BOE PENS SECOND CHILDREN’S BOOK
After publishing an inspirational children's book two years ago, Minneota native Gail (Wyffels) Boe has written a second children's book, also with an inspirational message to it.
"HAY" is her latest book, an acronym for "How are you", with the two characters being small haystacks, one donning blue shoes, and the other in pink shoes. The colored shoes represent the favorite colors of her son, Carson, 15; and daughter, Lucy, 12; respectively.
"Whenever we see someone that we know, we always say 'hi', followed by 'How are you?'," said Boe, a librarian at Jefferson Elementary in New Ulm where she lives. "Most times, the response is 'I'm fine', even though that's not always the case. This book's message is that it's okay for children to let people know if something is bothering them if the person who asks is sincere and really wants to know how you are. "That theme can also be something for parents to think about while they read the book to their children.
"It seems like there is so much negativity in the world today," said Boe, a 1999 Minneota High School graduate. "So many groups are against one another. No one really knows what anyone is going through or what their underlying issues might be. I'm trying to say in the book that it's okay to ask how someone is doing, and it's okay for someone to share their feelings."
Boe's first book called "Lettuce" came out April 24, 2021. Lettuce was derived from "let us", as in one portion of the book explaining "Let us walk, let us run, let us sing, let us talk." Boe was conveying that it's okay for children "to do whatever they feel comfortable doing" and not always being pushed into doing the same thing as someone else.
Both of her books were published by Mascot Books out of Herndon, VA. She also was fortunate to have the same illustrator, Junica, for each book. Junica is a derivation of the names of two illustrators who formed a partnership.
Like "Lettuce", Boe's recently-published 24-page children's book contains family references, including the color of the character's shoes, favorite numbers, and even a reference to her first book when one character tells the other "Let us write that down."
"I was excited when the first book came out and I saw my name on the front cover," Boe said. "But I didn't know much about the process of writing a book. I think I'm even more excited now with this book because I'm more aware of the whole process and I'm more comfortable."
Boe is the daughter of Wayne and Kathy Wyffels of Minneota.
Boe will be signing copies of her book on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 12-2 p.m. at the Mascot.
The book can also be ordered directly on the Mascot Books website at https://bit.ly/3gIKQ14. The book will also be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble in October.