Combatting bullies and coping with differences
are woven into a new children’s book offered by Cornerstone Press, the
student-staffed publishing house at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
“Eddie and Harry”
is a nature-themed story of an unlikely friendship between two birds.
Written by Jane Kretzmann of Monterey, Calif., it is aimed at readers in grades
3-5. Set in the Elkhorn Slough State Marine Reserve in California, this
coming-of-age story tackles issues such as identity and coping with bullying.
The friendship between Eddie, a great egret, and Harry, a great blue heron,
fosters an atmosphere of trust where both birds wrestle with their insecurities
and come to understand themselves better.
The book will officially launch at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 4, in the South Laird Room of the Dreyfus University Center at
UW-Stevens Point. Members of Cornerstone Press – UW-Stevens Point
students in an English editing and
publishing course – will join the
author, who will read from the book. It will be available for sale, and
Kretzmann will sign copies.
Kretzmann will also discuss “Eddie and Harry”
and read from the book twice downtown. At 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3, she will be
at the Portage County Library, Stevens Point. On Thursday, Dec. 4, she will be at
the Central Wisconsin Children’s Museum from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public.
Kretzmann’s inspiration for the story came
from her daily commute to work. Passing over a branch of the Elkhorn Slough,
she saw dozens of egrets. “That’s when I started to notice a lone great egret
and a great blue heron always together, and began to make up names, which
turned into a story about the two birds,” she said.
Cornerstone Press 2014 Editor-in-Chief Carly
Keen said Kretzmann’s storyline and illustrations by artist Diann
Ditewig made the manuscript
stand out. “Eddie and Harry” is
a story about overcoming adversity and being able to love yourself in a way
children can appreciate. The illustrations for this book are beautiful,
supplement the text well, and will keep younger readers engaged in the
story."
Established in 1984, Cornerstone Press has
published 34 titles in every major genre. For more information about
Cornerstone Press, including book ordering information, visit
uwsp.edu/cornerstone or email cornerstone@uwsp.edu