44 SEPTEMBER 2020 Edgar’s mom Linda Rider, Grandpa Paul Fannin and Grandma Elma Fannin during campaign days, circa 1964. PHOTOS COURTESY OF EDGAR RIDER By Rachael Bouley Grandparents can play a huge role in many people’s lives, and Arcadia area resident Edgar Rider acknowledges these strong family ties in his new book 5990: Tribute Story about Grandparents . Rider is a Scottsdale native who works as a freelance writer and paraprofessional in special education. His latest book takes a trip down memory lane to reflect on the influence his grandparents had on him and his siblings. After publishing his first book, a memoir titled Riding Out the Kipling Effect , Rider shifted his focus to family for his second book, sharing his history and specifically the sacrifices his grandparents made. “After dealing with lots of high school students, I have a new appreciation for my grandparents,” Rider said. “My grandfather was the hardest working person I ever met, and my grandmother was always supportive.” In the book, Rider recounts how his grandfather, former Arizona Governor and U.S. Senator Paul Fannin, was looking forward to retirement with his wife, Elma. However, life had other plans for the couple, as they ended up helping raise Rider and his two siblings. The book explores generational differences, frequent disagreements and life lessons, and how sometimes, grandparents may try to impart their wisdom on stubborn grandchildren who won’t listen. “On the more humorous side, they took us to places they wanted no part of. Grandpa hated comic books and wrestling, but ended up taking me to the comic bookstore and closed-circuit Wrestlemania,” Rider recalled. “They didn’t understand pop culture; it wasn’t part of their upbringing. We had Duran Duran, Alice Cooper, Wrestlemania, Back to the Futur e, TV shows and music we were obsessed with. Despite it, they would take us to places because we liked going there. It was an unselfish act on their part.” Rider’s story is also about his appreciation and deep respect for family dynamics and the effect grandparents can have on their grandchildren’s lives. He writes that looking back on his childhood, he now knows how much his grandparents cared about him and his siblings and how much they tried to help them. The couple did their best to support and prepare them for bright futures. If there’s one thing Rider wants people to take away from his book, it’s that grandparents deserve more credit. He hopes the book reminds readers of the genuine love and appreciation many grandparents have for their grandchildren and the impact they can have on their lives. He says his grandparents helped shape him as an adolescent and made him the person he is today. “I believe people will relate to a specific place and the importance of grandparents and many in the Arcadia area will recognize some of the people in our Arizona Fannin family,” Rider said. “People will remember things from their own families and remember growing up in the eighties.” 5990: Tribute Story about Grandparents is available on Amazon. New book offers a tribute to grandparents Young Edgar Rider. Local newspapers have the print and digital advertising solutions to help businesses bring customers back and quickly regain lost revenue. Local newspapers’ reach across products has never been higher. And with special packages tailored to local businesses, there are options for any size business with any budget. FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK. When it comes to delivering results for local businesses, NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK Reach, Results, Solutions America’s Newspapers is a national association supporting journalism and healthy newspapers in our local communities. Find out more at www.newspapers.org or follow us on Twitter @newspapersorg or on Facebook @americasnewspapers. Reach, Results, Solutions Local newspapers have the print and digital advertising solutions to help businesses bring customers back and quickly regain lost revenue. Local newspapers’ reach across products has never been higher. And with special packages tailored to local businesses, there are options for any size business with any budget. FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK. When it comes to delivering results for local businesses, NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK Reach, Results, Solutions America’s Newspapers is a national association supporting journalism and healthy newspapers in our local communities. Find out more at www.newspapers.org or follow us on Twitter @newspapersorg or on Facebook @americasnewspapers. AWA R D W I N N I N G N E I G H B O R H O O D N E W S S I N C E 1 9 9 3 AWA R D W I N N I N G N E I G H B O R H O O D N E W S S I N C E 1 9 9 3 Local newspapers have the print and digital advertising solutions to help businesses bring customers back and quickly regain lost revenue. Local newspapers’ reach across products has never been higher. And with special packages tailored to local businesses, there are options for any size business with any budget. FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK. When it comes to delivering results for local businesses, NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK Reach, Results, Solutions America’s Newspapers is a national association supporting journalism and healthy newspapers in our local communities. Find out more at www.newspapers.org or follow us on Twitter @newspapersorg or on Facebook @americasnewspapers. Local newspapers have the print and digital advertising solutions to help businesses bring customers back and quickly regain lost revenue. Local newspapers’ reach across products has never been higher. And with special packages tailored to local businesses, there are options for any size business with any budget. FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK. When it comes to delivering results for local businesses, NEWSPAPERS HAVE YOUR BACK Reach, Results, Solutions America’s Newspapers is a national association supporting journalism and healthy newspapers in our local communities. Find out more at www.newspapers.org or follow us on Twitter @newspapersorg or on Facebook @americasnewspapers. 602.840.6379 | 3850 E. Indian School Road | arcadianews.com

45 SEPTEMBER 2020 By Mallory Gleich If you know anything about Jim Fox, it’s probably that he was once a professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns. What you might not know, however, is that he’s also an accomplished watercolorist and that he’s helped his daughter-in-law, Phoebe Fox (sometimes lovingly known by her family as mama Fox), illustrate two of her children’s books. Phoebe grew up reading, though, as a kid, it was hard for her. “I was always a slow reader. Picture books are my favorite. My parents read to me every night when I was little, and I still have all of my childhood books in my collection,” Phoebe said. Before she was an author, Phoebe was a teacher and a librarian. She’s been around books her whole life, but it wasn’t until 2015 that she got serious about writing. “Back in college, I was a volunteer at the Civic Center Library. One day I picked up a book about writing for children. My husband and I spent a summer in Riomaggiore, Italy, where I studied that book and focused on creating stories,” Phoebe said. In 2015, Phoebe submitted a manuscript for one of her books, and it won a national contest run by First Edition Project, a program offered through Southwest Human Development that helps promote early literacy nationwide. Phoebe credits that win for kicking off her writing career. Her newest book – Babies’ Bond – is the sixth that she’s published. Others include Up Up Up, Starry’s Haircut, Starry Gets Lost, Panda Proud (written to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Arizona nonprofit PANDA) and Babies’ Nurse , which was illustrated by Jim. Babies’ Bond was introduced in late- August, and it highlights the relationship between mammal mothers and their offspring. “Animals have always fascinated me, and there’s nothing sweeter than seeing a mama taking care of her baby,” Phoebe said. The book is written in sixteen haiku poems with four pages of animal “fun facts.” “It is a wonderful learning tool and a gentle introduction to haiku poetry,” Phoebe said. “I’ve always enjoyed writing poetry. It’s rare to find a children’s book written in haiku, and I thought it would be a good way to introduce this form of poetry to young children.” Jim has been painting in watercolor for almost 15 years. This book is the third that he’s illustrated. “When I first started, I wanted to paint everything that appealed to me. Nothing was safe from my brush,” Jim said. “Thanks to Yvonne Joyner, my first teacher, I wanted to attempt portraits, probably because she was so good at capturing expressions. She suggested that I take a workshop from renowned portrait painter Ted Nuttall. After that workshop, I was drawn to portraits, and they are 90% of what I now paint.” Phoebe is currently searching for a literary agent and hopes to continue sharing her stories with children. All six of Phoebe’s books are available on her website. For more: mamafoxbooks.com Mama Fox publishes sixth children’s book Jim Fox and his daughter-in-law Phoebe in Italy, 2013. PHOTO COURTESY OF PHOEBE FOX Before she was an author, Phoebe was a teacher and a librarian. She’s been around books her whole life, but it wasn’t until 2015 that she got to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Arizona nonprofit PANDA) and Babies’ Nurse illustrated by Jim. Babies’ Bond introduced in late- August, and it highlights the relationship between mammal mothers and their offspring. than seeing a mama taking By Rachael Bouley Local author and mom Staci Hauk encourages kids to value their friendships with her first children’s book, Sawyer’s Two Cents. The book is set in the Valley and was inspired by her two children, 12-year-old Sawyer and 10-year-old Garrett. She originally wrote the story as a college essay. “I was asked to create a story where an inanimate object had a greater purpose,” Hauk said. “I wrote about a penny that was passed around town, bringing all those who touched it good luck in different ways and somehow bonding and connecting them.” Hauk’s story was put aside for years, but she always remembered the advice from her professor, who told her to hold onto it as it might make a good published book one day. “I revisited the penny idea with my children navigating the ebb and flow of finding true friends,” Hauk said. In the book, Sawyer collects pennies for every friend she meets, but as the story unfolds, she realizes real friends or ‘shiny pennies’ are more important than duller pennies. Hauk said that quality over quantity is the moral of the story. Sharing this message about the power of healthy, happy friendship is important for Hauk, who fell in love with reading at a young age, thanks to Dr. Seuss books. “The Lorax is my all-time favorite story – caring about others always seemed to resonate with me. The Giving Tree is another favorite,” she said. Hauk hopes that people of all ages can benefit from her book and its lesson. “The idea is for kids and adults to read this book together, no matter their age,” Hauk said. “When children choose friends, it can often feel like they are special and going to give as much as they get out of the friendship. Sawyer realizes in this story that while she has a lot of friends, many are not willing to help her in difficult situations.” Throughout the story, Sawyer acknowledges that she has two friends she can always trust to lift her spirits and help her out through the good and the bad, and they are the two shiny pennies in her collection. “It is hard at any age, even as adults, to sort out the good friends from the not so good ones. This story can help kids rationalize this concept easily and through illustrations both figurative and literal,” Hauk said. The book’s illustrations use the Grand Canyon State as the backdrop and were created by fellow Arizonan Rebecca Steward. Hauk looks forward to publishing two more books in the series. “Next up is Garrett’s Good Fortune , and Angus Deals with Anguish . Each book follows one of Sawyer’s two best friends as they use inanimate objects to tell their stories.” Sawyer’s Two Cents is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other major retailers. Arcadia author publishes first children’s book Staci Hauk. PHOTO COURTESY OF STACI HAUK to help her in difficult situations.” help her out through the good and the bad, and they are the two shiny pennies in her collection. “It is hard at any age, even as adults, to sort out the good friends from the not so good ones. This story can help kids rationalize this concept easily and through illustrations both figurative and literal,” Hauk said.