The Background Story From the Author

A few years ago I was working on a research article for a professional journal about imaginary friends.  As I collected stories from parents about their children's experiences, I began to notice that some parents were beginning to question whether the imaginary friends really were imaginary at all!  Some parents thought it was possible that their children were communicating with those in the spirit world (friends or relatives who had crossed over, angels, etc.).  I wasn't sure what to do with my data and decided to "sleep on it."  I had the most amazing dream!  In my dream, an angel showed me the cover of a children's book and a scroll dropped down with a wonderful children's story.  Hence, Annie Mouse Meets her Guardian Angel, was born.  Young children are so egotistical that they can only see things revolving around them.  According to them, they are responsible for everything.  The message in this book is one that helps take young children beyond this stage of development and helps build empathy for others. 

Once Annie Mouse was written, I changed my professional focus from "imaginary friends" to "bibliotherapy" and began to think about other areas where a child's perception of a challenging situation made life more difficult for the child.  I focused on an incident where one of my son's was hospitalized and the other mistakenly believed his parents were punishing his brother.  The Adventures of Annie Mouse: Baby Brother Goes to the Hospital is loosely based on that event. 

About Anne M. Slanina, Ph.D., The Author of the Annie Mouse Books 

  • Associate Professor in the Elementary/Early Childhood Education Department at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.
  • Frequent presenter at local, state, national and international conferences on early childhood and literacy development.
  • Former kindergarten, reading teacher, and gifted education teacher in various Youngstown and Cleveland, OH schools. 
  • Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in gifted child education from Kent State University, Kent, OH.
  • Masters Degree in Reading, certified K-12 Reading Teacher.  Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH.
  • Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with emphasis in Early Childhood Education. Youngstown State University, Youngstown, OH.
  • Mother of two sons, Drew and Michael, and one daughter-in-law, Lisa.

About Lisa Akers, the Illustrator of Annie Mouse Meets Her Guardian Angel

  • Currently a resident of Arizona City, Arizona.
  • At the time of illustrating the book, she was a student at Youngstown State University in Special Education.
  • A Christian youth leader
  • Author's note: also my wonderfully talented, vivacious, beautiful daughter-in-law with a heart of gold!  You can see this through her illustrations in the book!

About Alicia Agnew, the Illustrator of The Adventures of Annie Mouse: Baby Brother Goes to the Hospital

  • Currently a student at Slippery Rock University, majoring in Elementary/Early Childhood Education and minoring in Art.
  • Nurturer of young children in a day care setting.
  • Author's note: A former student in my Early Childhood class who showed her passion for nurturing young children.  The little ones love her!! A true gem in the field of early childhood!