Photo courtesy of Jim Brown.
Jim Brown sits with his granddaughter, Alison
Jim Brown sits with his granddaughter, Alison, who the children’s book is based on. Alison, who is 9 in the story, is now 23.
Homewood resident Jim Brown is a storyteller. Many of his stories are based on real-life experiences over the years, one of which he has decided to turn into a children's book "Alison in Wonderland: The Strangest Week at the Beach."
"I have four grandchildren, and this book is written off of an experience we took as an extended family vacation at St. George Island years ago," Brown said. "I wrote this particular book for my oldest granddaughter, Alison."
The book centers around a character named Alison, who is 9 years old and travels to the beach where she changes in size and shape to help her learn about various beach and shallow-water creatures.
Some of the questions Alison asks in the book include, "Are half-moons always up for exactly half a night, and if so, which half?" "When flying a kite in the daytime, why do you most often have to fly it back over the house instead of out over the ocean?"
The book is designed for children between second and eighth grade. It also highlights visits to Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea, Florida, the Atchafalaya Swamp nature center in Louisiana, and the Walter Anderson Museum of Art in Mississippi.
"I think that trip really stood out in my mind when we went as a family, and I used a lot of those experiences to help shape a children's book," Brown said. "My granddaughter, Alison, is now 23, a chemical engineering graduate of Auburn living in Birmingham and is preparing for her MCAT. She is bright and funny and has an interesting take on her former self being the heroine of this beach week book."
The book also features illustrations by Jane Reed Ross, who formerly lived in Homewood. It is printed by Rocky Heights Printing in Homewood.
"This was definitely a team effort and everything was produced here in Homewood," Brown said. "I think what really makes the book come alive are the beautiful watercolor drawings that Jane Reed Ross put together when she heard the story and really made all of the ideas come to life."
The book is made up of 32 watercolor pictures and 31 pages of Brown's text.
Brown, who moved to Alabama from Tennessee in 1971 to take a position at Samford with a specialty in Russian and modern European history, has written several other books. This is his first children's book.
One of his books, "Distracted by Alabama: Tangled Threads of Natural History, Local History and Folklore," was selected as the 2025 Library of Congress Book Festival's Great Reads from Great Places for the state of Alabama.
When Brown wrote the children's book for his granddaughter, he said one of the common questions from his other three grandchildren was will he write a book for them?
"I guess those are my next projects because they are eager for me to write something for them, and I am excited at the opportunity to do so," Brown said. "I think it is fun to think up ideas that would make a good children's story."
Brown's good friend, George Elliott, who has been friends with Brown since the early 1970s, said Brown is a wonderful storyteller filled with an immense amount of knowledge on just about everything.
"The thing about Jim is he is always up for a good adventure and can always tell a good story," Elliott said. "He is a real Renaissance man. He has his fingers in just about everything which is what makes him incredibly fascinating. He is one of the few people in life where my wife will let me go anywhere in the world because she knows Jim can bring me back."
To purchase a copy of Brown's book, visit localbooknook.com or call 205-983-8040.
