When the little yellow kitten became part of the Newland household, he reinforced Candace’s brother’s words: “There are lots of things worse than being blind.” He and several of Candace’s family members face the challenges of blindness so it was only natural that this story should come to be as an encouragement to others who face disabilities. Candace and her husband live in west-central Ohio with a menagerie of dogs, cats and horses. Books have always been a part of her life as a librarian and educator. Besides reading, her passions are gardening, roller skating, and horseback riding. An advocate of animal rescue, most of the family pets have come through rescue operations and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be used to support local rescue missions. Suzanne Kinstle Nocera is an artist who lives in Northwest Ohio with her husband, children and golden retriever, Gracie. She has been painting and making art since her childhood and still uses a wooden drawing table she received for her fourteenth birthday. Her illustrations are painted in watercolor and drawn with pen and ink on heavy paper. When not painting in watercolor or mixed media collage she enjoys card making, bookmaking and gardening. In the summer months, she moves her studio outside to paint among her summer gardens. Suzanne’s artwork has won many awards and been exhibited in galleries along the East Coast.