children’s nonfiction books

A Friendship All Because of a Dachshund in a Wheelchair

Posted by Barbara Techel
A Friendship All Because of a Dog in a Wheelchair
from left: Ron, Cameron, Karin and Barb

If it wasn’t for bug spray, a book about a dachshund in a wheelchair named Frankie, a young boy who loves dachshunds, and a best friend who had “connections” well, I’d have never met this wonderful family, the Thein’s.

As is their tradition, every year between Christmas and New Year’s, the Thein’s make the trek from their home state of Illinois to Wisconsin to stay at one of our local resorts here in Elkhart Lake.

Okay, so I live in Wisconsin and you are perhaps wondering why bug spray is involved in winter, right?  Well, there was the time the Thein’s were here when it was warmer, and the skeeters were something fierce! And that is how this all began.

They wondered into the Feed Mill Market that once housed a grocery store and still has a retail shop and deli, looking for relief in a bottle of spray to keep the bugs away.

Instead of bug spray, young Cameron found my children’s book about my paralyzed dachshund Frankie. He was immediately drawn to her because of his love of doxie’s.

As he carried the book in his arms, the manager of the Feed Mill Market, Victoria, who is the best friend of the author of the Frankie book took notice. Oh, and I guess I might add, it would be me that is the author of said dachshund book (in case you are new here).

Victoria told young Cameron that she knew the author and Frankie, and she was pretty sure she could arrange for them to meet us. And yup, she was right. I was more than happy to make the short jaunt down to the market with Frankie after she called me.

And ever since then, most every year except for last year, when John and I went out of town after Christmas, I’ve gotten together to catch up with them.

The only thing missing the past three years though has been dear Frankie who passed away in the summer of 2012.

But each year when I spend a little time with the Thein family, I get this warm feeling inside that Frankie is wagging her tail in happiness that a friendship she helped to create continues to build memories.

Safe travels back home Thein’s and wishing you the best year ever in 2016!

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My Final Visit to Libby’s House Without My Wheelie Dog Side Kick

Posted by Barbara Techel

Yesterday I made my final visit to Libby’s House, where Frankie and I were a volunteer therapy dog team for 3 ½ years.  The original plan was that it was to be my last visit with Frankie since she was retiring. But as we know, life does not always go as planned.  So off I went alone.

Let me first back up and say that the Wednesday before this, I met with the owner of Libby’s House, Christine. She couldn’t be there for the day of my last visit but had a gift for me.  She gave me the plaque above which is with one my favorite residents- Libby herself, who Libby’s House is named after and happens to be Christine’s grandmother.  This photo was taken two years ago when Libby was a mere 103.  Libby’s House also made a very generous donation to Frankie’s Wheelchair Memorial Fund.   I was, and am quite honored.

I had butterflies in my stomach as I drove to Libby’s House. I knew it would be hard to say goodbye.  Are goodbyes ever easy?  But I knew I needed to do this for the residents. They needed closure, too.  I’ve loved all my therapy dog work with Frankie, but I have to say, Libby’s House became one of my favorite.  So many became my surrogate grandparents and I grew to care and love many of them.

Being a volunteer at Libby’s House was sometimes a guessing game as to who has dementia and who has  Alzheimer’s.  And some are there for other reasons, but because of the HPPA act I was not allowed to know.  While that made me uneasy at the beginning, especially of how I should react around Alzheimer’s patients, what I took away from this experience is that they are all still human beings with hearts and souls… that they still wish to be heard and loved. And they deserve to be treated with dignity and grace.

The staff was so kind to me and many hugs were exchanged. It felt very odd being there without Frankie, but it also felt comforting.  This was a place that I enjoyed coming to each month, though it could be sad at times witnessing the decline of some of the residents or when they passed away. But it was also always my reminder that life is about living and we must enjoy each and every possible moment while here.

For the residents who could understand that Frankie is no longer here, I gave them a photo collage of Frankie.  One resident who Frankie and I always went to her room to visit, a witty, charming, wonderful 96-year old red head lady, told me that she will say hi to Frankie when she gets home.  I always told her she and Frankie were my favorite red heads and it brought a smile to my face thinking of those two meeting again someday.

Another resident who I refer to as Janice in my children’s book, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House, is one resident I will miss greatly.  She was quite gruff the first time I met her, telling me she DID NOT LIKE DOGS.  I was up for the challenge and somehow knew it was just her exterior that was tough.  She became one of my favorite residents, too and also within six months grew to love Frankie, as well.  She is quite the spitfire, and her and I so enjoyed razzing each other.

Janice was the drive behind making sure as many people as possible at Libby’s House signed a copy of my book I wrote about Libby’s House. They all wrote wonderful notes of how they loved when Frankie visited and how they will miss her.  What a treasure that book is now to me with all their notes and signatures!

I also sat with Libby who is now 105 and going as strong as ever.  She held my hand and said,” l’ll bet you really miss Frankie.” She continued to pat my hand as we chatted and I couldn’t help but think of how I felt like a young girl once again being comforted by my grandma when I hurt… and how good that felt.  One of my best memories with Libby is when she was petting Frankie and she looked up at me and said, “Frankie is love.”

Once again as I set off to visit Libby’s House,  I went with the idea that I would be helping  them and to bring them closure… and realizing as I walked out the door for the last time, that they all brought me comfort and closure, too.  And even though my dog on wheels was not rolling beside me for this visit, I felt her memories of hope, joy, and love alive and well within the hearts of all our friends at Libby’s House.

 

Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Finalist in Midwest Book Awards

Posted by Barbara Techel

I’m happy and excited to announce that my newest book, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House has been chosen by Midwest Independent Publishers Association as a finalist in their 2011 Midwest Book Awards in the children’s nonfiction children’s book category.  Always an honor to be nominated and winner will be chosen on May 11, 2011. Wish me luck!

 

Congratulations to all the finalists and good luck!

Arts

Friendship: The Art of the Practice — Tristan Publishing

The Prints of Warrington Colescott — University of Wisconsin Press

The Saint John’s Bible: Historical Books — Liturgical Press

 

Biography/Memoir

A Lifetime Burning — Borderland Books

Czechs Forever — Penfield Books

John Paul Stevens — Northern Illinois University Press

 

Business

Sacred Ground — Beaver’s Pond Press

Selling It Softly — Grand Oaks Press

 

Children’s Picture Book

Looking for Lucy — Beaver’s Pond Press

Stranger in the Woods: Snowflake Edition — Carl R. Sams II Photography

Yafi’s Family — Amharic Kids Press

 

Children’s Fiction

Ben and Lucy Play Pond Hockey — Beaver’s Pond Press

Henry! You’re Late Again! — Beaver’s Pond Press

Military Life — Elva Resa Publishing

 

Children’s Non-Fiction

Be Fit, Be Strong, Be You — Free Spirit Publishing

Frankie the Walk ‘n Roll Therapy Dog — Joyful Paws Prints Press, LLC

Pingpong Perry Experiences How a Book Is Made — Picture Window Books/Capstone

 

Young Adult Fiction

Siberia John & The Mystery of the Amazing Zoo — Three Towers Press/MavenMark Books

The Ugly Tree — Comfort Publishing

Wilkinshire — iUniverse

 

Coffee Table Books

Like an Old Friend — Beaver’s Pond Press

Whispers of the Ancients — University of Michigan Press

 

Cookbooks

Café Indiana Cookbook — University of Wisconsin Press

Cooking Ala Heart — Appletree Press Inc.

Let’s Cook — Appletree Press, Inc.

 

Crafts/Hobbies

Amy Barickman’s Vintage Notions — Amy Barickman LLC

Quilting: The Basics and Beyond — Landauer Publishing

Threads: The Basics and Beyond — Landauer Publishing

 

Culture

Living in Two Worlds — World Wisdom

Paris from the Heart — Beaver’s Pond Press

Whispers of the Ancients — University of Michigan Press

 

Current Events

Men of a Single Book — World Wisdom

Quick Cash — Northern Illinois University Press

 

Family/Parenting

First the Broccoli, then the Ice Cream — Two Fish Books

Heading Home with Your Newborn — American Academy of Pediatrics

Yafi’s Family — Amharic Kids Press

 

General Fiction

Cranberry Red — University of Wisconsin Press

The Peculiar Boars of Malloy — Switchgrass Books/Northern Illinois University

Today’s Special! Yes It Is — Tristan Publishing

 

Genre Fiction

Deadly Reunion — North Star Press

Death’s Imperfect Witness — North Star Press

Girl in the Gatehouse — Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group

 

Health

Mental Health Naturally — American Academy of Pediatrics

The Reluctant Donor — Beaver’s Pond Press

Yoga for Every Room in Your House — Great Bear Press

 

History

Living in Two Worlds — World Wisdom

Lost on the Lady Elgin — In-Depth Editions

Sierra Summer, 1874 — Pineneedle Press

 

How-To/Do-It-Yourself

Amy Barickman’s Vintage Notions — Amy Barickman LLC

 

Humor

Garage Logic — Beaver’s Pond Press

Hitchhiking After Dark — Gale Force Press

The Athletic Benchley — Glendower Media

 

Inspiration/Gift Book

Bringing Jon Home — Beaver’s Pond Press

I’m New at Being Old — Temuna Press

Whispers of the Ancients — University of Michigan Press

 

Midwest Regional Interest

H. H. Bennet, Photographer — University of Minnesota Press

The Opposite of Cold — University of Minnesota Press

Whispers of the Ancients — University of Michigan Press

 

Nature

Amazing Hummingbirds — Adventure Publications

Common Dragonflies of Northern Door County — Stonehill Publishing

Nature Garden — Forager’s Harvest Press

 

Poetry

Beso the Donkey — Michigan State University

Jackson, Jesse, and the Almost Free Lunch — Beaver’s Pond Press

The Wind Blows. The Ice Breaks — Nodin Press

 

Recreation/Sports

A Grouse Hunter’s Almanac — University of Wisconsin Press

Live Happily Ever Active — Jabberwocky Books

Raising Stanley: What It Takes to Claim Hockey’s Ultimate Prize — Triumph Books

 

Reference

2011 Saint Paul Almanac — Arcata Press

A Handbook of Scandinavian Names — University of Wisconsin Press

MFA in a Box — Dream of Things

 

Religion/Philosophy

Circle of Catholic Women — Juloya/Elva Resa Publishing

Kierkegaard — Lutheran University Press/Kirk House

The Saint John’s Bible: Historical Books — Liturgical Press

 

Self-Help

Living with the Enemy — Beaver’s Pond Press

The Joyful Professor — MavenMark Books/Henschel Haus

Yoga for Every Room in Your House — Great Bear Press

 

Social Science

Spirits of Earth — University of Wisconsin Press

Stalking Mary — Beaver’s Pond Press

Whispers of the Ancients — University of Michigan Press

 

Travel

2011 Saint Paul Almanac — Arcata Press

Lake Superior: The Ultimate Guide — Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc.

Paris from the Heart — Beaver’s Pond Press

 

Illustration

An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism — World Wisdom

Stranger in the Woods: Snowflake Edition — Carl R. Sams II Photography

Whispers of the Ancients — University of Michigan Press

 

Interior Layout

Live Happily Ever Active — Jabberwocky Books

Living in Two Worlds — World Wisdom

Sacred Ground — Beaver’s Pond Press

 

1-2 Color Cover

Legacy of Life — MavenMark Books/Henschel Haus

The Butterfly Key — Butterfly Publishing Press

 

3 or More Color Cover

An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism — World Wisdom

Living in Two Worlds — World Wisdom

Marilyn and Me — Augusta Wind Press

 

Total Book Design

An Illustrated Introduction to Taoism — World Wisdom

Living in Two Worlds — World Wisdom

Wisconsin’s Own — Wisconsin Historical Society Press