Roaring Brook Press 2008

Hank is a garden snake that first appeared in my second Stanley Mows the Lawn. Surviving the lawnmower, Hank is now Stanley’s best pal. Stanley is bored so dashes off to the city—in his truck of course—in search of inspiration. Feeling abandoned, Hank catches a cab like most snakes and starts on his own quest for inspiration. It’s kind of a ‘Stop That Ball’ journey from one person and place to the next. Each one sending Hank away when he asks, “Where can I find inspiration?” I hope that the book will do several things. First teach that snakes are OK and you shouldn’t be alarmed if you see one in the library, and that inspiration is everywhere and anywhere and is important to our survival as creative beings. In Suzanne the florist’s words, “inspiration is a feeling you get inside, if you follow your heart, you can quite often find it anywhere.” As in all of my books, I like to make sure they are as meaningful to the parents as they are the kids—and maybe even inspiring.