MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — Age is just a number.
Just ask author Katharine Stanley-Brown Abbott about her writing production.
The 96-year-old Manchester-by-the-Sea resident just published “Where’s Henrietta?”, the third installment of a series of books that show children how to be resilient and courageous in face of a host of challenges.
The story commences when the title character, Henrietta, disappears and her worried friends begin to search for the woodchuck.
“Two bunnies stood in front of a patch of dirt that used to be a thriving vegetable garden. It was a sunny morning in late May. ‘Where’s Henrietta?’ exclaimed a gray bunny.”
Using heart-felt language and illustrations, readers will become acquainted with the obstacles facing Henrietta’s friends.
Readers may be surprised by the story’s resolution.
“My hope in writing this third book is to create an adventure story that shows children the power of teamwork and friendship,” Abbott said.
Abbott is a graduate of Vassar College and studied editing at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study in Cambridge. She is the mother of four children, grandmother to five and great grandmother to one child.
Abbott’s wide array of interests has been instrumental in her writing and includes needlepoint, knitting, cooking, traveling, tennis and volunteering for a variety of interests. She is an accomplished artist, with several of her works appearing in juried shows, art festivals and open studios.
But the experience of reading Abbott’s books includes soaking in the illustrations of artist Lisa Brennan, images aimed at capturing the imagination of children.
“A child’s imagination is a true gift,” Brennan said of her approach to the book’s artwork. “I wanted to create illustrations for Katharine’s book that really speak to her story and bring even deeper meaning for the work.”
Brennan, who has been creating art since she was a child, is a professional illustrator, songwriter and poet. During her career, she has worked in an elementary school library and continues to enjoy working with children.
“Where’s Henrietta?” was recently published by SDP Publishing and is available at SDP Publishing, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as with other retailers.
Abbott’s other books in this series are “Henrietta” (2022) and “Henrietta and the Fox” (2023). She is also the author of “Cobblestones and Ice Cream Cones — A Trip to Nantucket in Rhymes (Kase Publishing, 2019), “A Zoo Full of Rhymes (SDP Publishing, 2020) and two memoirs. She has also co-written and edited a host of other publications.
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@gloucestertimes.com.