FAYETTE — Maine author Kalee Gwarjanski, a home schooling mother of four, is set to visit the Underwood Memorial Library in Fayette Wednesday, Aug. 14, at 6 p.m. Gwarjanski, who has both a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in teaching from the University of Maine, followed her passion for food by attending Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in Ottawa before becoming a full-time picture book author.

Gwarjanski’s writing often focuses on food, with stories that are sometimes silly, often lyrical and nearly always include food, she said. Her goal is to “encourage children and their families to learn about where their food comes from and most importantly to have fun in the kitchen.”

At the upcoming event, Gwarjanski will read from her new book, Miss MacDonald Has a Farm, and lead a vegetable stamping activity where children can decorate aprons to take home.

Gwarjanski explained that the inspiration for Miss MacDonald Has a Farm came from a playful moment with her children. “I had three kids at the time,” she said. “We would pick up our vegetables from a CSA at a farm near our house and the kids were pre-K and younger at the time. The same day we picked up our vegetables, we heard the ‘Old MacDonald’ song.” She said they decided to change the song, goofing around.  Then, ‘EIEIgrow’ popped into my head, and I knew I had something.”

The book’s title character, Mrs. MacDonald was inspired by a real female farmer. “The farm we were visiting weekly was owned by Farmer Marcy, a female farmer,” explained Gwarjanski. “I thought it would be a good way to represent what we actually see when we go to the farm, which in reality is a lot of females. So, it is more representative of today’s farm.”

Gwarjanski hopes the book helps children understand the effort behind growing food. “I think that it is important to know how much work goes into producing a vegetable,” she said. “They don’t just appear in the grocery store or out of a machine. It takes months for a vegetable to grow, and somebody had to do a lot of work to make that nutritious food for you.”

Reflecting on the publication process, Gwarjanski shared that Miss MacDonald Has a Farm is her first published book. “The writing of the story just kind of spilled out of me; it was one of those creative inspiration moments,” she said. “The most difficult part was being patient and getting somebody to buy it. Traditional publishing is very slow. I wrote this book six years ago and finding a publisher, getting a contract, securing an illustrator and finalizing the art – it all adds up.”

Gwarjanski’s children have played a significant role in her writing process. “For this one, the joy of cooking with my kids was a major influence,” she said. “I had gone to culinary school, so food is a passion. Sharing that time in the kitchen with them and the community that food revolves around is important.”

Feedback from readers has been positive, with children often singing the book’s catchy “EIEIgrow” song.

At her library events, Gwarjanski often uses a felt board to engage children. “I bring a felt board,” she said. “It is interactive – children are given vegetables and then plant them on the felt board as the vegetable is mentioned in the book. Every library program is different. Sometimes we will do an extended program where we talk about the parts of the plant and how we eat all different parts of the plant and introduce them to vegetables.”