New children's book by Tybee-based publisher offers an informative tale about Right whales

When writer and teacher G. Mischele Miller was a young mother in coastal Florida, she made up songs to sing to her son. One tune was about a boy coming to the rescue of an entangled whale. With the help of Maudlin Pond Press, headquartered on Tybee Island, Miller has turned that song into an illustrated children’s book, available now at independent book sellers in Georgia and Florida.

“Riley the Right Whale and His Friend Kyle,” focuses on the endangered North Atlantic Right whale, a species that spends summers feeding off of Canada and New England then heads to the southeast’s warmer coastal waters to calve and raise their young. Miller’s tale revolves around a mother whale that has become tangled in fishing gear, compelling her young calf, Riley, to seek help from a little boy.

Miller, who, as a child grew up in St. Augustine, Florida, loved engaging with marine life, especially watching whales through her binoculars. At the time, she didn’t realize the massive creatures she was most enamored of were North Atlantic Right whales. And that with each sighting, she and her family could have been helping the now endangered species.

“I didn’t know,” emphasized Miller. “I used to spot Right whales all the time when I was a little girl, and I didn’t know you could report this animal, and that reporting it would set up a whole chain of events to better protect it off our coast. And this is the main reason, beyond being a tribute to my son, of why I wrote this book. Currently, there’s maybe 350 individuals left of this species, and I want this book to contribute in some way to make sure North Atlantic Right whales continue living in our oceans.”

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Picture book helps children learn how to protect Right whales

In the story, after Riley the whale finds Kyle, the little boy then seeks adults to help him help the whale and his mother. A crew of Florida Fish and Wildlife agents arrive in time to help untangle Riley’s mom. The story emphasizes the importance of calling the NOAA Fisheries hotline, 1-877-WHALE-HELP, whenever anyone spots a whale in the waters off coastal Georgia and Florida.

Calling the number notifies state and federal agencies that then inform large ships and recreational boats to slow down and be on the look out for whales. That phone call also sets up helicopter deployment to determine if the whale is injured or entangled.  Because the North Atlantic Right whale is endangered, all of these measures are in place to protect the animal and hopefully prevent its further decline.

With its detailed watercolor illustrations by artists Linda Brandt and Melia Baker, Miller plans to bring the book along with curricular activities into elementary schools near St. Augustine and Flagler Beach, Florida, to show children the power they have in making a very important difference in the world.

“In addition to reading the story to young students, I plan to teach how to spot Right whales as an activity in local schools, that they can be heroes in saving whales,” said Miller. “And through my non-profit, Riley the Right Whale Foundation of St. Augustine, a portion of proceeds from book sales and donations will support beach signage with more information about the species.”

Writer, environmental educator and one of Maudlin Pond Press’s founding authors, Cathy Sakas, is excited to have Miller among its stable of writers. Sakas, who has a long professional history with NOAA sanctuaries and public education efforts around North Atlantic Right whales, got connected to Miller through a colleague at NOAA. Sakas instantly knew Miller’s idea and vision for her children’s book was a good fit with her company.

“Cheryl Munday, coordinator of the Right Whale Festival in Fernandina Beach, where Miller has been volunteering for years, referred her to us,” recalled Sakas. “Her book and its message was right on target with what we do as an independent publisher, and we are just delighted. Plus, the topic couldn’t be more timely.”

Maudlin Pond Press coalesced in spring 2020, then released its first set of titles in 2022, mostly works from the founding authors. Since last summer, though, the independent publisher has piqued the interest of local and regional writers, having recently published works from Terresa Kassing and former Washington Post journalist and Tybee Island resident, J.R. Roseberry. The company currently has another 12 independent titles in queue.

“We’ve been pleasantly surprised to receive a lot of requests from new authors,” emphasized Sakas. “We’re delighted to help more writers get from that initial idea to a final published story. There are six of us in the company, and we review every manuscript or story pitch. And three of us have to acknowledge that a pitch is a good fit for Maudlin Pond before we agree to publish. And so far, the key to our success is that we are small, have personal relationships with our authors and offer guidance every step of the way.”

For the next few months, Miller has a series of book readings and presentations lined up at book stores, schools and community centers around St. Augustine and Flagler Beach. But she plans to travel to Savannah where later this fall the Gingerbread House will host a signing.

“This book is about courage,” emphasized Miller. “The courage to do difficult things when you’re uncertain of how or what to do. The North Atlantic Right whale is on the verge of extinction, but we have the ability to help this whale survive and come back, and I hope this book raise public awareness and works to help save the species from the brink of extinction.”

Learn more about children’s author G. Mischele Miller and her quest to save the North Atlantic Right whale: https://rileywhale.com

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Tybee's Maudlin Pond Press releases children's book about Right whales