“Let’s go on an adventure.”
“Dr. Stephanie Thorson-Olesen is a psychologist who lives in Minnesota with her husband and three children. She believes that life is an adventure, and the world was meant to be explored! Plus, she is a professor and loves learning and teaching about lifespan development. She created this developmentally stimulating story for the children in her life and yours!” -Amazon About the Author.
During her high school career, Dr. Thorson-Olesen wrote a weekly column for the Fillmore County Journal. Dr. Thorson-Olesen credits the Journal for giving her the confidence she needed to go to college.
Dr. Thorson-Olesen is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Counselor Education at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. In 2018 she was named Teacher of the Year.
During the interview for this article, Dr. Thorson-Olesen mentioned that storytelling is a major component of her class lectures. An evaluation from one of Dr. Thorson-Olesen’s PSYCH220 students on www.ratemyprofessor.com posted the following comment highlighting her storytelling skills. “Stephanie is an absolutely amazing professor! She is super sweet and has a lot of interesting stories that she shares in class. Make sure you take good notes in her class because you can use them on her quizzes! She is very approachable and has a lot she can teach you!”
Dr. Thorson-Olesen’s childhood was spent camping and canoeing with her family in the Driftless region. Among her family, Dr. Thorson-Oleson is known for creating stories for her children. It was at this time that her husband planted a seed when he suggested that she record her stories and write a children’s book.
Dr. Thorson-Olesen decided to self-publish her first children’s book, See What We Can See, through Amazon after researching publishers and deciding she wanted control over her project. Her first order of 100 books arrived last month and her book is available on Amazon.
Dr. Thorson-Olesen explains that her oldest child is learning to read, which is one reason for including “rhymes, repetition, nature activity, animals, counting, and colors” in the book. The book is geared toward toddlers and young children learning to read.
The story is set on the lush green banks of a canoe friendly river. The story follows the adventures of a mother and father and their three young children as they paddle down the river looking to see what they can see. Dr. Thorson-Olesen explained that her middle child is afraid of bees, which is why the family comes upon colorful bees buzzing around the flowers on the bank of the river.
Dr. Thorson-Olesen received 60 applications from potential illustrators through online Upworks. Stephanie’s first choice for an illustrator was the person who answered her call for an illustrator first. Devika Joglekar’s artist statement on Amazon reads, “She has always aspired to author children’s books, which are not only fun to read but also inspire young readers to learn and discover interesting things. She has authored and illustrated 12 children’s picture books. She has been bringing ideas to life through her labor of love.”
Joglekar is to be applauded for her outstanding images in See What We Can See. Clearly, she understood the message Dr. Thorson-Oleson was sharing with her readers and did an amazing job making the message come alive. The colorful images and the expressions on the characters’ faces draw the reader in and make them one with the family.
Last month Dr. Thorson-Olesen’s book was released on Amazon. To purchase Dr. Thorson-Oleson’s book, visit www.amazon.com/Stephanie-Thorson-Olesen/e/B086VY166N?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qi1587141641&sr=8-1. After reading the book do not forget to go back online and leave a review letting Amazon customers know your impression of this talented writer and her beautiful children’s book.
It is a guarantee that this is not the last book that Dr. Thorson-Olesen’s will publish. To stay up-to-date on Dr. Thorson-Olesen’s activities visit her website at seewhatwecansee.weebly.com.
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