Oakley in Knots: Winner of Creative Child Magazine, Mom's Choice and Purple Dragonfly Awards (Collection). This item is unavailable.Oakley in Knots: Winner of Creative Child Magazine, Mom's Choice and Purple Dragonfly Awards (Collection)

“Oakley had eight hands. He did not know which to use. When shaking hands with new friends, which hand should he choose?”

   It is polite to shake hands when meeting new people, but which hand should an eight-handed octopus use? Oakley the Octopus worries himself into a knot as he considers his options. At first, his classmates laugh at his predicament. Then a special task reveals the advantages of his many arms.

    Through storytelling, Baxter’s Corner® pursues its mission to inspire young children to develop positive social skills that affect behavior choices. Each book features fun filled pages that Go Beyond the reading with a series of questions and learning activities that focus on an important point for your young listener or reader, including:

•    “What do you think” questions

•    Fun facts about the featured animals

•    Social skill activities

•    “Stop and think” situations that show the effects of choices we make

   “Parents and educators share responsibility to engender in children empathy and a sense of responsibility. The children’s books from Baxter’s Corner help adults teach these essential skills through delightful stories. 

     As an educator for 40 years, I appreciate the Go Beyond feature at the end of each story.  With the activities in this section, parents, grandparents and educators can turn story time into opportunities for lessons about the impact of the choices we make.” 

Suzanne Cooke, RSCJ
Independent School Administrator
Miami, Florida
About Baxter’s Corner® books:
Gerome Sticks His Neck Out - Gold Award Recipient

“We have a passion to help families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality and also a great value.”

Dawn Matheson, Executive Director
Mom’s Choice Awards®

Linda Villwock Baker (L.S.V. Baker) Bio March 2017 With 30 years as a marketing communications professional, Linda Villwock Baker has used her public relations, media and strategic planning skills to advance an array of civic, corporate and nonprofit projects. Most recently, Ms. Baker co-founded Baxter's Corner, a producer and publisher of children's entertainment and educational materials designed to develop social and interpersonal skills in young children and to inspire positive behavior choices. The company's long term goals include creating a sustainable foundation and legacy that change the world for the better, one story at a time. Ms. Baker is "Chief Pencil" or author of all of the Baxter's Corner stories to date.

Mary Ellen Brown Stottmann, 2017 Born in New Mexico, raised in New Jersey & Louisville Kentucky Mary Ellen Stottmann's art education began earlier than most. By the age of ten she was oil painting with a style that is still apparent today. After studying art in Paris, France she lived in New York City majoring in graphic design and graduated from the internationally recognized Parson School of Design, currently The New School. Her professional career began in 1966 working for an advertising studio. 1968 was a co-founder of a "Printing While You Wait" company which eventually led to her owning a digital offset printing company to retirement in 2005. Her career in printing allowed her to continue designing material for her clients; some are still being used today. One of the many opportunities offset print gave her was an amazing understanding of color and how it reacts by overlapping intensity. At retirement Mary Ellen began oil painting again taking a very graphic approach. Building the objects (and people) she usually paints over an intense color background allowing this color to form highlights or lines depending on the complexity of her pieces.