In addition to the book signing, there will be arts and craft
activities for children. "We have some activities designed around
the adventures that the character has in the book," says the author,
a Logan County native who grew up in rural Mount Pulaski. Children
will also have the opportunity to make and design their own glasses
or "sassy spectacles" as featured in the book. "Just some fun stuff
for them to take home," Florczyk adds.
These events designed around the kids are free, and Prairie Years
will also stock the book "Super Sassy Spectacles" beginning
Saturday.
Meanwhile the inspiration for the book is quite easy to see once you
pick up a copy and glance at the cover and see Anna, an absolutely
adorable six-year old who is busting with personality plus and a
vivid imagination.
"Anna got her glasses when she was about sixteen months old and
about that time I was feeling really bad that my kid had to wear
glasses," says Florczyk. She had also heard a few comments from
people that remarked how terrible it was that a little baby had to
wear glasses.
"I thought I don't want her to grow up thinking it's terrible to be
a baby wearing glasses," said Florczyk, "So I thought if I am
positive about it, she'll be positive about it. I looked for dolls
and I looked for toys and I looked for books that were about kids in
glasses and was not quite finding exactly what I wanted. So I
thought maybe I should write my own story about her."
After thinking about the story for a while, Florczyk finally told
Anna her ideas. "To be honest before I really put it down on paper,
I told her the story. She always thought it was cool that it was her
little story."
Finally Florczyk, who is an English teacher at Breese Central
Community High School, typed the story on the computer. Then one day
while reading her alumni magazine from Millikin University she read
where they had started a publishing house and she recognized the
name of the faculty advisor as one of her former professors.
Florczyk sent an inquiry email and the rest is history.
Little Anna was only three years old when her mom submitted the
story to 'the powers that be' at Millikin University. It's been a
long three year process, but definitely worth it for both mother and
daughter.
Mom/author Katie recounts the heart-warming story of when Anna put
her glasses on for the first time. "When she first got her glasses
whenever she was a baby, we put them on her and she SMILED, and I
thought she really is seeing everything brand new. She's never seen
the world like this. So I thought how could I write a children's
story that made it seem like that if you wear your glasses it really
is opening up all these things to you. It really is new and life is
an adventure. I wanted to do that with a kid's story."
Daughter/inspiration of the book, Anna, offers her two cents, "Well,
I feel like it's really cool that I am actually the character of the
book," she says.
When Florczyk first saw the sketches for the book that were created
by artist Emily Cardot, she knew that was "perfectly Anna." "I was
really happy with how the illustration just had so many good old
quirks that reminded me a lot of her. The way that she was posing
and the way her boots looked, it just was Anna," says a smiling
Florczyk.
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The book also features some of Anna's favorite things. "I love to do
art," says Anna. The book also emphasizes Anna's vivid imagination
and Florczyk notes that she intended to make the book filled with
stories based on Anna's imagination. "I thought let's make it like
she's getting lost in her thoughts when her glasses are on because
it's so fantastic to see everything."
Another thing fantastic, is how Anna's friends are supporting her. "My friend
Maecie is from District 12 and I think today she got fake glasses and she wanted
to be just like me and she's my best, best, best friend and she's a farmer."
Florczyk is happy about the positive feedback she and Anna have received in
support of this book, noting that it is more common for kids to wear glasses
nowadays. "That's been a cool thing....just people thinking positive about
wearing glasses," says Florczyk, who herself began wearing glasses at the age of
two.
Both mother and daughter have severe farsightedness and astigmatism. Anna also
had amblyopia, a condition that caused her eye to turn toward her nose,
according to her mother. "Her eye started turning in infancy and that's how we
knew she needed glasses." Or "sassys" as Anna first called them, hence the title
in the book.
Florczyk explains the word in the title, "The sassy in "Super Sassy
Spectacles"...Anna's very sassy...we hope in a respectable way, most of the
time, but when she was a baby she called her glasses her "sassys" because she
couldn't say glasses."
More than likely another member of the Florczyk family will need "sassys" in the
future and that member is Anna's baby sister, Elyse. That can only mean one
thing to this up and coming children's author - book number two is in the
future.
[Teena Lowery]
Just a couple diaspora
post-notes:
Katie comes from good stock. She grew up a Maske in Mount Pulaski.
Her grandmother, Jo Ellen Maske is a retired English teacher from
MPGS and her mom, Kathy Maske, is a long-time kindergarten teacher
at Zion Lutheran School in Mount Pulaski. Grandpa Bob Maske was also
a teacher at MPHS, while dad Mike Maske is the Logan County Fair
Board Secretary and the owner of Mike Maske Auction Services. Aunt
Barbara Maske is also a Reading and Language Arts teacher at MPGS.
You get the idea that she's chosen the right career path while
teaching English and following her passion for writing. She also
noted how much it meant to her grandmother Jo Ellen for her to
complete this book.
It sure is fun to see another generation of the Maske family
achieving success. "Super Sassy Spectacles" is also available online
at Bronze Man Books and Amazon.
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