Hickory – Catawba County resident Ms. Sharon “Tuddy” Noble has co-written an endearing children’s tale highlighting the need to occasionally go against one’s nature in order to help someone else. Co-writer Fiely Matias, a Portland-based artist, has chosen this particular story to be his first children’s book project using his bright and lively digital illustration style. 
Tuddy was excited to work with Fiely and together they collaborated on the narrative. “I was overjoyed with how I could give him the story and the vision, and how he was able to make it fresh and accessible for young audiences. I am pleased to hear that small children have been able to read this as young as seven-years old with no assistance from adults. As a retired grade school teacher, nothing could please me more,” says Noble.
“What piqued my interest in this project,” says Matias, “is that the story is based on a true event. The passion that Tuddy has for this event – a bird getting caught in her house during the holidays and her cat, Spats, not wanting to ignore his basic instincts – got my creative juices flowing. While the basic storyline was in place, I realized I could elevate Tuddy’s story to make it engageing for young children. The nature of the story meant I could also visually capture the playful nature of the cat and bird hunt! It was fun to work on and I’m thrilled with how the illustrations turned out.”
An online discussion with Fiely to discuss how to illustrate for children’s books will be held online on Monday, Sept. 13th at 12 Noon. To register for this event contact Patty Thompson at Redhawk Publications, [email protected]. Order copies at: https://tinyurl.com/MissTuddy
