Charlotte L. Stiverson
children's book author
BOOKS
NELLIE'S WALK
In Nellie's Walk, a goldfinch leads Nellie and her mother on a surprising walk through the woods, where Nellie learns about the changing of the seasons and the changes taking place with her mother. Nellie is a young girl. She is worried about her mother who is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for cancer. This beautifully written and illustrated book tells their story while explaining how cancer and cancer treatments affect the human body. Nellie's Walk is an essential tool for parents, teachers, and others seeking a way to explain a sensitive topic in a realistic, yet nonthreatening way.
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Nellie's Walk
REVIEWS
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Beautifully illustrated and lyrical story, Nellie's Walk gently reveals the concept of cancer by expertly intertwining the physical changes which occur to a person with cancer with the seasonal changes viewed on a leisurely stroll through the woods. Truly an uplifting, reassuring narrative for young readers.
Lois Tynan, retired elementary and middle school teacher and librarian
Nellie's Walk
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Nellie's Walk is a realistic but gentle presentation of concerns children have as their parents go through cancer chemotherapy. The creative use of changes in seasons as an allegory for changes in the physical appearance resulting from chemotherapy places the experience in an understandable perspective for children. . . . This book is unique and will be a great resource for children whose parents are undergoing cancer chemotherapy.
Meller P. Davis, MD, FCCP, FAAHM
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Nellie's Walk is a lovely story book with the aim of helping younger children to try and understand one of the side effects of chemotherapy. It is written in a sensitive way and the beautiful illustrations totally complement the story. If children don't understand what is happening when a family member is receiving treatment for cancer they may get scared and begin to imagine all sorts of things. Nellie's Walk could help to reduce any anxieties and worries about hair loss that a child may have and this is done in a very gentle way through the story of Nellie and her Mom taking a walk whilst discussing the changing seasons. Nellie's Walk will be a useful addition to our library in order to help children understand one of the common side effects of treatment.
Susan Sutherland, Centre Head, Maggie's Aberdeen, Scotland
BOOKS
A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE HOPEWELL
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Travel with Owl and her friends as she uses her knowledge and observations to offer insights into how early Ohioans, known in today’s world as the Hopewell Culture, may have lived. Geared for elementary school-aged children, A Bird’s Eye View of the Hopewell, shares ideas about life in prehistoric times over 2000 years ago. A glossary, resource list, and maps are included to extend the information and provide opportunities for further research and discussion. Illustrations by Kati Aitken are done in pen and ink and woodblock prints. This is a perfect book for classrooms and students studying Ohio history and for visitors to the prehistoric Hopewell sites who are looking for a concise and entertaining summary.
REVIEWS
A Bird's Eye View of the Hopewell
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Delightfully engaging yet informative, A Bird’s Eye View of the Hopewell reveals the many-faceted culture of the ancient tribes who created the Ohio burial mounds from the point of view of forest animals. Middle grade students will develop a sense of wonder and appreciation for the significant achievements of prehistoric mound builders. With the inclusion of a helpful glossary and pertinent websites, A Bird’s Eye View of the Hopewell is a necessary complement to an elementary curriculum.
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Lois Tynan,
Retired children’s librarian and elementary teacher
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Charlotte Stiverson’s A Bird’s Eye View of the Hopewell is a delightful and well-researched introduction to Ohio’s ancient American Indian Hopewell culture. She conveys the almost unbelievable achievements of these indigenous mound-building people in a way that will captivate as it informs young readers. The charming illustrations by Kati Aitken are a perfect complement to this story of Owl, Rabbit, Squirrel and their friends as they, not unlike archaeologists today, work together to understand how the Hopewell were able to achieve the things they did.
Bradley Lepper
Ohio History Connection
Senior Curator of Archaeology
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Join Rabbit and Squirrel as they learn about the Hopewell culture from wise Owl and other woodland animals. Read about these ancient people who left no written records but built vast precision-designed astronomical structures or mounds throughout Ohio. What was important to them? How did they travel? Were they good observers of nature? All these and more mysteries will be explored in this delightful book, A Bird’s Eye View of the Hopewell.
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Hope Taft
Former First Lady of Ohio
1999-2007
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charlotte L. Stiverson
Charlotte Stiverson taught in classrooms and museums for over 35 years, with 25 years teaching Ohio history to fourth graders. Recently retired, she continues to educate through workshops that focus on teaching to different personality types, especially the introverted child, and workshops that explain Ohio’s prehistoric people. A Bird's Eye View of the Hopewell is her second book. Her first book, Nellie’s Walk, won a Grand Award in the 2017 APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. Both books were written to educate children on a specific topic. The need to explain chemotherapy in a sensitive, easy to understand way for young children was her purpose behind writing Nellie's Walk, and the need to educate students about Ohio’s early prehistoric residents created A Bird’s Eye View of the Hopewell. Her other works include various articles for educational magazines, along with a number of book reviews published for the Ohioana Library.
Stiverson is an active volunteer at the Highlands Nature Sanctuary in Bainbridge, Ohio, where she helps maintain the Kamelands trail. She enjoys the arts and working with textiles, especially knitting, sewing, dyeing, and pattern design. Other favorite activities include hiking, writing, baking, gardening, doing volunteer work, and spending time with family and friends. She currently lives in the woods of southwestern Ohio (Hopewell country) with her husband, cat, and honeybees.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Kati (Aitken) Haajanen
After getting my education and working for eight years as a research chemist, I had an opportunity to get back properly into painting in 2010 and have been dedicated to just artwork since then. I obtained a 2 year Diploma in Painting and Printmaking from Heatherley School of Fine Art, London, in July 2012, and have also attended a selection of courses and workshops since that. I have been interested in quite a large variety of painting media and subjects but especially nature, plants and animals. The past artists that have influenced my style and subject matter the most are Salvador Dali (1904-1989, painting technique), and Ferdinand von Wright (1822-1906, wildlife art). Of contemporary artists, Claire Dalby has had the biggest influence on my botanical illustration technique and I also admire the work of Shirley Felts.
My paintings can currently be seen in the following public locations:
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Yorkhill, Glasgow, Cardiology Unit
University of St Andrews, School of Chemistry
Jack of Diamonds club external walls, Bristol
Own Exhibitions
The Bungo, Glasgow, May 2013
Half of a two woman show in St Andrews August 2016
Illustrated books available on Amazon.
*The Giraffe Who Couldn't Laugh (ebook written by Rob Horlock)
*100 Really funny jokes (ebook by Rob Horlock)
*My Friend Brownie (ebook written by Amy Clark)
*Freddy's adventures (written by Heidi Mumford)
​*Two Brothers (ebook and paperback, written by Edwin Daniels)
*Nellie's Walk (paperback, written by Charlotte Stiverson)
*A Bird's Eye View of the Hopewell (paperback, written by Charlotte Stiverson)
*The Tree's Story (paperback, written & illustrated by Kati Haajanen)
CONTACT
Please contact: Charlotte L. Stiverson
Telephone: 614-774-3969 e-mail: cedarwaxwing2@sbcglobal.net