When a Poem Meets a Pencil is an imaginative collaboration of the pencil drawings of Rob Hedges and the whimsical poetry of Chris Carpenter. Rob and Chris met while working at Gess Elementary in Chewelah, Washington, a small rural school nestled in the Selkirk Mountain Range of the Pacific Northwest. Chris was the music teacher and Rob was a para educator and the two would frequently combine their talents to make a lesson pop, showcase a school community bulletin board, or contribute to the annual PTA Reflections Art Program. Rob came to his career in education after a 23 year stint as a technical illustrator for Hanford, showcasing his drawing abilities in spite of his color blindness. In fact, his color blindness gave him a depth and dimension that set his drawings apart from other illustrators and caught the eye of Chris, who was looking for just the right person to capture the essence of her poems. When a Poem Meets a Pencil is the delightful result of two talented educators combining their efforts and leaving their mark - a mark of joyful wonder and thought.

The pages of this book are meant to celebrate the unique view of those who see the world through their color blindness. It is estimated that 1 in 12 males and 1 in 200 females have some form of color blindness affecting 4.5 % of the entire world's population. When a Poem Meets a Pencil also honors the pencil doodlings of lines and curves and the rhythms and rhymes of words that lead to pictures and stories that celebrate life's lessons through reflection, humorous anecdotes, and animal personification. Imagine a turtle changing her shell, a dragon living in a toaster, a fishy quartet, or a territorial squirrel. These are just a few of the animals that come to life and captivate the imaginations of those who spend time with the pages of this enchanting book.
About the Author: Chris Carpenter is an award-winning music and advanced learning educator who taught in the Chewelah School District in Eastern Washington for thirty years. She has directed choirs, accompanied musicals, and created guitar clubs. Over the years she has organized science fairs, creative arts festivals, and inspired countless students. She continues to bring her love of music and the arts to her community and is honored to share some of the poetry that she has been writing--in notebooks, on napkins, and over scraps of paper-- to a wider audience through the publication of When a Poem Meets a Pencil. Readers will note humor, wit, reflection, and charm in her whimsical style. Chris is the daughter of a career military officer and spent her childhood in five states and one foreign country. Her summers were spent in Chewelah where she enjoyed the poetry and inspiration of her grandfather. Chris and her husband, Walt, enjoy retirement celebrating their three children and their spouses, and their three awe-inspiring grandchildren.Rob Hedges was born in 1952, in Waterville, Washington, and spent his childhood exploring the wide open spaces between Wenatchee and Leavenworth where he also spent time fishing for trout and drawing. After two years of college, he took a job as a junior illustrator for Battelle Northwest Research Labs in Richland, Washington, working on the Hanford Project . After proving his illustrating skills for 23 years, Rob advanced to the Art Director's position. During this time, he also helped raise his two brilliant, beautiful daughters. In 1997, Rob left Hanford to pursue a career as a para educator for the Richland School District and later for the Chewelah School District. Since retiring in 2015, Rob has enjoyed a happy, peaceful life with his wife, Kim, and long days drawing at his table.