By SASHA JOHNS / Community Columnist

Shelby County children’s poet Sally Dollar will be visiting her county seat for a book signing on Aug. 10.

Busy Hands Framing and Gifts in the heart of Main Street will open their doors at 10 a.m. to Dollar, and everyone is invited to stop by and meet the author.

“I’m thrilled about the opportunity to visit a locally owned store to do a book signing event,” she said. “I grew up in a small town myself. I have a heart for locally owned businesses and for the strong sense of community which those businesses and their owners foster.”

Busy Hands Framing and Gifts is exactly that. Owner Linda Cook has had her business on Main Street for three decades and is well-known in the community for her creative framing and for her tenure in town and support of the local merchants.

Children who visit the store for the book signing will not only be meeting local talent, but will also have a chance to see the local business in their community in action.

“We are so pleased to have Mrs. Dollar visit our store,” Cook said. “The book is precious and our kids here in Columbiana are going to love not only the catchy poems, but also the gorgeous illustrations. I think it’s important for them to have the opportunity to see that people from their community can be successful not only in small businesses, but in the arts too. It’s good to get them thinking now about things they love, and writing poems may just be something they love. I want them to meet a real live poet from their area.”

Dollar’s chart-topping book is geared to all elementary-aged children, but younger middle-aged students may also find the poems to be clever and entertaining.

“I’ve found that ‘The Gumball Lottery’ has a wide range of appeal with elementary school kiddos,” she said. “The poems are chock-full of iconic, quintessential childhood symbols and experiences. The middle-grade range, third to fifth grade, especially love it. They have a great grasp of the type of humor used, along with the metaphorical life lessons.”
Books will be available on the day of the book signing.

Guests can stop by when the doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday morning to chat with Dollar about her poetry and what it’s like to become a published author.

“Publishing a children’s book has been a dream of mine since I was young,” Dollar said. “It’s a little surreal knowing that my childhood dream has turned to reality—and I’m loving every minute of it. Writing and publishing require so much time and energy, but, as I’ve seen with ‘The Gumball Lottery,’ all of that effort is 100 percent worth it.”