Father's Day 2011: Children's Book Author Dad, Grandfather Regales His Children and Grandchildren with 'Wanda and the Oblahlahs' Story, Lost in Attic for 35 Years

BELLAIRE, TX, June 07, 2011 (Press-News.org) This Father's Day, Joe Sutton's charming children's tale starring Wanda, a mischievous, gum-chewing yet lovable little girl, launches, giving a nod to the lost art of storytelling -- passing stories, family histories and values from one generation to the next. "Wanda and the Oblahlahs", (Bright Sky Press, September 2011), the brainchild of then Army Colonel Sutton, emerged at bedtime for his rambunctious young daughters, Gretchen and Megan. Now 35 years later, Wanda's imaginative adventure lives on for Sutton's grandchildren and, as a children's book, can share its timeless teachings with a new generation of readers near and far.

"As a young parent I tried every which way to get my daughters to mind their mom and me. One of the challenges was to get them to toss out their chewing gum at bedtime," said Sutton, the grandfather of four, with one on the way. "One approach that worked well was to tell the girls stories with carefully disguised lessons."

Sutton, a successful Houston-based energy executive, says Wanda's misadventures turned story time into a beloved family tradition. The character he dreamed up personified the young girl who did everything she shouldn't, including chewing her gum all day and night. The tales, ranging from encounters with the obstreperous Oblahlahs to the weird green man, always made doing the right thing seem like the best choice, according to the father and grandfather children's book author.

His eldest daughter, Gretchen (Sutton Setrum), remembers asking her Dad repeatedly to tell her the Wanda story as a child. "What an imagination he had! I did chew gum all of the time and I believe he came up with the story to deter me from chewing gum at night," said Gretchen, whose daughter, Mallory, 12, has fond memories of her granddad's bedtime stories as well.

"My father was blessed with the gift of story telling and as far back as I can remember he always put us to bed with a story or two," said Megan (Sutton-Reed), now married and the mother of son, Brady. "I remember asking to hear the 'Wanda' story on several of those evenings and when friends would spend the night, they, too, would ask to hear the story," she reminisced. "I also recall a small tray beside my bed that I would put my gum in before I went to sleep. I didn't want to get the 'Oblahlahs!'"

To her delight, three years ago Megan found the vintage Wanda stories with their original illustrations by her Aunt Jane. They were in an old shopping bag in her parents' attic, in tact after 23 moves. With Megan's encouragement, her father decided to publish "Wanda and the Oblahlahs" to bring the age-old story back to life for the next generation, including his own grandchildren, Mallory, Delaney, Brady, Jackson and soon to be Braxton. The book will appeal to parents and grandparents who will find that Wanda's antics do more to illustrate the importance of minding than any amount of parental nagging. Most importantly, Wanda reminds readers of the power of shared stories to create strong families.

"To this day, my father is still a gifted story teller. He continues the tradition by telling my five-year-old son, Brady, the 'Wanda' story and it is by far one of his all-time favorite stories," added Megan about her father, children's book author, dad and granddad Joe Sutton.

To help support children who may not have loving families to share stories with them, Sutton will donate a significant portion of the proceeds of the book sales to Children at Risk: Speaking Out and Driving Change for Children. The action-focused non-profit organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Texas' children through strategic research, community education, collaboration and advocacy.

"Wanda and the Oblahlahs is an instant classic bedtime story that teaches children a simple truth...listen to your parents!," said Dr. Bob Sanborn, Children at Risk President and CEO. "It is a whimsical tale that will delight children of all ages. Not only that, but it will also benefit the work of CHILDREN AT RISK and all that they do to change the lives of children across Texas. We could not be more proud to partner with Joe Sutton on this exciting endeavor."

Wanda and the Oblahlahs will be available for purchase starting this summer at www.brightskypress.com and in fine Houston-area bookstores in September 2011.

About the Author: Joe Sutton, a former Army Colonel who works in the energy industry and lives in The Woodlands, Texas, with his wife Suzanne.

About the Illustrator: Jane Sutton Frawley - Jane created the illustrations for Wanda and the Oblahlahs more than 30 years ago to accompany her brother's story. The mother of two children, Jane is an accomplished artist who earned her bachelors and masters degrees in fine art from Marshall University. She currently lives in Meggett, South Carolina.

Children's book author/dad/granddad Sutton, a successful Houston-based energy executive, says Wanda's misadventures turned story time into a beloved family tradition. The character he dreamed up personified the young girl who did everything she shouldn't, including chewing her gum all day and night. The tales, ranging from encounters with the obstreperous Oblahlahs to the weird green man, always made doing the right thing seem like the best choice, according to the father and grandfather/children's book author.

Please "LIKE" Wanda on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wanda-and-the-Oblahlahs/122533461160239.