A futuristic Santa, playful elf, a fuzzy pup and a cranky crab are among the book characters children can discover at Mountaineer Week Family Fun Day on Saturday at West Virginia University’s MountainLair. Even better, they can meet the authors who created them!
Seven authors will be signing from noon-5 p.m. on Saturday at the Headline Books table in the MountainLair’s Vandalia Lounge.
Brendan Sellaro, of Morgantown, illustrator of the Mom’s Choice Silver Honorees Lily & Nana and Funny Dan the Race Car Man, debuts as an author. His graphic novel, Space Santa: Holiday Hero, is set in the year 2125, where the tradition of Christmas has been long forgotten. Christopher Kringle and an otherworldly visitor help bring the joy of Christmas back to Earth.
Colleen Driscoll of Harrison County wrote Piper the Elf Trains Santa to teach children that they can get exercise without even knowing it – just by playing their favorite active games. On Saturday, children can hear the audio book version and the song that Driscoll wrote. All her children play an instrument so they wrote and perform the song.
Cindy Bandy O’Brien  wrote Agitated to help children relate to everyday situations that push their buttons and learn some strategies they can use to deal with unpleasant feelings. The book just won a Mom’s Choice Silver Award for Best Juvenile Level 1 Ages 5-8 Self-Improvement.
Melissa Ridenour of Morgantown penned What Would You Do? A Kid’s Guide to Staying Safe in a World of Strangers to instruct young readers in a gentle question-and-answer format that shows them how to make good decisions about their safety, empowering children in a non-threatening way to take a proactive role in staying safe from predators and harm.
Uncle Dave Howard of Waynesburg, Pa., wrote Lady’s Day to Play about a typical day in the life of his Jack Russell-Cocker Spaniel-Poodle. Howard, who writes his books as Uncle Dave, gives a portion of his sales to research about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, which claimed the life of his niece’s baby. His book won a Mom’s Choice Silver Award for humor books for children ages 5-8.
Don Stansberry is a teacher and coach from Wood County who debuted with his first novel for adults this summer. In Secret Blood, the CIA clones Jesus Christ. Stansberry’s books for children include Crusty, about a crab that can’t get along, and a series of middle grade novels about Inky, a small wizard who goes on big adventures.
Jason Lynch from Friendly is a toy maker, World Record Holder, co-author of Teddy Bear Helps on the Farm and author of Silver Mom’s Choice Award winning children’s book Everyone Has Hope. He collaborated with Geri Field on Hailley & the Giant, a new release that tells the story of triumph over a giant who is a bully. It’s a metaphor, written by a teacher and illustrated by classmates of Hailley Parsons, who is undergoing radiation treatments to eradicate an inoperable brain tumor.
