When you were growing up, did your family members ever make up a story or two to entertain you? Maybe create a story to (perhaps) teach you one of those valuable life lessons they thought you needed to learn?

Now, as an adult, do you look for those kinds of stories to help the kids in your lives? Then you’ll want to meet Maggie Van Galen!

Maggie’s debut children’s book, The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest: The Banana Tree, is a perfect example of a story designed to entertain and educate young children. Starring a mischievous monkey and the clever elephant, this brightly colored children’s book touches on the importance of both friendship and listening to family rules.

Here to share more about her motivations behind creating her book and her experiences after publishing it, is Maggie Van Galen. Please welcome Maggie to the Spotlight!

MCA: Hello Maggie! Can you share with us your reasons for creating The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest?
Maggie: My inspiration comes from two places: my father and my boys. As a child, my father always told me stories. He was a fantastic storyteller, and I would get lost in his characters and the different locations he sent me. I guess I sort of got the bug!

My second inspiration is my two beautiful boys. When they were born, I began making up my own stories. I would tell them about Keeno and Ernest at bedtime. The boys loved them, and I soon found myself going into classrooms and sharing the stories with all of their friends.

MCA: It’s nice to see a love for stories shared by families through generations! Now, it’s easy to have an idea and goal for a book, but bringing it to life is a journey. What was your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?
Maggie: Fear of rejection was my biggest challenge! Overcoming  that came with encouragement from family, friends, teachers, and the children that I would tell the story to.

MCA: What kind of response have you had from those who are reading your book? It is what you had hoped for?
Maggie: I have had overwhelmingly positive feedback from most everyone! The best response is from the kids when I read the story to them! That is what it’s all about for me! I have read to as many as 200 kids at once, ranging in ages from infant to fifth graders and my claim to fame is that I haven’t lost a child’s attention yet!

MCA: That is good to hear! What do you consider your most important contribution in bringing your book to families and educators?
Maggie: I think the story offers a lot of what children are looking for in a book: action, adventure, interesting and engaging characters, and friendship! Plus, there is a “non-preachy” (as one reviewer put it) way of giving a life lesson that both parents and educators like.

MCA: Has developing The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest changed your life in any way? We’d love it if you could share that  with our readers.
Maggie: My children are visibly proud of me and that is such a heartwarming feeling! It hasn’t changed me, but it has made me appreciate my boys even more … if that’s possible!

MCA: That’s wonderful! Looking ahead six months to a year, what’s next for you?
Maggie: My signature that I use everywhere is “Always Follow Your Dreams!”

I plan to continue to follow mine by promoting this book to its fullest. I just released the next book in the series, The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest: The Diamond Mine. A third adventure for Keeno and Ernest is swirling around in my head…so we’ll see where that goes!

MCA: We look forward to seeing what you will come up with for your third book! Thanks for sharing your story with us, Maggie.

Mom’s Choice Awards® Honors

The Adventures of Keeno and Ernest: The Banana Tree
by Maggie Van Galen
Children’s Picture Books
Silver – Values and Life Lessons

Contact, Connect, and Network with Maggie

The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature on the official Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on you and your award-winning, family-friendly products, services, and media.