Award Winning Finalist National Best Book Awards 2008, USA Book News During a Headline Kids School Show visit to Franklin Elementary Center November 2006, the childrens book authors Martin and Delia Wach talked with the students about writing and illustrating children s books and introduced them to their newest book, An Adventure In Writing. The kids were brain storming about what makes a good subject for a book. Nothing seemed to hit home.
During lunch at the school with the students the Wachs mentioned seeing a little house made out of milk cartons outside the school building, and they saw a cat walk into the little house. This opened a floodgate of stories about the cat that would not leave and the rest is history!
School officials and teachers found several wonderful adoptive families for the cat and every time the cat made its way back to the school. Finally, a little house was made for the cat outside and she has been a regular visitor ever since, teaching the students to care for animals, pet safety, and how to help others not to mention the rare opportunity to work with published authors and write a national release of their own.
Working closely with children s book authors Martin & Delia Wach fourth grade teacher Monica Davis, Elizabeth Ellis, second grade teacher, and Kathy Bargeloh, Library/Media Specialist, spearheaded the awesome task of keeping the students on track with their stories and on deadline for their publisher. Delia Bowman Wach, noted artist and author, also worked with the children teaching them how to illustrate their stories for the book. Authoring a book is something these students will never forget. They began their book project in November, 2006 and worked throughout the school year on it. Now, not only are they in the news...they are in the Library of Congress!
Martin and Delia Wach bring the rich culture of the South American rain forests and interactive art and writing to students from coast to coast.
In the early 90 s, a business trip took Martin to Suriname, South America to introduce sustainable micro-business as a solution to creating new trade relationships. His projects included the search for new medicines, aviculture, butterfly farming, poison dart frog research, eco-tourism to name several. He was introduced to the Maroon Medicine Man and lived with the Maroon Indians off and on for six years.
The Indians were marooned in Suriname over 300 years ago by their Dutch masters. Since the day they landed, the Maroons have fought for their freedom and have been nearly the sole protectors of our rain forests. It is only because the Maroons have been so feared that the Rain Forest still remains. The stories told by Martin Wach of their battles and bravery, their culture and social structure will delight, inform and amaze all who listen.
Delia Wach is a highly acclaimed water color and mixed media artist who has fallen in love with painting Teddy Bears and their friends. She has created art work not only for individuals and Teddy Bear Manufacturers including two nominees for Golden Teddy awards; she has been the guest artist for many Teddy Bear events across the United States. Their experience with the Maroons is expressed through Delia s imaginative art work as she turns the Maroon Indian personalities into Teddy Bears and together she and Martin weave the stories and paintings into a magical series of children s books now available.
Teddy Bear Guardians of the Rain Forest: The Great West Virginia Snow Adventure is their latest title. This is a wonderful cross culture story about the Teddy Bears of the Rain Forest smuggling themselves to a West Virginia grade school so they can see snow. Their first two titles: Teddy Bear Guardians of the Rain Forest and Butterfly Dreams also delight children of all ages. They are also authors of An Adventure In Writing and Veterans Reign in Their Own Parade co-authored with the 5th Grade from Rainelle Elementary School in Rainelle, WV.
