Aunt Mary's Pottery

"Aunt Mary's Pottery" is a true story about a woman named Mary who was stricken with a disease called polio at an early age yet made her life creating stunning pottery to sell. Mary saw the happy side – the side of moving ahead, no matter what. Through her courage and belief in herself, this story shows the life of Mary in all her trials and challenges and how her unique pottery changed her life and became a favorite in everyone's home.

"Aunt Mary's Pottery" is a true story about a woman named Mary who was stricken with a disease called polio at an early age yet made her life creating stunning pottery to sell. Mary saw the happy side – the side of moving ahead, no matter what. Through her courage and belief in herself, this story shows the life of Mary in all her trials and challenges and how her unique pottery changed her life and became a favorite in everyone's home. When Mary's hands became stiff and sore, she learned how to turn her hands backwards to mold her pottery. Coincidentally, the illustrator Emily broke her shoulder shortly after starting her illustrations for this book and had to learn a new way to paint. Mary's love of art and nature helped her create a peaceful, contented life. Cats, geese, turtles, swans, ducks, herons, and sandpipers are just a few of the local animals that she painted on her earthen pieces. Emily's vibrant images and colors depict the many sides of Mary throughout her life. This is a book about healing and hope. Soon this book will be another classic and Carole cannot wait to share it with the world.

Carole Sarkan is a retired schoolteacher who has always had a passion for writing, music, history, and art. She decided to put these interests together when she finished college and became a teacher. Since the age of six years old, Carole has always wanted to write children's books. With the partnership of Emily Christoff-Flowers as her illustrator, they embarked on an exciting adventure about Carole's English springer spaniel dog, Candy. Now they are featuring Carole's Aunt, Mary Grabill, an established artist in Florida who made her life creating pottery, despite her issues with arthritis and polio. Carole comes from a family of artists. Her grandparents were song writers, her mother and father were musicians who loved writing eloquent letters, and her brother Jim Grabill is a prolific poet and teacher in Portland, Oregon. Carole is originally from Bowling Green, Ohio and currently lives with her family in Grand Rapids, Ohio.