Trisha Cousineau-Peiffer has written a new book for children ages 2-8 entitled "Have You Ever Heard of a Rainbow Farm?"
This story is about a little girl with amazing jellybeans that produce suprises on the farm. It is a great book to teach colors and learn about baby farm animals. Born in California but growing up in Iowa, Trisha has always preferred living in wide-open areas, saying, "I do not like to be confined. I have always needed to be outside."
As a child, she lived in Sioux City, Iowa before the vast construction began on the mall. Her home was just down the street near farms and plenty of wooded areas and dirt roads. At seven years of age, she would often disappear into the woods and ravine. He school was a mere eight blocks and some days it took her more than an hour to reach her destination. Sometimes she wandered to her secret place where she enjoyed spending time with a horse on a neighboring farm. A few of her freinds lived on farms with a variety of animals, especially a rooster that served as a morning wake up call.
Until the fourth grade, her mother could not get Trisha out of bib overalls. She wanted to be like the boys, but was reminded that she was a girl. At school and at home Trisha was labled a dreamer. Almost on a daily basis her sixth grade teacher would say, "Are you out picking daisies in the snow again?"
Later she moved to Spokane, Wash where she co-owned a restaurant. Feeling miserable in such a large city, she returned to Iowa. "When you stop dreaming, you stop living," said Trisha. The year was 2000 when she moved to Fonda. "It was like I was home," Trisha commented.
She had three children which she read to every night. This is the moment in time, in 2001, when her new book evolved. As she read to her youngest daughter, Jessica, one night, a shared conversation instilled the idea for a story. Jessica stated, as she looked at her poster of butterflies and rainbows, "Wouldn't it be great if you could grow rainbows?"
Trisha asked, "How would you grow them?"
Jessica replied, "I would plant all the colored jellybeans together in the ground and they would grow into a rainbow." The conversation continued about colored animals and farms. Within fifteen minutes or so a story had developed.
"Jessica is always writing stories or coming up with ideas that spark the imagination," said Trisha. The little girl, Jessie Jones, in her book is actually her own daughter Jessica around age four.
You can look forward to a series of books by Trisha that will be published with illustrator Bonnie Everett-Hawkes. Check your local libraries and bookstores for dates with book signings by Trisha Cousineau-Peiffer. You may also contact her at Click here or Click here to order a book or request a book signing.
Gemma succeeds in starting a girls' football team at her new school, but bitter rival Tyrone does everything he can to stop the girls playing. So begins a battle of wits between the girls and boys, and also between Gemma and sports teacher, Mrs Lawfo
Share
Save
