Thunder Junior Park Ranger: First Book in the Thunder Junior Park Ranger Series

What do a skunk, a snake, and a desperate deer family have in common? How does a cold winter in North Dakota cause a disaster in Mississippi? Where is Spot? Junior Ranger Thunder has sworn an oath to preserve and protect historic landscapes for future generations, (and not to pee on the monuments). He's new on the job, and still "pretty green," but he finds the answers to these and many other questions as he gets a crash course in crisis management. It's a tough assignment when the hog clan comes to town, but Thunder is determined to uphold his oath and make his mama proud, and he does it all while completing his education. What a dog, what a ranger, what a story, even if sometimes it stinks. The plot weaves age appropriate themes such as cause and effect, leadership, teamwork, and problem solving into this very funny story, which touches on conservation, and explores how diversity contributes to a parsimonious outcome. It's sure to keep adults and children in stitches.

The author spends a lot of time in and around National Parks with her Park Ranger husband and their dog Thunder. She earned a master's degree in conflict resolution, and incorporates principles from that discipline into her storytelling, but her books are intended primarily to be entertaining stories that both proficient and reluctant readers will enjoy.