Westlake woman publishes her first children’s book

By Lori Porter Acorn Staff Writer

June Sobel

Westlake Village resident June Sobel is celebrating the release of her first children’s book, "B is For Bulldozer," published by Harcourt Press. The book, chosen as a Children’s Book of the Month Club selection, provides an exciting ride through the entire alphabet at a busy construction site, geared for pre-schoolers.

After the birth of Sobel’s son, Adam, her love for reading out loud from picture books was renewed and her inspiration to write the book came one day when Adam was 18 months old and said "Big trucks" while they were driving through traffic.

Sobel spent many mornings parked near construction sites as her toddler excitedly identified tractor scrapers, excavators and backhoes. She read him every picture book published on the topic of construction, but there was one she couldn’t find; an ABC story book that told about the construction industry.

Sobel set out to write the book she couldn’t find.

Sobel, a native of New York, moved to California after entering Stanford University with a graduate fellowship in painting. Upon graduation, she received her master’s degree in fine arts as well as an individual grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Although Sobel is an artist and had a business designing greeting cards and other gifts, she enlisted artist Melissa Iwai to illustrate her new book with bright and bold pictures that complement the rhyming text.

At 11 a.m., May 17, Sobel will read and sign her new book at Pages Books for Children and Young Adults at 18399 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. She’ll also be at Barnes and Noble in Westlake Village on May 31 at 10:30 a.m. for another book signing.

Sobel recently learned that Harcourt Press has accepted her second children’s book for publication. It will be printed in about one to two years.