After a flash flood at the huge Lazy J Ranch, a tiny girl in a leaf boat is rescued from Bubbling Brook, usually a gentle stream, but now a raging river. Only six inches tall, the little girl is wearing a maple leaf dress, soft tree bark shoes and a rose petal hat. With a face like a pixie, she explains in her sweet, flute-like voice, that she is from a village near Majestic Mountain, far to the north of the ranch. For years, the ranch owners, Mr. and Mrs. Lovejoy, had heard stories about the "Little People" who lived near the mountains--but they never really believed they were true. The book chronicles the humorous and daring adventures of the little girl while visiting and exploring the true-to-life setting of the Lazy J Ranch. "Teeny Jeanie"--how did she get that name?" What's her real name and what special gift does she have? What secrets are found in her magical village and why is the village name so special? In an exciting conclusion to this first book, Teeny Jeanie and Karen, the ranch owners' seven year old niece, make the long trip to the mountains by horseback to meet the little girl's family and to explore and experience the magic of her amazing village.
About the Author: Sylvia C. DaVia, (1915-2009), Wrentham, MA, wrote the first chapter and three other Teeny Jeanie stories in the late 1950s for her three youngest children, Jean, Peter and Michelle. They would roll with laughter and enjoyed the stories at bed-time, again and again. Sylvia DaVia (nee Simoneau), was a product of the excellent early parochial school system in Marlboro, MA, where she remembered wanting to be a writer since the fifth grade. Sylvia's husband, Yale School of Fine Art artist and architect, Louis Q. DaVia, R.A. (1913-2007) did a number of excellent pencil illustrations and sketches of Teeny Jeanie and scenes from the stories. Many of these sketches are included the book and will be used as the art style for future illustrations. The author hoped that this children's fiction story would be shared with other children (and young-at-heart adults) initially through this illustrated chapter book. She believed that the realistic Lazy J Ranch setting, combined with the fantasy Teeny Jeanie character would allow for an endless number of exciting and varied storylines and chapters that would be plausible, humorous and endearing to both children and adults. In 2006, the author's son, Paul C. DaVia, P.E., a retired civil engineer, retrieved the four original hand written manuscripts and began editing and transcribing them to word processing. Employing the original style and story line, he wrote four additional chapters to complete the first eight-chapter book, "The Adventures of Teeny Jeanie." After more than fifty years, the Teeny Jeanie stories were read at bed-time to Paul's grand children, Sophie, 7, and Evie, 5. and have again become a huge hit. Even Paul's oldest grand daughter, Savannah, 14, has asked when new stories would be finished. This author strongly believes that the pixie-like Teeny Jeanie character, fascinating settings and up-lifting life lessons depicted in the stories has multi-media potential and will continue to delight both children and adults for years to come.