He had a twinkle in his eye and a smile from ear to ear and a mischievous grin. Oh boy, what was I in for?

I first met Louie when I was a substitute teacher at Spring Ridge Elementary School in Elkhorn. I had just retired after teaching 35 years, with 29 at Elkhorn High School as a Special Education teacher. Louie was in kindergarten so it was quite a change for me.

It was time for physical education class, so I went with Louie to the gym. The PE teacher had a big red parachute that she unfolded and all the children held the edges in a big circle. The students were instructed to raise and lower the chute, move left or right, walk forward or backward. All at once, quicker than lightning, I discovered that Louie had disappeared under the chute. What is a substitute teacher to do but go after him! So, I crawled under the parachute to find Louie. There he was in the middle with a big grin on his face. I could hardly keep from laughing, but we managed to both crawl out. Then we had a little chat about following the teacher’s directions. And that’s how I came to know Louie. His smile and boundless energy are catching and I’m hooked.

The Little King and his Marshmallow Kingdom is a treasure. Congratulations for writing it and the illustrations are just perfect.

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