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MONROE: Local author has new children’s book

   MONROE — A new children’s picture book from Monroe author Carol Guchek was released shortly before Christmas.
   ”Sometimes You See Them, Sometimes You Don’t” is about the imaginary friends and favorite stuffed animals that play a large part in the lives of many young children. These companions become special playmates and confidants.
   ”It is comforting and satisfying for a child to know that this special friend is always there to listen without judgment,” Ms. Guchek said. “Even after childhood, the memories stay with them, and even that old, threadbare favorite dog or bear still remains.
   Her book tells the story of a little girl and her brother and their experiences and interactions with their imaginary and stuffed-animal friends.
   ”This story may even bring back fond memories for parents of the imaginary friends or favorite stuffed animals they had when they were children,” Ms. Guchek said.
   Her first book, “Popcorn In My Soup,” was published in 2010. In this spontaneous, nonsensical story, a young boy loves popcorn, its smell, its sound and its crunchy taste. When the popcorn explodes uncontrollably out of the pot, he discovers the culinary delights that can result.
   Both books are available on Lulu.com and Amazon.com or through her website, www.carolguchek.com.
   ”These books will make children laugh and appeal to young readers who enjoy stories about a child’s imagination and creativity,” Ms Guchek said.
   She had been a lifelong resident of Highland Park until she and her husband recently relocated to Monroe. She has two children, three stepchildren and four grandsons.
   Ms. Guchek, 64, has lived at Renaissance at Cranbury Crossing since June.
   ”The book is based on my children,” Ms. Guchek said. “My daughter had an imaginary friend, and my son had a stuffed dog that he carried around everywhere. Everything in it is actually true. The little girl in the book leaves her imaginary friend on the carousel. Then the parents have to go back and tell the man at the carousel that their daughter left her friend there.”
   The entire book rhymes, and in addition to the imaginary friend, there’s the story of the little boy with his stuffed dog, who builds indoor forts out of couch cushions.
   ”These are all things my kids did so I wrote a book about it,” she said.
   She added, “I like rhyming so that’s how I usually start writing my books. I think it’s fun. I get enjoyment out of the reactions of the children listening to my stories. Hopefully, they’ll learn to love to read. Hopefully, my books will start them off on that path.”
   She already has written a third book, called “Beach Walk,” and has submitted it, but she hasn’t heard back from publishers yet. If she can’t get it published by a publishing house, she’ll publish it herself, she said.
The book is about the stuff people find on the beach.
She said her family also inspired this book. “We used to go to the beach a lot when the kids were younger, and we own a house in Delaware a few miles from the beach and go down there often,” she said.
   David Kilby, managing editor, contributed to this article.