Waukee author inspired by son’s collections

A Waukee mom inspired by her young son’s creative collections has penned a children’s book about about the origin of dust and dust bunnies.

Des Moines native Michelle Eastman’s illustrated story, “The Legend of Dust Bunnies, A Fairy’s Tale,” follows a fairy named Artie who finds joy in what others discard as worthless.

She was inspired by her son Logan, a collector, to pen the book. “Logan (her son) is always collecting bottle caps and string and displaying them on a shelf in his room,” she said.

Eastman collaborated with illustrator Kevin Richter after reviewing character sketches from several artists.

“He’s a dad with kids. He seemed to get it,” she said.

Amazingly she’s never actually spoken with Richter, who lives in Great Britain. Their entire cross-Atlantic collaboration was done by email and file sharing.

“He’s a night owl, so despite the time differences, it worked out,” she said.

Formerly a writer for Iowa Public Television and a sixth-grade teacher at Jordan Creek Elementary School in West Des Moines, Eastman is no stranger to the field. But this is the first time she has shared her work with the public.

A big thrill came when she returned to Jordan Creek to read her book to the students. She said their enthusiastic response and questions were encouraging and empowering.

The book is self-published through the Ingram Company’s Lightning Source and available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and locally at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines.

Eastman is planning a sequel with Richter due to come out in the fall. The working title is “Dust Fairy Tales, Absolutely Aggie.”

“That’s another positive about self-publishing,” she said. “You can make your own time frame for publishing rather than wait the usual two years for traditional publishers.”

She also recently launched a literacy initiative called Picture Books Pass it On. Through a blog and Twitter account she challenges people to give new or gently used books to local charities. She asks people to tag the posts and pass them on.

“I was totally surprised and thrilled that people took up the challenge and spread the word,” she said.

Many participating donors turned out to be children’s authors. It also caught the attention of the Visiting Nurses Associations of America (VNAA), which donated books for incarcerated parents. They record their voices reading the books. Then both the book and the recording are given to the children.

“It was very special for them and my goal is to increase this kind of work,” Eastman said.

Buy the book

WHAT: “The Legend of Dust Bunnies, a Fairy’s Tale” by Michelle Eastman

WHERE: The book can be purchased locally at Beaverdale Books, and online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Eastman’s website: www.michelleeastmanbooks.com.

COST: Hardcover, $19.99; paperback, $9.99; and Kindle, $1.99. A toy dust bunny and adoption certificate can be added for $5.99.

MEET THE AUTHOR: Eastman will sign copies of her book from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Beaverdale Books, 2629 Beaver Ave., Des Moines.