Local author Kathy deVally Luders, a Mom’s Choice Awards recipient (Juvenile Fantasy, Myths and Legends), will be at the Curious Cup Bookstore in downtown Carpinteria during February’s First Friday event.

She will sign copies of her latest books, Emily’s Butterfly Bouquet and A Portrait for Manny, as well as her award-winning Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 3. She will return the next day, Feb. 4, to read and sign books from 10 a.m. to noon.

Luders’ first book, award-winning Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster, a richly written magical tale, was originally penned in the 1920s by Luders’s grandmother, Frances Willey Beebe, wife of famed Hollywood director Ford Beebe, as a gift for Beebe’s daughter, Ruth Ann. In a tragic turn of events, Beebe passed away when Ruth Ann was only a child, leaving the unfinished fantasy adventure of a young girl’s struggle with the death of her dog, Dukey Daddles, shelved for more than 70 years.

After Luders’ mother, Ruth Ann (known to Carpinteria residents as Rudy deVally), passed away, Luders came across the spellbinding story and knew it had to be finished. So began a three-year journey to co-author the children’s chapter fantasy adventure, Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster with her grandmother, whom Luders had never actually met.

Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster is a story of a fictionalized Ruth Ann’s and Whistle Stick’s magical journey, via the Green Blowster’s breath column, to High Country in search of a proper goodbye with Dukey Daddles. Along the way they encounter many enchanting and unusal characters such as Pinhead Doodlebinker, Incorrigible River and the Terrible Fuzzy-skinned Grumpus. The story’s appeal and style is reminiscent of such classics as Alice In Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz.

Emily’s Butterfly Bouquet is a heartwarming tale about a little girl whose beautiful flower garden is damaged by raindrops, but whose friends — a group of butterflies — help save the day with love and improvisation.

A Portrait for Manny is a whimsical tale of a young artist named Will and his chance encounter with Manny, a praying mantis, on a beautiful day, just perfect for drawing.

Come join the fun coloring characters and pages direct from Emily’s Butterfly Bouquet, A Portrait for Manny and Ruth Ann and the Green Blowster. See your artwork displayed on the wall of Curious Cup Bookstore, 929 Linden Ave. in downtown Carpinteria.

For more information, click here or call the Curious Cup Bookstore at 805.220.6608.

— Kathy deVally Luders is a children’s author from Carpinteria.