by Diane Lowrey
R-T Editor
A project that began as a Christmas gift to their grandchildren has become the inspiration for a series of children’s books being written by a Trenton couple, who have now seen the first of those books published.
Barry and Peggy Boulware are the authors and illustrators of “The Big Adventures of Webster and Molly,” a story about two dogs wanting to “see big” by traveling to different places in the U.S., only to discover that “the biggest big” is right in their own backyard.
“I always knew I wanted to do a book (for my grandchildren) when I retired, but I just wasn’t sure as to what type of book that would be,” Barry said.
Barry’s retirement led him into substitute teaching at several area elementary schools, which he said gave him access to plenty of children’s books and ideas for what he and his wife could use in their own writings.
“I told Peggy ‘I think we can do that’ and we were on our way,” Barry said.
The subjects of the book, Webster and Molly, are actually brother and sister, with Webster being a member of the Boulware household while Molly belongs to Barry’s sister, Bev Bunton and her husband, Howard. Webster has been part of many other Boulware projects over the years.
“Years ago we started doing Christmas cards for the family, then went on to do cards for other occasions, and the dogs (the Boulwares had another dog prior to Molly) were always in the cards,” Peggy said.
“So putting them in our story just seemed the natural thing to do,” Barry said.
The book, which is aimed at children up to third grade, takes the dogs to 10 places out west, an area where the Boulwares have taken many vacations over the years, including the dog. Barry said using areas familiar to the couple made coming up with the story and its characters much easier
“Every place that’s in the book is somewhere Peggy and I have been on vacation,” Barry said. “As we were putting the book together, it gave us a chance to look back on the places we’ve visited and remember how much fun we had.”
The book is a collaborative effort of the couple and while Barry did the writing, Peggy provided ideas and suggestions to the story as well as providing all the illustrations for the book.
“Peggy gave me a lot of good suggestions as I was writing the story,” he said, adding that most of the suggestions eventually led to a better storyline.
Peggy’s artwork is featured prominently throughout the book, illustrating each of the places visited by Webster and Molly on their journey. The artwork in the book is reminiscent of artwork throughout the Boulware house, done by Peggy to commemorate special occasions in the couple’s lives. Nearly every room of the home has some of Peggy’s artwork on its walls.
Because of Barry’s self-admitted limited knowledge of technology, Peggy was also instrumental in getting the book onto the computer, along with the illustrations, and preparing it for the publishers, “Create Space.” The couple researched several publishers before deciding on the South Carolina-based firm, which publishes the book as it is ordered and therefore does not require a big investment by the Boulwares.
“We thought this would be a fun thing to do together and we never wanted to do this for the money,” Barry said, noting the initial idea of the book was to be a gift to their grandchildren at Christmas time. “But then we had people see (the book) and tell us we really needed to rethink this, so we decided to go ahead with a bigger publication.”
The book can be purchased online through Amazon or Barnes and Noble. The cost is $13.99 and yes, the couple will receive a small royalty from every book sold.
The Boulwares have already finished a second and third book, although they have not yet submitted them to the publisher, with writing and artwork being done on book four. Barry said he also has an idea for a fifth book in the series. And each book, according to Peggy, includes a “life lesson” for the reader.
“It’s a happy book, but it’s also something children can learn from,” she said. “And that’s what we wanted it to be…fun and something that speaks to the kids.”