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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Here’s a children’s book that boasts a lot of Hope

Dan Webster

I suspect that most of us have a secret yearning. Maybe even a hidden talent.

That is one of the bases for so much young-adult literature and cinema, right? From the “Harry Potter” novels to the “Spider-Man” comics and movies, a previously unrealized power or skill enables some character or another to discover their true selves – and respective fates.

My friend Holly Hope already has proven herself fully capable in a range of areas.

Some people will remember Holly from the years in which she ran her own custom framing shop in Spokane’s Flour Mill.

Now as an elementary-school teacher in the Washington, D.C., school system, she instructs English as a second language to children from a number of different cultures. Moreover, she was carrying a full teaching load while she studied for, and earned, a master’s degree.

In addition to all that, plus being both a mother and wife with all that role entails, Holly manages to be one of the best cooks I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter.

The pizza nights that she used to host, back when she and her husband Ken Sands still lived in Spokane, remain legendary among our group of friends.

So, imagine my surprise when I discovered, just before Christmas, that Holly has yet another talent – that of artist.

It turns out that she illustrated the children’s book “Lulu Lamby,” which was written by fellow Washington, D.C., resident Karen E. Levy.

The book is available through Politics and Prose Bookstore. And it’s a perfect little New Year’s purchase for a young child.

By the way, Holly would be embarrassed no end to read this. That, though, is just another one of her personal traits – one that seems all too rare these days.

She’s humble.