Local children’s author Laura VonDracek will be on hand at Chaucer’s Bookstore on Sunday, January 22 AT 2 p.m. to read from her book, JEMMA AND THE MERMAID’S CALL.

Book Description

JEMMA AND THE MERMAID’S CALL

Jemma, a spunky and spirted mermaid, loves living in her ocean world.  Whether exploring for treasure or swimming along with her many ocean friends, she delights in the beautiful underwater landscape and the bountiful Sea Life that surround her.  But one day, darkness encompasses her home and as she swims off to investigate what it could be, she bumps up against the huge problem above her — a massive island of floating trash!  Not knowing how to solve this problem by herself, she calls together all the Sea Life and together they hatch a plan to clean up their beloved home.  In a delightful and hopeful tale, this beautifully illustrated story tackles a timely environmental issue and how to solve it through the help of community.

Author Biography

Laura VonDracek was raised in New York and now lives in Santa Barbara, California. As a devoted swimmer, beach walker and lover of all things water, she is often picking up trash and searching for treasures. When not being her mermaid self, she can be found creating glass mosaics, ceramics and other inspired art. You can visit her and her creations at

www.lauravondracek.com

Illustrator Biography

Matthew King lives and works in the mysterious wilds of Bulgaria (and occasionally the United Kingdom) as artist, illustrator and designer.  He has created fantastical worlds for many children’s books and board games.  His passion for whimsy, Merfolk, Fairy folk and all kinds of folk is inspired by the forests in which he treks and the amazing stories he has the privilege to work on.