McKeesport author publishes inspirational book for children

By JIM BUSCH
For the MVI

Brooke Auckerman, a friendly 20-year-old with a winning smile and a positive outlook on life, is now a published author. Auckerman’s new children’s book, “Be Kind Loretta Owl” was born of her experiences growing up in McKeesport with a learning disability.
Auckerman, who has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum, was bullied throughout her school years. Despite being very intelligent, Auckerman’s learning disability made some concepts difficult for her to grasp, which led to some children making fun of her.
One way Auckerman coped with her situation was by turning to writing. English was one of her favorite subjects, and for as long as she can remember, she loved to write short stories.
An avid reader, Auckerman has always dreamed of becoming a professional writer. In addition to writing her children’s book, she writes online reviews and “blurbs” for other authors.
One of Auckerman’s biggest supporters was her late great-grandmother, Loretta Algeri. Algeri always praised her great-granddaughter’s stories and told her, “When you grow up, you’re going to write books that people are going to want to read.”
Auckerman cites her great-grandmother as one of her most important influences and the person who gave her the confidence to pursue her dream. Algeri loved owls and was the inspiration for Auckerman’s “Loretta Owl” character.
Raised by her grandparents, Denise Petroski and Robert Brookins Jr., Auckerman’s family taught her not to be ashamed of her autism, but to overcome her challenges to achieve her goals in life.
“They taught me not to see my learning disability as a handicap or to use my autism as a crutch,” she said. My family told me it is important to open my eyes and see the beauty everywhere in the world.”
Rather than becoming bitter over her treatment by her schoolmates, Auckerman chose to channel her experiences and her creativity into writing her first book.
“Be Kind, Loretta Owl” tells the story of Loretta Owl’s first day of school at Sunnyville Elementary, where she meets up with her friend Tess the Hippo. Loretta and Tess meet a new student, Arabella Toad.
The other students declare Arabella a “nerd” and begin to mock her. Loretta Owl bows to peer pressure and joins her classmates in bullying Arabella. Loretta’s teacher Ms. Honey the bee and Mama Owl intervene to show Loretta the error of her ways, and she eventually becomes friends with Arabella Toad.
Auckerman located a professional illustrator on Instagram, and every page of “Be Kind Loretta Owl” is covered with bright, colorful illustrations that are sure to hold the attention of young readers.
Auckerman kept the attention span of her reader in mind as she wrote the text for the book, saying, “I wanted to capture and hold the kids’ attention.”
She had originally planned to self-publish her book, but found Kannyn Books online and they agreed to publish Loretta Owl for her.
Since the release of “Be Kind Loretta Owl” on June 17, the book has received a number of five-star reviews on Amazon and Goodreads and has been selling well for a new children’s book. The book is available on Amazon.com for $12 per copy.
Auckerman plans to write more books about Loretta Owl and her friends. She hopes to turn her stories of Sunnyville School into a series of books for young readers.
She also hopes to use her creativity to write books for adult readers.