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Do you have a favorite teacher? Mine was a middle school science teacher named Mr. Pudlewski and he was a favorite for lots of reasons but one of them was he encouraged us to call him Mr. Pud – a bold move trusting a bunch of immature kids like me but he was so cool we couldn’t make fun of his name. 

We all have memories of good teachers as well as bad ones. I had a very impatient music teacher in sixth grade and his attitude and impatience with me are what made me give up on music altogether. No choir, no instruments and that’s a shame. He was just so mean and that negative memory has lasted my whole life. 

So, we take the good with the bad and we grow up but I recently found a kindred spirit by the name of Timothy Powell. 

Tim Powell – I had a horrible teacher in seventh grade. I raised my hand to read out loud and she only let me read one sentence. Everybody else got to read a whole paragraph. I was discouraged with reading and writing and everything to do with English. 

Of course he was. Kids are vulnerable at that age but fortunately for Tim that all changed when he got into High School. 

Tim Powell – Connie Kole of Ground Ledge High School. She encouraged me to write in a journalism Class. 

And that was the spark that re-ignited his interest in the written word. Sometimes that’s all it takes; a good, creative teacher encouraging you to take it a step further. Now, he has a children’s book out and it’s wonderful. 

Tim Powell – It is Gilda’s and Glen’s Geese Nest. The story starts, Gilda is in the nest sitting on three eggs with three Goslings inside the nest. 

No, one of them is not named Ryan but there is a Shooey, Freely, Mimi, Ricky, Lucy and a Mikey. Gilda and Glen’s fun loving family of six are all based on real life characters observed by the author at the pond outside his home and their antics are nothing short of heartwarming. For example, one day the goslings are doing what goslings do…

Tim Powell – They are wrestling, trying to get out of the nest. And Freely fell back on his back and he was flapping his wings and kicking his feet. Couldn’t get up and it was so cute. I saw Mimi nudge him up around his neck and help him up. It was really touching.  

And then in the book Mimi says ‘You owe me a favor” and Freeley takes it a step further saying “I owe you two favors…I had a stick poking me in the back and I couldn’t get up”.  He was very grateful. 

The book is beautifully illustrated, but it’s not just the pictures that tell the story. While the illustrations enhance the narrative, this is a true story that you can read aloud to your children. It’s filled with valuable lessons like gratitude, caring for your siblings, and respecting wildlife, especially geese. Approaching a nest of young goslings, no matter how adorable they are, can be dangerous. Animals can be very protective of their young. 

The story becomes even more engaging when you realize that it was written by an empathetic author who brings his own depth and warmth to the tale.

Plus, Gilda’s and Glen’s Geese Nest goes beyond just entertaining; it provides opportunities for meaningful conversations with your kids about the natural world. It encourages children to understand and appreciate the behaviors and emotions of animals, fostering a deeper connection with nature. Tim’s sensitivity to these themes makes it not just fun to read but also a powerful tool for teaching compassion and awareness.

Tim Powell – I enjoy writing so much. Can you imagine a young Gosling almost Gander age and you’re going up in the air and then you find yourself, not that we’re up here how do we get down? 

See what I mean, he puts himself in the mind of the characters and that gives them a lot of depth which I think you’ll relate to. Timothy finished this book back in 2018— which was twenty-five years after he started it. Now that his labor of love is finally printed and published he’s not stopping there.

Tim Powell – Gilda and Glen’s Geese Nest, I’m  gonna donate money to save the whales, a good earthly charity. I need to do that. 

As you can see he cares deeply about wildlife and doing all we can to protect what we have left. He also wants to encourage children to read and write because just like him, it is never too late. 

Gilda’s and Glen’s Geese Nest by Timothy J. Powell is available wherever you like to buy books. We put a link to a couple of the big ones like Barnes and Noble and Amazon in the shows description for you.  And that will do it for this edition of Newsgram from Webtalkradio.com. 

Be sure and catch the full interview with Timothy on the Talking Books podcast with JT Crowley. You can hear the audio version here or watch it on YouTube. 

The post Gilda’s and Glen’s Geese Nest appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.