— About the Author —

The author, Christine Joy Swanson, has spent much of her time with the critters in and around the place she lives. Some encounters with the critters were better than others... With the many unexpected hours that were given to her in 2020, a book of stories began to emerge. What are all of these critters up to anyways? What’s their side of the story? This was Christine’s writing inspiration. Christine Joy is an accomplished painter and art teacher, yet here she is enjoying a new medium of creativity — writing!

To see Christine Joy’s paintings, see her web page at: www.christinejoypaintings.me

— About the Illustrator —

— About Self Publishing —

After lots of dreaming, planning, and chats over endless amounts of tea, we decided to bring The Yellow Cottage: A Critter’s Tale into being by self-publishing the book. We set out to create a novel that’s as beautiful and timeless as the stories inside. This special edition will be hardbound in classic linen and filled with charming watercolor illustrations. In the back, you’ll also find a mini field guide introducing the book’s furry (and feathered!) friends, plus a glossary to help early readers along the way.

Because we're self-publishing, we will be raising funds to print 3,000–4,000 copies through a Kickstarter campaign running August 12–September 12. We’re also accepting pre-orders on our website (and hard copy forms) now through September 30.

The more books that are pre-ordered, the more copies we’re able to print and share with readers far and wide. Larger print runs also help reduce the cost per book, allowing us to make The Yellow Cottage: A Critter’s Tale more accessible to families, classrooms, and communities.

If you’d like to help bring this story to life, you can support us by pre-ordering, or backing our Kickstarter. Every bit helps us get this book into the hands of young readers (and critter lovers) everywhere!