Inchworm, Inchworm: For those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's, "The Inchworm Song" holds a special place in our hearts. Who can forget the touching scene as Danny Kaye -- starring on film as Hans Christian Anderson, the kindly story-teller -- sings a sweet melody to a group of little children. Hans shows the children a tiny inchworm, as it inches along the leaves of a marigold flower, measuring them all day long. He asks the inchworm in song, "Do you ever stop and see how beautiful they are?" I always felt like the song captured the essence of society's failings in the 20th century - we were experimenting with socialism, trying to create freedom for all, but we felt like we had failed. Instead, it seemed as though most people were forgetting that the beauty of nature and her children are the only good reasons for working and building. Instead, tyrannical forms of socialism had emerged, turning people into soul-less, numbered robots. People needed reminders that they were still a part of the beauty of nature, still important and infinitely valuable.I always knew there had to be an "Inchworm Story" behind the song, and I searched for it over the years, wanting to read it to my own children. Finally, I realized that the only such story was the one that inhabited my own dreams. If I wanted an Inchworm Storybook for my children, I would need to do it myself, like the proverbial "Little Red Hen." I created my own version, and now I am sharing it with you! It's a fun story about a little green inchworm who loves his predictable life, until he meets a caterpillar one fine day. Cattywumpus Caterpillar takes him on an adventure that turns his simple world upside-down! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing and illustrating it! Nancy
About the Author: Dear Friend, I am from Nashville, Tennessee, where I grew up in the 60's and 70's. I considered myself a child of the back-to-nature movement. John Denver, Carole King, and James Taylor were my favorite singers. My dream was to become a doctor like my beloved father, and work on the side for the poor, and for endangered wildlife. But it was not to be. I graduated from Harpeth Hall a year ahead of the wonderful singer, Amy Grant, and went off to UVA, in Charlottesville, VA. I started as a Pre-med, but soon fell in love with their English Department - and my future husband. My life took off, and I put my creative writing dreams on the back burner. Eventually, after years of journaling about home life, raising three wonderful children, I came back to my first love: writing. There's a story there. I completed my BA in the 90's. In the first decade of the new Millennium, my oldest son went off to college, and my two youngest children entered their teen years. Suddenly, the family seemed self-sufficient. After 9-11, I found myself searching for America. I first went after a master's degree in Law and Public Policy. Regent's School of Government centers its program of study in philosophy, and I loved it! I felt I had found America's "river of life," but I still felt unable to share my new insights with others. So, I continued on for a master's in K-12 Education. I surmised that if I could learn to reach children, I could reach anyone. The very last class I took at Regent was taught by a professor of Human Development, Christine Schuette, PhD. Her last assignment for us was to design a lesson plan by first writing a story for children. I am forever grateful to her, because she loved my story! When I read her encouraging comments on the margins of my first manuscript -- a chapter book called, "The Hawk of Purple Mountain" [soon to be released] - something clicked. She got the message - I had communicated an inspiring idea to someone, and it felt great! Dear friend, I hope you and your children enjoy reading my stories as much as I enjoy writing and illustrating them! Blessings, Nancy