DANVILLE — When Shirley Lambert’s children, and later her grandchildren, were small, they enjoyed listening to magical stories of talking animals. They never seemed to get enough of these adventures, so she started creating her own.

The result is the first in a series of children’s books about “forest children” — that is, bunnies, foxes, bears, raccoons and others that have personalities and issues like human children.

Lambert will sign copies of “Tales of Beaver Hollow: The Magic Flute” on Saturday at Waldenbooks in the Village Mall.

Waldenbooks will have a limited number of books available, so people may want to pre-order through that store or any other bookstore. The book also is available through PublishAmerica, a print-on-demand company.

Two of the characters in the book are Carl Fox and Wendy Bunny, based on her grown children — a son whose real name is Carl Fox of Bismarck and a daughter, Wendy Lambert-Thrasher of Danville.

Other characters carry the names of her grandchildren and other young children in her life.

Lambert-Thrasher, a part-time photographer for the Commercial-News, said her mother has always had a knack for telling stories.

“It has been a complete pleasure growing up with her imagination,” she said. “She added so much color and adventure to our lives.”

Her mother has given them the gifts of knowing God and having a good imagination, she said.

Lambert-Thrasher added, “She’s always been a pillar of strength for us. She’s shown us how to conquer anything and rise above it.” Those qualities come through in the book characters, as well.

Lambert, who also did the drawings, said she tried to make her book characters as much like real children as possible so young readers could relate to the stories.

The characters have problems and issues to deal with, such as being bullied, wearing glasses, not obeying their parents and taking things without permission.

“My stories also show the consequences of these actions, hopefully giving them reason to do what is right,” Lambert said.

The climax in her new book comes when Riley Gopher grabs a magic flute and accidentally releases a giant ghost from a nearby lake. The children have to work together to trick the ghost back into the lake before he turns them into mushrooms.

Her second book, which is being finalized, is called “The Creature of Finley Castle.” It’s about an ugly man who is tired of children running away from him because of his looks. He finds a way to keep children around him by turning them into “pictures” on his wall. The forest children find a way to turn a sad situation into a happy one.

The third book will be about finding hidden treasure.

Lambert said her stories are not preachy, and don’t tell children what to do. Instead, children want to hear interesting stories that hold their attention, make them want to hear more and feel good about the way stories end.

“They should be happy about the whole experience of these books,” she said.

Lambert also noted that adults have a big responsibility toward their children, and must be careful what they’re exposed to.

“If we supply them with wholesome experiences (like her books), then they may be more inclined to express wholesomeness in their attitudes and behaviors,” she said.

There are plenty of great books available for kids, she said, but there are many books and videos that could do harm by focusing on evil and terrifying creatures.

“Try to give them as many pleasant and enjoyable memories as you can,” she said. “Happy kids usually become happy adults.”

Writing a book is a new venture for Lambert.

In the past, she worked as a secretary for the Danville Fire Department and as director of crime analysis with the Danville Police Department. She also served as operations director for Illinois Security Service and most recently owned a trucking company, Integrity Transport.

She also has written a self-help book, “Handbook to Happiness,” which hasn’t been published yet.



COMING UP

Shirley Lambert will sign copies of her children’s book, “Tales of Beaver Hollow: The Magic Flute,” from 1-3 p.m. Saturday at Waldenbooks in the Village Mall.

Books may be pre-ordered through Waldenbooks, 442-2708, any other bookstore or online at http://www.publishamerica.com or http://www.amazon.com. Cost of the soft-cover book is $24.95.