CAZENOVIA — On Dec. 10, Cazenovia native Dr. Anne Namy Bramlage will hold a book signing event at the Cazenovia Public Library (100 Albany Street) for her new children’s book, “Lakeside Friends: A Story About Cancer.”
The event will be held in the Reference Room from 4 to 6 p.m.
Published by Mascot Books, Lakeside Friends is the first installment of the Karis & Brook Stories, a series designed for children ages 3-7 (and older).
Using the principles of “Encounter, Educate, and Encourage,” along with real-life analogies to explain complex circumstances, the series aims to assist adults in structuring memorable and lasting conversations with children.
“Karis & Brook Stories is a way for loved ones to have educating conversations around complex subjects with [young] people,” said Bramlage. “This book series will address an array of health-related topics whereby children can encourage others and better understand the world around them. My vision is that these books are marketed not only for an individual with a complex situation but their siblings and peers who might not understand.”
Written by Bramlage and illustrated by Agus Prajogo and Yohanes Bastian, Lakeside Friends follows Brook, a boy who doesn’t know why his friend Joel can’t play with him at the lake like he usually does. When Brook learns of Joel’s cancer diagnosis, he has even more questions.
“Thanks to some ants and his quick-thinking Mom, Brook comes to understand the circumstances in his own way, and he even comes up with a creative way to spend some lake time with Joel,” the publisher’s book description adds.
Bramlage said the decision to focus the book on cancer was inspired by personal experience.
A childhood leukemia survivor herself, Bramlage also lost her brother Joel Namy to cancer in 2008.
Namy, who passed away at the age of 21, was a 2005 graduate of Cazenovia High School and a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
“. . . I want to educate children around health-related circumstances so they can be an encouragement to others in similar situations,” Bramlage explained.
The author graduated from Cazenovia High School in 2003 and now lives in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s in elementary education, as well as a doctorate in the field of education, specifically leadership in higher education.
“My academic writing focuses on self-advocacy and the experiences undergraduate students with disabilities encounter on college/university campuses,” she said. “Children’s literature is a new field for me yet one I am really excited about.”
Lakeside Friends became available on Mascot Books last month; the official book release is scheduled for Feb. 1, 2022. Preorder on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books a Million.
Copies will also be available for sale at the book signing event.
For more information, call the library at 315-655-9322 or email [email protected].
