The Little Girl with the Magic Shoes

About the Book

The book has three sections. The first is based on stories he wrote for his daughter, Lee as she was growing up. Discovering that she owns magic shoes that fly takes her on many adventures, including meeting a woman who wants to be considered a witch, a Halloween pumpkin that becomes alive, and saving Santa’s toy factory from a dragon. Part 2 is based on murals the author painted in Mt. Pleasant, MI. Part 3 contains some very peculiar stories, based on ideas from his first Xlibris book, The Impatient Imagination. The stories are meant to entertain and amuse the reader.


For more information, you may visit the author´s website at www.greatcreativity.net



Book Review

          Children fly, dragons sneeze, and chipmunks watch the moon in this collection of whimsical writings. Fisher writes for all ages in this assemblage of stories, poems and essays. In the first section, a little girl inherits a pair of magic shoes that enables her to fly and take on numerous adventures, like making friends with a potential witch and stopping a dragon from sneezing all over Santa’s workshop. Fisher’s introduction explains that he adapted this story from one he shared with his daughter at bedtimes; unlike many homespun bedtime tales, this one has delightful descriptions and a coherent plot that both children and adults can enjoy. The next section highlights a series of murals the author originally painted for the city of Mount Pleasant, Mich. The pictures are enhanced by written descriptions and questions that challenge viewers to think beyond the visuals. Fisher then makes a foray into poetry, which is less accomplished than his prose; the first poem sacrifices meaning for the sake of rhyme, while the second has a cadence that is difficult to read aloud. Next, an essay about chipmunks, complete with “The Chipmunks’ Rules of Acquisition,” shows more than a glimmer of humor. Finally, Fisher slips into an allegorical mood with his last three pieces, which are attempts to teach patience, faith and artistic interpretation. Overall, the simple mixed-media illustrations are entertaining and complement the text. Acapable writer, Fisher’s stories are easy to comprehend yet layered with enough complexity that adults won’t grow weary after reading them repeatedly. However, the different genres tend to clash instead of melding into a comprehensive whole; the book would have been better served by being split into several different volumes. Still, this doesn’t detract from the solid, accessible prose.
          A thought-provoking group of surreal stories both children and adults will appreciate.

---Kirkus Discoveries---

About the Author

The author has had three careers. He was in the United States Air Force for 21 years and worked at Cape Canaveral at the beginning of the Apollo Era, the Pentagon as a strategic analyst and the Air Force Institute of Technology as a professor of quantitative analysis. He then taught about the use of computer applications in large organizations at Central Michigan University for 24 years and is a Professor Emeritus. During these 45 years he wrote and presented numerous technical papers, articles and presentations. Now he is an author: this is his sixth book of fiction.