Welcome to Marianne's Web Site

Before 2009 comes to a close I want to thank all the people who made this year so special for me as a children’s picture book author. To teachers who share their love of reading with their students and bring a sense of wonder to their classrooms;
To parents who spend precious, intimate moments, one on one, reading to and with their kids; To children from all walks of life, with all kinds of gifts and talents and special needs: I loved hearing from you about my books and what they have meant to you.

To name a few:
The mother with an autistic child, who was so happy that “Over in the Ocean, in a Coral Reef” and “Over in the Jungle, a Rainforest Rhyme,” were now available in vibrant colorful board book versions, so her child couldn’t rip the pages.
The music teacher who used “Marsh Music” to show how an orchestra needs to work together.
The young girl who collected all the shells in my seashell book when she was at the beach this summer.
A mother with a blind child whose favorite book is “Going Around the Sun; Some Planetary Fun.” See http://tailsgonewest.blogspot.com/2009/09/going-around-sun.html.
The couple from NY who went on a trip to Alaska with their child, who discovered his favorite book, “Over in the Arctic; Where the Cold Winds Blow.” in a gift shop there. And a woman in Missouri who with her husband established a literacy foundation to honor the memory of her daughter who was killed in an automobile accident. “Amy’s Story” is a foundation that donates book bags to young learners and this year they included “Over in the Ocean, in a Coral Reef.”
These are a few that come to mind as I write this last note in the year 2009. May 2010 be filled with peace and love, and as always, the joy of reading!