Linda Rivers Smith is a retired educator who received her bachelor’s degree in English from Illinois State University and her master’s degree from the University of Illinois. She has always enjoyed writing and telling stories to her grandchildren. She is now living in Centerville, Tenn., with her husband, Dick. They are raising two grandchildren: Faith, 8, and Joe, 9. In her spare time, and at the insistence of her grandchildren, she began writing children’s books.

Her new releases are as follows:

“The Apple Tree -- A Dick and Dave Adventure” introduces readers to the “little firecrackers,” two brothers who thought they were twins because their birthdays were only one day apart -- July 4 and July 5. They were always looking for an adventure, so when they saw the neighbor’s apple tree loaded with fruit, they helped themselves. They took the apples home to Momma, who used the apples to bake two pies. Trouble began when Momma decided to take one of the pies to the neighbor to thank him for the apples. Will Momma find out the truth? Teaching children a lesson about honesty and the consequences of telling a lie, “The Apple Tree” is one engaging read that everyone will surely enjoy.

“The Old Woman in the Shoe” is a nursery rhyme that most children read in Mother Goose. The rhyme has its origin during the late 1700s in England. Smith takes the rhyme several steps further as she asks the question, “Whatever Happened to the Old Woman in the Shoe?” The old woman had so many children she didn’t know what to do, but the children grew older and eventually left the shoe. Now, what will the old woman do? Smith answers this question by creating a rhyming story of her own. Both children and adults will enjoy reading this story as they follow the old woman as she discovers the world.