Tennis Shoe Love - Press Release
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Joe Shannon, musician, founder of Mountainhome Music, and special education teacher, writes a children's book on a boy's clumsy attempts at writing his first Valentine message to a girl in his class. The children's book, Tennis Shoe Love, is illustrated by Suzie Huskins. The idea for Tennis Shoe Love came to Shannon about twelve years ago while he was working as a touring artist in North Carolina schools. After telling some Jack Tales, a young student requested a Valentine’s story. Not knowing a children’s story specifically about Valentine’s Day, Shannon decided to call upon his memory and imagination to create such a tale. He recalled that he did write “I love you” on the end of his tennis shoe in the 4th grade, thinking that a love note on his tennis shoe would be more memorable than a little red card. Building on this “actual experience,” he created a series of fictional, embarrassing incidents the love-struck boy had to navigate: his friends find out, the teacher asks him to explain his actions, and on a spelling test the boy spells “S-U-E” when he is supposed to spell Valentine. As the boy’s embarrassment grows, he decides to give up on love and to “erase that silly note” on his shoe. He soon discovers, however, that Sue had written him a love note, too. Realizing that he has a girlfriend, the slightly panicked boy then wonders, “Is there something more to love than a note on a shoe?” |
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Joe Shannon is well-known to residents and tourists of High Country. He founded Mountainhome Music which showcases local and regional musicians. He has two CDs, Warmlight and A Full Moon on Freshly Fallen Snow, and he wrote a Civil War era play, Blue Ridge Blue & Gray, about the Civil War in western North Carolina, which has been performed numerous times throughout the High Country. Originally from Jacksonville, Florida, Joe Shannon came to North Carolina in 1976 in order to be close to the mountains and mountain music. His paternal great-grandfather was an Irish immigrant and his paternal grandmother was half Cherokee. “Coming to the mountains,” he said, “felt like coming home.” In addition to being a touring artist and concert producer, he has worked as a teacher in Watauga, Ashe, and Wilkes Counties. He has also taught at the University of Virginia and at Caldwell Community College. He presently teaches special education at Hardin Park Elementary School in Boone. |
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Suzie Huskins, the illustrator, wrote and illustrated No Matter What, a children's book to teach that God loves us no matter what. She illustrated Sunbeam, a children's book written by Wanda Wyont. Sunbeam teaches students how to deal with disappointment. Huskins received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. When not writing and illustrating books, she creates and sells fine art, primarily in oils on canvas. Huskins grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains and currently lives in High Country with her husband, Brian, and two daughters. Tennis Shoe Love (ISBN: 1-933251-40-9) is priced $14.95 and is available from local bookstores. It is also available on this website. |
