15, 2020, the 200th birthday of the state of Maine. Paul Bunyan, his friend Moose and the ever so helpful Chickadees, plan a huge birthday bash that celebrates many of Maine’s Wows and idiosyncrasies. Lots of facts, people, places, foods, landmarks are included in this joyous celebration of all things Maine.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little story.