Books with author Susan Brougher

Susan Brougher combines imagination with rhyming lyrics to create The Kingdom of Ing—an enchanted place where dragons are playful and kind, and where fairies abound, surrounding the kingdom with magical powers. In this sweet tale of hope, Queen Arabella dreams of a baby to love, while a baby dreams of a mother to love him. The fairies have been summoned. The fairy queen, Alannah, has chosen her very best team—Tea Cup, Looking Glass, and Busy Bee—to work together to bring a bundle of joy into the kingdom. Susan’s charming lyrics encourage parents to have fun reading to their children while providing motivation for the children to begin reading for themselves. She helps young readers to use their counting skills as they find the number of “ing’s” on each page. Her many inventive “ing” words will enhance a young child’s vocabulary. In Susan’s first book, The Strongest Bond, she writes how the wave of a magic wand changed a scullery maid into Cinderella. In her book of poems, The Magic of Christmas—The Magic of Love, her favorite doll, Tinker Bell, sprinkled fairy dust as she flew. In this book, through the use of whimsical illustrations, Susan artfully unfolds the common story of a mother’s desire for a child, and a child’s desire for love.

Everything Changes for a Teenage Girl when her Mother DiesSensitive and shy, Susan spent her childhood relying on her mother's love and guidance. But when she was twelve years old, her life was broken apart in a way that would change her forever. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and two years later, she left an empty seat at the table, and an empty place in her family that nothing else could fill. The family began to change. Susan’s relationships with her siblings and her father unraveled and knitted back together in an unfamiliar shape. She navigated her adolescence profoundly alone without her mother’s wisdom and comfort…but the ache of that lost love remained with her. Susan searched for answers. She wanted to hear someone say, “I know what you mean. I felt that way too, when my mother died.” She never heard those words. But now, the feelings she kept buried for so long have found a voice in this soul-searching book.

Remembering the Simple Things That Christmas BringsDo you remember how special the Christmas season was when you were a child—how exciting it was, how full of wonder? Author Susan Brougher paints vivid pictures from her childhood in rural upstate New York, where winter brought many heart-warming adventures. Follow Susan on her trek through deep drifts of snow to find the perfect Christmas tree in the woods, and watch with her as the clever family cat goes on a holiday spree. Thrill with Susan as the first snowflakes fall, and feel her anticipation as she waits for Santa Claus. And right along with Susan, you will share the wonder of Baby Jesus in the manger, seeing that miracle again through innocent eyes. These five beautifully illustrated children’s poems will bring back your cherished memories as you read them aloud to your children, creating memories of your own for many years to come.

Queen Arabella dreams of a baby dragon to love, while far away, an orphan is dreaming of a mother to love him. Meanwhile, Fairy Queen Alannah and her team—Tea Cup, Looking Glass, and Busy Bee—are working hard to help King Alexander choose who will be the next prince or princess of the Kingdom of Ing. With a little magic, will the dreams of a kingdom, as well as those of a queen and a dragon, come true?Susan Brougher’s The Magical Kingdom of Ing: An Enchanting Tale of Fairies and Dragons encourages young children to learn more about the meaning of family. A nurse by profession, with decades of experience nurturing through science, Brougher turns now to the power of creativity to teach and transform, as The Magical Kingdom of Ing’s rhyme, colorful illustrations, and important message will delight children and parents alike.

Sensitive and shy, with a rich inner world full of golden dreams, Susan spent her childhood relying on the grounding and guidance of her mother's love. But when Susan was just twelve years old, her life was broken apart in a way that would change her forever. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and two years later, she left an empty seat at the table, and an empty place in her family that nothing else could fill. Without a center, the family began to change; Susan's relationships with her siblings and her father unraveled and knitted back together in an unfamiliar shape. Bereft, disconsolate, and profoundly alone, Susan navigated adolescence as best she could without her mother's wisdom and comfort...but the ache of that lost love remained with her. For many years, Susan searched for answers, but most of all, she wanted to hear someone say, "I know what you mean. I felt that way too, when my mother died." The years went by. She never heard those words. But now, the feelings and experiences she kept buried for so long have found a voice in this beautiful, transparent, and soul-searching book. This is not just the story of Susan and her mother...it is the lyrical elegy of the world's loss, and the humanity's heartbreak. This is Susan's story, and it is your story.

Susan writes of adventures common to children, and fondly recalled by many adults. Her rhymes flow sweetly along with the illustrations and are written in a format easy to read to children or for helping a child beginning to read for themselves. Cat lovers will relate to Stealthy Cat that climbs, and then descends the Christmas tree, and they will be tempted to adlib sharing experiences of their own. Susan's poems display loving family relationships. Growing up, many of her days were spent playing with her sister, two brothers, and neighborhood friends. Being outdoors in nature gave Susan the inspiration she needed to express her feelings through writing. Winters brought lots of snow and the making of snow angels as she swished her arms and legs while looking up at the sky dreaming, snowflakes falling, melting on her face. Like many little girls then and now, she loved dolls. She recalls having only a few, her favorite being Tinker Bell, who sprinkled fairy dust as she flew. Susan writes in her first book, The Strongest Bond, that while growing up she believed in the magic of love that could wave a wizard's wand, and change her from a scullery maid into Cinderella. In this book of beautifully illustrated poems for children, she looks to captivate imaginations with Christmas memories of when she was a child. She shares them in the spirit of the magic of Christmas.