OnFocus – Former Spencer teacher Frieda Oelrich has just published her fourth children’s book which is available for purchase now.
As a secretary, Title 1 aide or first grade/kindergarten teacher, a love for writing and working with children always went hand in hand. Oelrich retired in 2004 but has been staying active by substitute teaching and teaching summer school at Spencer.
Oelrich always had a love for writing and she brought that love into the classroom when she had her students create their own short stories.
“When I was teaching I just loved writing the books with the children,” Oelrich said. “I always had them do it as a group. We would write books patterned after other books. I would type it, enlarge it and they would illustrate it and I would get them laminated and make a book out of them.”
“The Bouquet of Many Colors” is a book that helps children learn colors while reading.
An excerpt of the book reads, “‘I’m the best,’ said the red flower. ‘I’m the color of a firetruck, a stop sign and stripes on the flag. Red is beautiful.'” Illustrations depict the items described in the reading using the color red as the primary visual for all of them.
Oelrich’s books are illustrated by recent Thorp High School graduate, Brooke Webb. She is currently going to Chippewa Valley Technical College for Graphic Design. Webb illustrated Oelrich’s first book, “Renee Raindrop”, when she was in seventh grade and has been helping Oelrich ever since.
“The Bouquet of Many Colors” was proceeded in publication by “Renee Raindrop”, “The Cow Who Couldn’t Say ‘Moo'” and “Mr. McGru’s Zoo”.
Oelrich said all her books have a purpose but she was especially proud of her book, “The Cow Who Couldn’t Say ‘Moo'”. The cow in the story couldn’t make the “M” sound in order to moo so as the book works through the sound, it helps children who can’t make certain sounds early on, work through that.
If you would like to support Oelrich and purchase her new book, you can reach her at [email protected] or you can send a letter to: W290 State HWY 98 Spencer, WI 54479. The book is available for $12 per book.
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Author: News Desk
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