EMILY HSUEH
NORWAY BAY Dec. 16, 2020
A new children’s book has just hit the market in time for the holiday season. Pattie Klus, a cottager in Norway Bay, recently published her book called . . .
The Adventurers of Auntie Pasta on Dec. 6, after two years in the making.
“My niece and nephew call me Auntie Pasta and it was always kind of a joke,” Klus said. “And I thought one day, ‘Wouldn’t it be kind of cute having a book about Auntie Pasta?’ And then when I thought about it more, I thought, ‘Well, the children should have the character.’ Then I had to figure out how to do that.”
She came up with a story that would not only be entertaining for children, but would also teach them a useful lesson — in this case, teaching kids not to go off with strangers.
Klus hired Anna Price, a student artist from Sheridan College, to design pasta characters and illustrate the book, which turned out just as Klus had imagined. But when it came time to find a publisher, that was a whole different story.
“I had to find a publisher and it’s really hard. They want a lot of money, and you lose control of marketing your book. So I decided I’d have it printed myself. I’ve been using social media, and I was actually at the Bristol community centre last weekend, they had a little craft fair and I was there.”
Klus has had poems and short stories published before, but this is her first solo publication and she hopes to write more children’s books in the future.
“I’m very happy, surprised, thrilled, everything. It certainly has urged me to write another one.”
Any one interested in getting a copy can email Klus at patklus@rogers.com to order one for $14.99. Delivery and shipping options are also available.
