Splendidly, creatively, happily every stroke of a pen goes as award-winning children’s author Mary Casanova brings to life a world of imagination for little ones to enjoy.
“Children bring a different sense of adventure to the table and look at things differently,” said the resident of Ranier, Mn. “Their world of imagination is limitless, and I love that I can be included in it.”
Packed full of valuable lessons, her books grab audiences of all ages and bring smiles to their faces.
Many of her books have been based on her travels and stem from her life on Rainy Lake. Casanova originally was from St. Paul, Mn., but has lived with her family in Ranier since graduating from university more than 25 years ago.
“I knew I wanted to get away from the city and enjoy the great outdoors, and raise a family in a rural area,” she remarked.
“It’s fabulous that I’ve been able to have my career here, too,” she added. “It’s the best of both worlds—it’s balanced.”
Casanova has written more than 20 children’s novels and picture books throughout her career and has won many notable awards, including Aesop Accolades by the American Folklore Society, Parents’ Choice “Gold” Award, Booklist Editor Choice, and two Minnesota Book Awards.
Her newest picture book, “Utterly Otterly Day,” is a little tale about the friendly little otters that splash around in front of her home.
“I’ve always loved watching them bounce around out there, and knew kids would, too,” she explained.
“I’ve had the name of the book in mind for years,” she laughed.
Together the words and pictures in her book guide readers through a day in the life of a young otter—and teaches them about the importance of family:
Little Otter likes to play in a carefree, unabashed, utterly otterly way.
Mom warns Little Otter, “Be Careful!”
Dad says, “Stay close!”
But does Little Otter listen? Oh, no!
No. No. No. Little Otter thinks he’s a big otter now, big enough to take care of himself.
But watch out, Little Otter, because no matter how big you get, it’s good to have loved ones looking out for you.
Other books based on her travels in the Minnesota–Ontario border areas include “Moose Tracks,” “When Eagles Fall,” “One-Dog Canoe,” and her “Watch Dog” series about the dogs that run wild in Ranier.
Casanova also speaks nationally and internationally, at schools and conferences, about her love of writing and reading with children and adults.
Casanova knew she’d write since high school, but never imagined it be for kids or let alone make an entire career out of it.
It was while in college that she fell in love with where her imagination could take her. “I realized that children would join with me on my adventures no questions asked,” she remarked.
“When it comes to writing for children, I’m passionate about two things: writing books that matter and writing books that kids can’t put down,” she added.
“I want kids to pick up my books and enjoy reading them from cover to cover, page by page, over and over again, with a big smile.”
It’s the little smiles, from the littlest critics that keep her writing, and reassure her that she’s not done yet, Casanova said.
“The biggest challenge when writing picture books is writing sparingly and matching the illustrations to the words,” she noted. “The revisions can be endless, but vital.”
In the end, however, if a child is happy, she’s happy. “It’s one of the greatest rewards in life,” she enthused.
Locally, Casanova’s books can be found on the shelves at Betty’s here in Fort Frances and Ronnings over in International Falls.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
