La Grange Woman's Children's Book Makes National List

LA GRANGE, IL — La Grange resident Lisa Katzenberger's first book was published recently, and it's already attracting a lot of notice. The children's book, "National Regular Average Ordinary Day," made The Today Show's "25 children's books your kids and teens won't be able to put down this summer."

In Katzenberger's book, Peter loves celebrating just about every holiday, including "National Underwear Day" and "National Waffle Day." Then he runs out of reasons to celebrate, which frustrates him. But Peter ultimately realizes ordinary days are worth celebrating.

"A kid can be a little bit overscheduled, pulled in a lot of different directions," Katzenberger said in an interview with La Grange Patch. "What is it like to get back to basics and say we don't have something fancy to do every day? It's like playing with a cardboard box."

The publisher, Penguin Workshop, is marketing the book to children ages 3 to 7. But Katzenberger said children's books can be read and enjoyed by people of all ages.

Her book was released Tuesday, but media got advance copies. Katzenberger, a native of the Chicago suburbs, said she was surprised to make The Today Show's list.

For her day job, Katzenberger is a freelance technical writer. Before, she was a social media manager. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University, where she received her bachelor's degree in journalism. This is where she said she learned to write succinctly, making every word count. And that is especially important when writing a children's book, she said.

Katzenberger and her husband, Mike Bash, have 9-year-old boy-girl twins. They live in a 100-year-old Victorian house "with sloping hardwood floors, glass doorknobs and the tiniest bathroom you've ever seen," she says on her website.

Katzenberger is optimistic about the future of books, despite challenges to the industry.

"Young adult novels are so popular and widely read," she said. "We go to the library all the time, and many people are there."

Her next children's book, "It Will Be OK," is slated to be published next February.