The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball [Paperback]

Lisa Horstman (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park--Salamander Capital of the World. Inside this book you'll follow Sara on a camping trip to the Smokies and share her delight as she becomes the first human ever to witness a Salamander Ball. Over 27 species of salamanders live in the park, including the red-cheeked, which lives nowhere else on Earth. It's this wondrous diversity of life that makes the Great Smoky Mountains so special, earning them protection as a national park.

Product Details

• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Great Smoky Mountains Association; 5 edition (April 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0937207217
• ISBN-13: 978-0937207215
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,173,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When Lisa Horstman was seven years old, she won a prize for illustrating a poster for the local town's card party. She drew the queen of hearts playing cards. Emboldened by the sweet smell of success, she went on to win a ten speed bike from the Kellogg's Stick Up For Breakfast Contest by illustrating Betsy Ross scarfing down a bowl of Corn Flakes (the contest had a 1976 bicentennial theme.) It began to dawn on her that she could make a living by drawing, one of her favorite things to do besides reading.

As an adult, Lisa decided that working in an office setting was not really her whole ball of wax, so she hatched a plan. She loved to draw, and she loved to write stories. Why not combine the two? The result was a children's picturebook contest entry, "Fast Friends," which won the Random House Dr. Seuss Picturebook Award in 1994, earning her first picturebook contract and $25,000 in prize money. What followed were numerous picturebooks for children, including "The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball," "The Troublesome Cub," and "Wee Ones." She has also illustrated Debbie Kalen's "One Baby Mountain Goat," Erin Mirabella's "Gracie Goat's Big Bike Race," Doris Gove's "The Smokies Yukky Book," and Steve Kemp's "We're Going to the Mountains."

Her most recent work, "Squawking Matilda," is illustrated with stop motion animation-style puppets which were photographed and digitally superimposed against painted illustrations. She looks forward to more picturebooks created in this manner.

And she still has that ten speed bike she won from Kellogg's.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your child AND YOU will love this book, February 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Smoky Mountain Salamander Ball (Paperback)

This is a wonderful little picture book that teaches all about Salamanders. The story involves a young girl who is vacationing in the Smoky Mountain park. One day she spies a group of Salamanders holding thier annual ball, but is discovered. The Salamanders decide to elect our hero as a human spokesperson so they can have better relations with the park's visitors.

The book is wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated. Young girls who like nature will want to have this book read over and over, and you will enjoy the task.