The Buzz ON THE BAY

By Hugh Minor

For more than a year, Katz and Brandley worked on the book, riffing off each other easily since, as Katz explains, “Our brains are very similar.” They wrote and rewrote it, adding vignettes and moving bits around.

Then Brandley’s artistic know-how took over. Having taught visual arts at Portsmouth High School for more than 22 years, she knows her way with a paintbrush. It took Brandley another year to create the watercolor-and-ink illustrations. She also hand-lettered the entire book – no fonts were used in the writing of Mrs. Katz and Her Hats

Once they had the published book in their hands, the duo moved into sales and marketing mode. They sold it at street fairs, reached out to local bookstores to carry it, and held a launch event at the library. The book was a big hit almost immediately with Katz’s storytelling fans and Brandley’s network of art students and their families.

Teachers also love the book, ordering copies for entire preschool classrooms. “It has truly been a labor of love,” says Katz. “Working with

Nancy has been a blast. Spending time together has been such a great way to enjoy our friendship.” They both loved the experience so much that there is already talk of a second book. Brandley’s idea is to turn Mrs. Katz and Her Hats into an illustrated activity book that encourages kids to explore their talents in the visual arts by drawing and painting.

And there are more stories to tell – like the tale of Katz’s husband, Steve, who built a climate-controlled room in their home to store all of her hats.