Everybody could use some joy and a reminder that we are all connected. Scottsdale author Sam Baker promotes this through his children’s books.
Baker is a 98-year-old former Marine who served in World War ll. Today, his passion is creating stories that bring the joy of reading and imagination to children of all ages. Oscar the Mouse is Baker’s second work in as many years. His first, The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm, is an award-winning chapter book about unconditional love.
Oscar the Mouse is a timely picture book with a message about inclusivity and the joy of finding a new friend. As a result, both find more love and laughter in their lives.
Baker wants children and adults alike to learn how to imagine the world as a better place – a place filled with love, harmony, hope, and joy. “If you can imagine it, you can create it,” he says. This fun and entertaining experience gives all of us a chance to escape the stress of everyday life and be appreciated by others.
Baker was raised in an inclusive household. His father emigrated from Lithuania in the early 1890s where he experienced the wrath of antisemitism. Upon arriving in America, he vowed to treat everyone with respect and kindness. “Everyone was equal. This is how both of my parents raised me and our family in Clarksdale, Mississippi during the height of the depression.”
“My goal is to create a creative community where kids share their artwork and ideas so we emerge from this pandemic stronger as a community,” he says.
To kick off this idea, Baker will be giving away his books, stickers, and other prizes to children who post drawings of anything they love or by coloring his free coloring pages and posting them on his Facebook pages – Oscar the Mouse or The Silly Adventures of Petunia and Herman the Worm – by January 20. The images that get the most likes will win prizes as will the drawings that are voted most original.
To obtain the free coloring pages and learn more, visit his website at SamBakerBooks.com.
