TOWNSEND >> Local author, Jessica A. MacPherson, has been writing and telling stories since she was a kid, and now into her adulthood she is thrilled to share her second and newest children’s book titled “Frankie’s Tartan Tales.”

MacPherson will host a special author story time at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, at the Townsend Public Library, 12 Dudley Road. A craft will follow for the children.

A resident of West Townsend, MacPherson has a master’s in child and adolescent developmental psychology and is currently a stay at home mom of three young kids.

“We have only lived here for five years, but my husband and I love this town and area so much,” MacPherson said. “We love to travel and explore new places and that’s where I got my ideas for my books thus far. We love getting out and exploring the world with our children and seeing things through their eyes.”

“Frankie’s Tartan Tales” is a story from MacPherson’s youngest daughter’s perspective, and talks about taking her children to the Scottish Highland Games for the first time to learn about their Scottish heritage.

The idea of MacPherson’s first book, titled “Where the Wild Ponies Swim,” came from a love of the book “Misty of Chincoteague” by Marguerite Henry, and the dream of visiting Chincoteague Island, especially during Pony Penning Week.

“The summer of 2023, I was finally able to not only fulfill my own dream of going to Chincoteague Island in Virginia, but got to share it with my family,” said MacPherson.

“When telling people about our upcoming trip and the event of the Pony Swim, I would say about 90 percent of the people I talked to had never heard of it or the book I mentioned,” she added.

MacPherson then decided to do some research and found that besides the “Misty of Chincoteague” book there were practically no other story books talking about Chincoteague Island and Pony Penning Week.

“That’s when I decided I wanted to write about it,” she said. “I didn’t want it to be a boring straightforward factual story, so I decided to use my youngest daughter’s point of view, making the story better for kids to feel that they are inside the story themselves.”

MacPherson says she is currently working on a new book that is out for draft with her editor and illustrator.

“I will say this book is a bit different in the sense that it is not about my children specifically or from their perspective,” she added. “This book is actually about family traditions and how anything can be considered a tradition.

For instance, making pancakes every Sunday.

“This story starts with my personal traditions from growing up and then transitions into the traditions I do with my own family,” MacPherson said. “You get to see how things you did when you were kids could flow over to your own family as you grow up or even change a bit, as well as starting new traditions.”

MacPherson says she decided to write children’s books for a couple of reasons.

“First is because I fully believe in starting kids off early with reading,” she said. “Even if the story may be a little too much to fully grasp they will have exposure sooner in order to enjoy books later in life and maybe even about the same type of stories. I think some children’s books definitely have lessons whereas others are more so just for fun. Mine I feel is a bit of a mix. My pony book is about a real event and all the things that go on during the event. The Scottish book is about learning about your heritage, specifically Scottish here, but wanting to learn your heritage whatever it may be.”

MacPherson says she loves being able to share her stories with children and parents and having them learn something new.

“My favorite part is having kids realize when they’re older that they could also become a writer, or illustrator, as well,” she addd.

MacPherson is also a huge advocate of the art of storytelling.

“I feel in this day and age storytelling is slightly being lost due to technology and how so many people (kids and adults alike) are too focused on screens,” she said. “I love books and how they can always be there. You don’t need the internet or even electricity in order to read a book.”

For more information, or to register for this special story time, visit townsendlibrary.org or call 978-597-1714. For more information on Jessica MacPherson, visit her on Facebook and Instagram.