The Mad Mermaid Queen, Superman, And A Dragon 2: Root Animals

White roots are for some reason dangling dangerously down from the ceiling, and Anna says, “See those ghost tails?” I’m thinking; that’s silly so I shake my head, “Ghosts don’t have tails.” “Do so; they’re leftovers from dead snakes!” she says.

I say, “Ah, snakes are animals with scales, and they have heads stuck on long bodies… no tails!” My mad mermaid sister stands up, “Nope, they have heads on tails with no bodies, that’s why nobody likes snakes.” I say, “What? All I can say is; what?” She grins and nods as if she knows everything, “Snake teeth roll out of their mouths like rope ladders, so that’s why nobody will kiss them, and my facts are better than yours because yours ran out of words!”

I bite my lips and look up at the ceiling for Anna’s silly brain. “I don’t mean to be unkind, but your ideas sometimes sting, as they surprise me sideways, inside my mind.”

This is lifted from my new book, which will be available soon, and reminds me of my dead husband. “I worried when you were excited to paint flying snakes on our living room ceiling,” he told me, “but it turned out okay.” I love that he didn’t react, exploding with anger, when my ideas stung him sideways inside his mind!

Nancy Mauerman – Author Page on Amazon

I’ve seen smoke warm the sea as it bubbles up from a bottom volcano. I’ve seen fish slurp down stars and I’ve seen dark mountains throw blue shadows across sunset colors, high in the sky.

This story poem mixes wonders of nature with fantasy. Anna shrinks to mouse size and rides on her robin’s back to a hollow plum tree where she and her other robin friends all dance the tango.

Anna’s Robin

Anna’s Robin – Title Page

The Gold Key is the first book in a series called The Mad Mermaid Queen, Superman, and a Dragon. The four books are written as an Iliad and Odyssey for children.  The poem stories are written in rhyme, and with rhythm, assonance, and alliteration.  The poem stories are best read out loud and tell of a brother and sister who discover a  long journey and adventure. The words vibrate in the reader’s mouth as we step into a new world.

Often we eat ice cream fast but savor chores we hate. By slowly reading to children we  echo the value this poem places on family love, on reading, and on reading to children, and the word play tickles the read’s mouth and the listen’s ears.

The Mad Mermaid Queen, Superman, And A Dragon

I guess Anna’s not at all happy about getting a dress, “I think I’ll be The Mad Mermaid Queen so I don’t ever have to wear pink.” she tells us as her key is being re-pinned to the dress. I wouldn’t be happy either if I got a dress as treasure, even if I was a girl. I’ll make a flying car for my kids to be shrunk down and hang on a string, But, my mom invests holidays like Treasure Day, and no one I know has one every year so really I’m rich! But, moms can’t hang from strings and clothes can definitely, never ever be treasure.

This is page 17 from my new book, ‘The Dragon, Superman, and the Mad Mermaid Queen.’  It will be available on Amazon in a few weeks. It’s written to be read out loud so the words will ring.

When my children were small I invented holidays so each a month would have at least two. We also celebrated Rock Day, Bad Manner Day. One year Anna was dismayed to dig up a dress along with her cape on Treasure Day. Instead she would have passionately preferred to have discovered a basketball or a live dinosaur!

Superman And The Mad Mermaid Queen 1 17

I desperately need treasure! Treasure like my sister has- something spectacular. I”m Paul and I’m old but Anna’s just a little kid with a big head like a Q-tip. Anna’s my little sister and has good eyes and because she is so small her eyes are closer to the ground than mine, so she finds things. That’s why, and the only reason why, she found the key down in the dirt before I did. Also, Anna’s exceptional because she has a real dragon called Iva Lou, who’s with us on our journey, too.

This is the first page of the book, Superman and the Mad Mermaid Queen, book 1 The Golden Key.  Amy and I will hope to have it available in a few weeks.

Superman And The Mad Mermaid Queen

Can you remember being very young, opening a book, seeing a bunch of black scratches on a page and thinking, “Who wants to look at this! I’d rather see a page full of pictures.

In the book,’Bearos’ a girl invents an invisible friend who she hopes will get blamed for her misadventures so she won’t be sitting in “her” corner quite as often..

The pages below from ‘Bearos’ show an illustration with a piece of Outsider Art in the background with this text: Then Mom gets mad because newspaper pictures get glued to the inside of my favorite book.  “I agree with the bearo.” I tell her.  “Pictures look better than words.”

The Outsider Art picture itself is shown across the page with this text:”Didn’t she see the birds?  They  told me they wanted to be in my favorite book too,” I said very quietly from my corner.

Available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle – ‘Bearos‘

Bearos – A Children’s Book

Anna is mixing magic potions and mud pies. For several years she wore a beret every day, everywhere, even to church and bed. Her magic ingredients were baking soda, wheat flour, vinegar, water, pepper, dry spaghetti sticks, chocolate chips, which never ended up in mud and other kitchen powders and juices.

This picture is drawn in Crayola Crayon with a bright over color of yellow orange to show the heat of the day. It’s a picture of contrasts; cool blue/ warm yellow and orange in color, scrubbed on crayon/ loose wash of blue paint, quiet face/ active hands.

Anna and Mixing Bowls

A panel of women discussed a study stating: no matter what the income, background, or education children become successful due to one reason.  Their parents spent a great deal of time with them.  A few women on the panel proposed, “That’s not fair.  Let’s make a law to forbid spending time ones children.”

When I was young my mother answered my complaints, “Life’s not fair.”  I’m glad she taught me to keep working at my goals when life was hard.  If my life had been ‘fair’ my art would have be mushy instead of strong.  As a mother I decided buy books, to read to my children, and leave those books out in a prominent place for years and years.  My children could look through them on their own and as my children grew they’d be constantly reminded of those reading times together.

When they came home bemoaning, ‘Life’s not fair!’ they’d be reminded, ‘But Mom loves me.”  And, on those days they decided, “Mom doesn’t understand.  Not fair!” they’d see the books and remember, “But, Mom cherishes me.”

Below are two pages from my book, ‘Dragon’s Tale’.  The illustrations are drawn in crayola crayon, perhaps you’ll like them.

Finally Anna bounced up like a bunny, twisted in her chair, and reached for the round cake with the lavender squiggles.  She closed her mouth around the central star of frosting and said, “Yesterday we were in the apple tree eating cookies.”

“And, of course Iva Lou ate hers with worms on top.  And, she said she’s always thought she could be friends with a boy..

“Then why can’t I see her?” Paul asked.  “If she wants to meet a boy this is what she should do.  Your dragon needs to come right now and right here then she can meet me.”

Dragon’s Tale

The children’s book ‘Dragon’s Tale‘ is available on Amazon.com.

Nancy Mauerman