Lam and the Pickle-Eating Bear — Heather Davis

Writing and reading have always been a passion of mine. My mother fostered this love at a very young age. Pursuing a teaching degree allowed me to pass on this love to my students. After my first year of teaching Language Arts at the middle level, I desired to enter graduate school. I graduated with a Master of Arts in Education, and my program of study certified me as a Reading Specialist. Upon the arrival of my first son, Landon, I made the decision to resign from teaching full-time to be a full-time mom. The inspiration for writing Lam and the Pickle-Eating Bear actually stemmed from a true story about our son, Landon, at dinnertime in our home. Fascinated and intrigued with animals, Landon wanted, while planning to take an evening walk with his father on our farm, to take a pickle into the woods behind our house. He hoped to really encounter a black bear. After his deposit, a special element was added to our usual bedtime stories. The overall lesson of the book is that a child's imagination has infinite possibilities, and that we, as adults, should embrace such experiences as opportunities for growth and create environments that are conducive to a love of reading (such as through bedtime stories).