The Bravest of the Brave (3 page)

Author and children’s librarian
Shutta Crum
says she knows what it’s like to be brave while being really scared. Once, she and her sister were sent to the store just before closing time. It was late, so they took a shortcut past an old house the neighborhood kids said was haunted. The sisters gripped hands as tightly as they could, ran as quickly as they could through the dark, and thought brave thoughts. They made it to the store on time, but her sister lost a shoe! So the next day, they thought brave thoughts again and went back to look for the shoe—but they never found it.

Shutta Crum is the author of several books for children. She was born in Paintsville, Kentucky, and now lives on a farm in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she sometimes sees skunks.

Tim Bowers
says: “Some of my bravest moments have come late at night when I’m walking from my studio to the house. The quiet of the late night is my favorite time to create art. It’s also a great time for the local skunk family to explore the area looking for food. Many times, I’ve opened the studio door to find the skunk family with their noses to the ground, digging in the yard or under the bird feeder. When I know they are close by but can’t see them, I quietly leave the studio and carefully but quickly tiptoe through the darkness, back to the house. I always think brave thoughts as I hurry past our busy little skunk friends.”

Tim Bowers is the illustrator of the Little Whistle series by Cynthia Rylant and Sherman Crunchley by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans. He lives in Ohio with his family. His house and studio sit high on a wooded hill and are surrounded by a variety of wildlife, including brave little skunks.