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Bringing together animals, art, poetry and song to inspire, bring joy and wonder and emphasize the importance of all the little creatures who come into the yard under the garden gate.

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NOW AVAILABLE

Children’s picture book. Animal stories in verse

“Whimsical poem collection describing animals’ garden journeys. . . . Thistle’s rhymes are simple but memorable, delivering a profound lesson to young readers on the stewardship of outdoor spaces as well as relaying important conservation principles—particularly a sense of community with the natural world. . . .” BookLife Reviews

Meet the animals Behind the Garden Gate

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Delightful true tales inspired by the comings and goings of the creatures who come into my yard, under the garden gate. The cover features Samantha, a feral cat, who had kittens under my front porch. – Thistle

“. . . The verses scan well, mostly fitting into a standard scansion and using common rhymes, easily understandable for emergent readers. Some vocabulary words (including louse, magnolia, and sauntered) may help readers stretch without ever losing sight of the subject of the poem. . . . ” – Kirkus Reviews

Other ways to buy:

Tatnuck Bookseller – Westborough, MA

Hummingbird Books – Chestnut Hill, MA

Lala books – Lowell, MA

Contact Thistle to purchase an autographed/personalized book.

Silver Street Media

Stream Online: hearnow

Thistle’s other items for sale at craft fairs/farmers markets/direct from Thistle

handmade bookmarks

About

Thistle: children’s book author/illustrator

I have always enjoyed watching animals. In college I studied animal behavior and did field work with monkeys in Central America. I also love drawing and rhyme. I’ve managed a museum and an art gallery. I’ve taken many art/drawing classes through Adult Education programs including drawing at the MFA, Boston. My hobbies are knitting and sewing.

One year a mouse came into my house and wouldn’t leave. He was so insistent on staying that I gave him a permanent home. Watching him run on his wheel one day, I came up with the poem “Red’s Tale” and drew some pictures of him to accompany it. I read the poem with illustrations to my knitting group. They really liked it. Soon after, I wrote “Woodrow Wanders”, a poem about the woodchuck living under my barn. I also drew a picture of Samantha, the feral cat who had kittens under my front porch. I again read these poems to my knitting group and to several friends and their children who all liked them. They encouraged me to put the poems into a book and Under the Garden Gate came out in 2023. But I didn’t stop there, as there were other animals in my yard that needed their stories to be told. I came out with Behind the Garden Gate in 2024.

I created a business to sell my books and called it The Under the Garden Gate Preservation Society. I am dedicated to preserving all creatures that come into the yard, under the garden gate. All the poems are true activities I’ve seen the animals do. I do not use AI to write any of the poems. The illustrations are each a work of art. Each picture is lovingly drawn once, without erasing and without any pre-sketching or grid lines. All the background trees and bushes in the pictures are also real (because they are important too). I use a set group of colored pencils to keep the color consistent throughout all the drawings. The books are self-published.

At my vendor booth I encourage children to draw. I supply paper and colored pencils to give them the opportunity to show their own creative side. One of my favorite moments was when a little girl left my booth, waving her drawing high in the air, yelling “I got one”.

I like selling my books at farmers markets and craft fairs because I get a chance to interact with people and hear their animal stories. Many people have told me I’ve inspired them to write/draw/be creative.

In my spare time I knit lace shawls and scarves using natural fibers. I also make bookmarks out of beads and ribbon which I have for sale at my vendor booth. Besides writing children’s books, I work full-time as a medical coder for several major hospitals in the Boston area.

Your bard – Thistle

Birds love to eat thistle seeds. At first glance, a thistle looks harsh with its prickly leaves and stem, but when you look closer, it is a very beautiful flower. I look beyond the surface and find beauty in everything. I hope you do as well.

Watch my interview on Fan to Fan – Access Framingham TV

Follow me on Instagram

Alliance of Independent Authors