Second Children's Book a "Colorful Adventure" for Local Creators

When last we left our hero, Kathryn the Grape, she had just discovered that the magic she thought was in her enchanted wand was actually within her the entire time, and she found herself more prepared than ever to face the challenges of growing up.

When last we left our local heroes, Ginny Hornby of Montgomery and Christine Winscott of North Aurora, they were basking in the success of the first children’s book featuring Kathryn the Grape, and getting ready for the second. And learning, just like Kathryn, that a little belief goes a long way.

The Kathryn the Grape series of books is the product of a 2000-mile artistic connection. Created by San Diego-based writer Kathryn Cloward in 2009, the books are co-written by Hornby and illustrated by Winscott.

And now, they’re officially a series—the second book, “Kathryn the Grape’s Colorful Adventure,” was released last week, just over 10 months after the first, “Just Like Magic.” And for Hornby and Winscott, it’s been a magical year. They’ve spoken at local schools, done publicity for the series, and even took a trip to Las Vegas in June for the Daytime Emmy Awards—"Just Like Magic" was included in all the gift bags.

“That was a real rockstar moment,” Hornby said.

And now with the second book hitting shelves, they’re gearing up for an even more magical 2012.

The Kathryn the Grape series came about through a chance meeting—Hornby, a marketing professional, was working with Cloward on content for her company’s website, NaturalKidz.com.

The two of them started talking about a children’s book, and Cloward asked if Hornby knew anyone who could illustrate it. She recommended Winscott, her sister-in-law, who owns her own graphic design studio. After one conversation with Cloward, Winscott was on board.

Kathryn the Grape is named after Cloward’s childhood nickname, given to her because she wore purple to school constantly. In the books, Kathryn has a magical mentor—a talking butterfly named Maggie—and a one-eyed green monster living under her bed.

In “Kathryn the Grape’s Colorful Adventure,” Maggie gives Kathryn a charm bracelet, and together they learn about each of the charms: a red tree, symbolizing belonging; an orange, denoting excitement; a yellow mirror, indicating trust in oneself; a green heart, representing love; a blue microphone, reminding Kathryn to say what she needs to say; purple binoculars, which allow Kathryn to see in her mind where she wants to go; and a white flower, reminding her to be open to new things.

These are all lessons the book’s creators took to heart when crafting the story.

“We talked about that while writing the book,” Hornby said. “Each of us have tackled and embraced these lessons, some more than others, and even as adults there are some we need to go back and revisit.”

Like the first book, “Colorful Adventure” is a glossy hardcover with top-notch production values. And like the first, it’s published by Cloward’s own company, Kandon Publishing. But it’s the first one to have Hornby’s name on the cover as co-writer. (The first book was co-written by Cloward’s fellow Californian Jody Duhamel.)

“It’s great,” she said. “It has special meaning because my name’s on the cover, but this is a wonderful group of women to work with, and I’m proud to be associated with them.”

The future for Hornby and Winscott includes more speaking engagements—they are available for classroom visits, and will talk Kathryn the Grape at schools, libraries and other places. And then there is the third Kathryn book, which they are working on now. Earlier this year, they asked readers to send in photos of themselves, and Winscott is drawing those kids into the pages of Book Three.

The next volume is expected out in the first half of 2012, Hornby said. And there are at least two more Kathryn the Grape storylines planned out after that, she said.

In the meantime, you can order “Kathryn The Grape’s Colorful Adventure” from the series website (www.kathrynthegrape.com). Orders placed at the official site include coloring pages, bookmarks and stickers, and the first 200 books will be autographed. Plus, one dollar from each purchase goes to the Kathryn the Grape Fund, to help pay for literacy education.

The books can also be ordered from Amazon (www.amazon.com) and Barnes and Noble (www.bn.com).