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THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 2021
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A coastal children’s
book adventure
Author Shawn Brigl
Photos by Shawn Brigl
ABOVE: Shawn Brigl’s latest book is inspired by her
new puppy, ‘Dottie.’ LEFT: Shawn Brigl’s latest book
is ‘Lil’ Dottie’s First Day on the Farm!’
Nehalem author debuts children’s books
By MALLORY GRUBEN
For The Astorian
W
hen it comes to storytelling, Nehalem author Shawn
Brigl fi nds inspiration daily.
Sometimes it’s as simple as a silly conversation
with her husband while they are out crabbing on the bay.
Other times, a story unfolds while she’s on the beach looking
through tide pools.
Journaling about regular moments helped launch Brigl’s
side gig as a children’s book author. She published her fi rst
two books last fall. A third one — inspired by her new puppy
— is set to publish in the coming weeks. A digital Kindle ver-
sion is available to purchase through Amazon.
“(The ideas) just come and I write them down. I have a
piece of paper in my drawer
with ideas,” Brigl said. “It’s
whatever pops into my mind
WHERE TO BUY
and I go with it.”
THE BOOKS
One of Brigl’s fi rst books,
Kindle versions and
“Little Red Chair and Big
paperbacks are available
Blue Boat’s Day on the
at amzn.to/3wSBEwX
Bay!,” follows a personifi ed
chair and boat as they set out
on the water to learn how to
catch crabs. The story harkens to an experience Brigl, 60, had
while crabbing with her husband.
She was sitting on a “little red chair on the bow” of their
boat when her husband called out, “Hey little red chair.” She
responded with, “Yes, big blue boat?”
“We were talking silly like that and I thought, ‘That sounds
like a great story.’ … I pretty much wrote it sitting on the boat.
You fi ne tune it once you get your notes down,” Brigl said.
The idea for her second book, “Let’s Go See What Comes
from the Sea!,” dawned on her while she was walking along
the beach with her family fi nding treasures, such as jellyfi sh
and sea shells.
Brigl’s latest book, “Lil’ Dottie’s First Day on the Farm!,”
was inspired by one of the two new puppies her family recently
adopted.
“We have chickens and horses and cats … and it just came
to me that everything was new to her — and the way she’d
The covers of two of Shawn Brigl’s books hang on a wall.
See Children’s books, Page B4