4 days Ago By ALMA GAUL [email protected]
Lots of people have ideas for children’s books, but lacking the talent or skill to illustrate them, the books remain ideas. That’s where Sandy Winborn, of Davenport, has a distinct advantage. She is a skilled watercolorist who did a thriving business at juried art fairs earlier in her career and operated a gallery on Harrison Street in Davenport’s Hilltop area.
Her latest children’s book, “Sweet Dreams A Sleep Time Counting Book,” contains 29 full-page watercolor illustrations centered around a sandman who introduces sheep that children count to lull them to sleep. “Sheep one. Counting is fun.
” “One, two, that’s less than a few.” “Sheep three, I can see,” and so on up to 15 sheep. Sandy Winborn has written and illustrated her second children's book, this one aimed at lulling them to sleep while learning to count.
“Sweet Dreams’ is more than a counting book, though. A subplot weaves through the story in which family members do chores that go with the passing of the day, such as picking up toys, emptying trash, brushing teeth and saying prayers. This narrative gives parents or caretakers additional topics to talk about while reading the book, Winborn said.
“It’s about adults spending time with children," she said. Readers can point to a constellation on a page, for example, and ask, “ ‘Do you see that?’ ” Winborn said. “Or, ‘How do you feel when the sun goes down?’ It’s all the different things you can do with children.
That was part of my thought process.” This illustration from "Sweet Dreams" shows the sandman introducing the first sheep. For help in varying the rural landscapes on her pages, Winborn used photos from “Our Iowa” magazine as inspiration.
Winborn’s first children’s book, “The Hide and Seek Alphabet Book,” was published in 2020. She sold 600 copies that she and her husband Ed, a former Davenport mayor and chairman of the Scott County Board of Supervisors, self-published with Instant Publisher in Tennessee. They used the same publisher for “Sweet Dreams.
” Winborn also has illustrated a pack of six greeting cards with messages for getting well or having a happy birthday. “Sweet Dreams” costs $25 and is available by contacting Winborn at [email protected] .
The greeting cards cost $10 per pack. As well as being enjoyable and relaxing, reading has been found to have a number of benefits for our mental health. Reading is a great way to keep your brain active and engaged, which can slow the progress of Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
When you read a book, you have to remember a range of characters and their names, backgrounds, and motivations. This helps to improve your short-term memory recall, which has also been proven to help stabilize your mood. Reading a great novel or a well-written article is a good way to distance yourself from your worries, and reduce stress.
It is also a great way to expand your vocabulary and improve your writing skills. Being able to articulate exactly how you feel can make you more confident, and boost your self-esteem. Regardless of what your interests are, books and magazines are great sources of entertainment.
Local libraries often have a wide selection of books in a variety of genres, that you can read free of charge. If you don’t live near a library, there are also many sources online that allow you to download ebooks for free. The Davenport Public Library's OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) parks at a "Library in the Park" event on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at the Fejervary Learning Center.
Library in the Park takes place on select Wednesdays in June, July and August outside of the Fejervary Learning Center (1800 W 12th Street) in Davenport, where community members can read in the park, check out materials or place holds, get a library card, play and more. The Davenport Public Library's OWL (Outreach Wheeled Library) parks at a "Library in the Park" event on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at the Fejervary Learning Center. Library in the Park takes place on select Wednesdays in June, July and August outside of the Fejervary Learning Center (1800 W 12th Street) in Davenport, where community members can read in the park, check out materials or place holds, get a library card, play and more.
Beau, 3, pretends to pull a train whistle with "Grammy" Jen Wirtjes at the Davenport Public Library's "Library in the Park" event on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at the Fejervary Learning Center. Library in the Park takes place on select Wednesdays in June, July and August outside of the Fejervary Learning Center (1800 W 12th Street) in Davenport, where community members can read in the park, check out materials or place holds, get a library card, play and more. Beau, 3, prepares to leap train cars at the Davenport Public Library's "Library in the Park" event on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at the Fejervary Learning Center.
Library in the Park takes place on select Wednesdays in June, July and August outside of the Fejervary Learning Center (1800 W 12th Street) in Davenport, where community members can read in the park, check out materials or place holds, get a library card, play and more. Braiden Miers, 2, (right) "reads" to his brother, two-month-old Nolan, at the Davenport Public Library's "Library in the Park" event on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at the Fejervary Learning Center. Library in the Park takes place on select Wednesdays in June, July and August outside of Fejervary Learning Center, 1800 W.
12th Street in Davenport, where community members can read in the park, check out materials or place holds, get a library card, play and more. Owen Spinler, 5, plays in the sandbox at the Fejervary Learning Center on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, while the Davenport Public Library hosts a "Library in the Park" event. Library in the Park takes place on select Wednesdays in June, July and August outside of the Fejervary Learning Center (1800 W 12th Street) in Davenport, where community members can read in the park, check out materials or place holds, get a library card, play and more.
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