"Wild at Heart" written and illustrated by Swan Valley resident Sharon Lamar was released in May by Farcountry press.
An educator for 35 years, Sharon Lamar taught students from preschool to college. She has released four children's books and she hopes they will encourage a love and appreciation for the natural world. She lives in the Swan Valley with her husband Steve and dog Smokey, enjoying all it has to offer.
SWAN VALLEY – "I want to encourage kids to get outside, explore nature and understand the value of their natural heritage," said Swan Valley teacher turned author and illustrator Sharon Lamar. Since 2010 Lamar has published three children's books. She just released her fourth children's book "Wild at Heart" that celebrates a young girl's unforgettable hike into the wilderness.
Lamar first ventured into writing and illustrating as a Christmas present for her husband Steve. "He liked it so much he encouraged me to self-publish," said Lamar.
She published her first book, "Montana Moonshadows: A Trek in the Swan Valley Forest" in 2010. It tells the story of her family's annual ritual of harvesting a Christmas tree from the local woodlands.
The next year, Lamar sent in a book proposal about wildflowers to Mountain Press Publishing. "Mountain Wildflowers for Young Explorers: An A to Z Guide" was published in 2011.
The book was inspired while teaching first grade at Bigfork Elementary School. When Lamar took her students for springtime walks on the Swan River Nature Trail, they were just as fascinated with the wildflowers as she was.
"I wrote the book to help children identify wildflowers as well as to connect with nature," said Lamar.
The idea of another children's A to Z guide, this time for butterflies, came from her students. Their favorite science activity was observing a caterpillar spin a chrysalis and morph into a butterfly.
"When we set the butterfly free, I was amazed that my young students could identify different butterfly species we had studied," wrote Lamar who published "Western Butterflies for Young Explorers: An A to Z Guide" in 2013. "Their enthusiasm about butterflies was the impetus for my third children's book."
Lamar does all the watercolor illustrations for her books. She started painting in 2006 after signing up for a weekly painting class with a friend.
"With watercolor paints, I am able to capture the luminous qualities of wildflowers and other plant species more readily than with other media," said Lamar.
Lamar started working on her new release "Wild at Heart" over a year ago.
"My favorite memories are of outdoor activities with my family when we were backpacking, hiking and skiing on our public lands," said Lamar. "'Wild at Heart' tells the story of an unforgettable three-day backpack trip our young family took in the Mission Mountains Wilderness."
Along the trail, the young girl and her family meet a hummingbird, enjoy huckleberries, fish in a mountain lake and she climbs her first mountain peak. The young girl's kinship with nature is palpable revealing the timeless tale of the connection between nature and child. The watercolor illustrations portray the forest, lakes and mountains of the Northwest.
"After reading Wild at Heart I hope children and adults alike will be inspired to get outside and explore our public lands," wrote Lamar.
When Lamar is not writing her own books, she has helped edit and write a few publications for the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society including the regional history book "The Gathering Place: Swan Valley's Gordon Ranch."
"Wild at Heart" can be purchased by emailing Lamar at lamar@blackfoot.net or find it at farcountrypress.com. It is also available at the Grizzly Claw Trading Company in Seeley Lake.
Reader Comments(0)