Margaret Grote

In the final year of her life, award-winning poet Margaret Grote (1922 - 2005) handed a collection of poems to her son, David, with instructions to "do something" with them. David jumped right on it, and 17 years later approached his cousin, Marcia Wheelan Coles, a children's book author and illustrator. Truth be told, these whimsical and sometimes poignant poems were gathering dust in David's closet until Marcia brought them to life with her beautiful artwork. Growing up during the Depression, Margaret came to appreciate life's simple pleasures, a theme recurrent in these poems. Mother of four, she was an artist, photographer, writer, and poet. She taught fourth grade for 35 years. Her love of children is on full display in these pages, and although the writing is meant for children, young-at-heart adults will also love this collection. Somewhere, Margaret is smiling, knowing that her son finally kept his promise, and that her work lives on, bringing joy and laughter to a whole new generation of children.