'Pokey The Playful Whale: (who wanted to live on land)': LaVerne Byrd Smith Reinvents True Story of Pokey the Whale in New Children's Book

RICHMOND, Va., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- In her full-color illustrated new children's book, "Pokey The Playful Whale: (who wanted to live on land)" (published by AuthorHouse), LaVerne Byrd Smith re-imagines the true adventures of a lively whale that made headlines in April of 1966 when he frolicked and played for nearly a week in the state of Virginia's historic James River.

Entertaining and educational, "Pokey The Playful Whale" captures the story of Pokey the whale through Smith's lighthearted rhymes and Les Harper's colorful illustrations that bring the joyful spirit of Pokey to life on each page. When the real "Pokey," a 3000-pound whale, wandered upstream into the James River, he ignited a firestorm of headlines nationwide and captured the attention of the public with his antics. Smith's Pokey will equally enchant children and their parents with his adventures.

When "Pokey The Playful Whale" introduces Pokey, he is swimming through the sea with his whale family, sometimes falling behind them while playing with the other creatures in the ocean. One day, he is accidentally left behind by his family members and cannot catch up. The jovial Pokey happily decides to follow a boat that spouts smoke much like he spouts water. Before he knows it, he has followed the boat to the freshwater reef of the James River and jumpstarted a tidal wave of excitement and wonder. Pokey loves the attention and despite the fact that some of the humans wish him gone, he hopes to stay on the shore as the first whale to ever live on land!

Can he succeed? Find out in the heartwarming pages of "Pokey The Playful Whale," a story filled with heart and educational tidbits for children that could lead to informative discussions about ocean science, geography, human relations and history.

LaVerne Byrd Smith is a native of Richmond, Va., who has had her poems appear in numerous publications, including poetry anthologies and international publications. As a columnist, her writing was featured in the Richmond Afro American newspaper, Ebony, Sepia, Fame, Popcorn and other periodicals. She received her bachelor's degree from Virginia Union University (VUU), her master's degree from Virginia State University (VSU), and her doctorate degree from the University of Maryland (UMD). She has been a classroom teacher in Richmond, Va., and also held undergraduate faculty or professorial positions in education at VSU, VUU and UMD, and taught graduate education classes at Virginia Commonwealth and Howard Universities and the University of Virginia. She retired after 16 years of service with the Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Education.  

Since retirement, her published books have included "The Blessed Gentle Beast," "Traveling On," "Poetry for Growing" and "Poems of Indignation." "Pokey The Playful Whale" was first written in 1966; first published in Popcorn Magazine in 1980; included, un-illustrated, in "Poetry for Growing: Kindergarten through 'Kollege,'" in 2004. In 2010, through AuthorHouse, "Pokey The Whale" gains new life in a beautifully illustrated new reprinting.

AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.

This release was issued through eReleases(TM).  For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE AuthorHouse