Dr. Andy Opel, associate professor in the School of Communication, recently published his second children’s book, The Weirs – A Winnipesaukee Adventure.
A synopsis: From the author/illustrator team of the award-winning book, The Witches, comes the latest Winnipesaukee Adventure. Join Jack, Franny and J.J. as they take a long boat ride, learn more about the lake and have a magical encounter with a fortune teller at The Weirs. Lake Winnipesaukee is a vacation destination where extended families gather to rekindle bonds across the generations. The timeless magic of boating at night is captured in this classic trip.
Opel was inspired to write The Weirs and a prequel book from spending summers and weekends with his family at Lake Winnipesaukee for five generations. He is a writer, filmmaker and musician who teaches documentary video production and environmental communication. To view his other work, visit: andyopel.net, or read more at: mailer.fsu.edu/~aopel.
After publishing this second book, Opel remarked, “I’m amazed by how much fun it is to connect to the larger community of the Lakes region of central New Hampshire and share stories that are loosely based on my childhood experiences growing up in this amazing environment. I loved the collaboration with the illustrators, and with my mother Jane Opel, who played such a large role in our time at the lake before her passing in April of this year. These books are also a great reprieve from academic writing. At readings and signings, I have many positive interactions with children and adults from all kinds of backgrounds.”
The new book is authored by Opel, with illustrations by Karel Hayes and her son, John Gorey. The Weirs is Gorey’s first picture book and Hayes’s twenty-fourth illustrated book. Hayes also illustrated Opel’s first children’s book, The Witches: A Winnnipesaukee Adventure.
Opel’s first children’s book, The Witches was published by Jetty House in September 2011. It won the top prize in the Children’s Book category at the 2011 New England Book Festival.
Read past CCI news stories about Opel’s first published children’s book at:
- June 7, 2011- Communication’s Opel publishes his first children’s book
- February 10, 2012- FSU Comm’s Opel to read his children’s book at fundraiser