Boots Hensel

Boots grew up in Va. Beach, Va. and always loved to write, but went on a different career path and became a nurse until her daughter passed away in 2004 from cancer. During that time, she learned what is truly important in life and embarked on the career she enjoyed, writing. She wrote The Zoopendous Surprise about her daughter's elephants, Mary and Ellen that her daughter took care of, and in doing so, realized writing for children was rewarding.

She loves watching children smile and laugh when she reads her books to them. Doing school visits is as much fun for her as the children!

Her second book, Johari's Joy, is about a lovable rhino, Johari, who wants a friend more than anything, but what he ends up with is a pig! Not at all what he wanted. Does he and the pig become friends, or is living with a stinky pig more than Johari can handle?

Boots departed from her picture book writing to venture out into juvenile biographical fiction. Her newly released Roscoe Turner: From Plows to Planes, is geared for children 8 and up. Roscoe Turner was a barnstorming pilot who had a lion named Gilmore for his co-pilot. They were quite a duo.

She is presently working on another biographical fiction story about a woman pilot who outflew the men with pure guts and determination! Stay tuned for another adventure.

If you'd like to ask her any questions, or just say "hi", she will be happy to respond.

It is with great sadness that Boots reports the passing of the beloved elephants who are the stars of her first book, The Zoopendous Surprise. They passed away 2011. She feels honored to have been a small part of their lives and hopes they will always be remembered thru her story of them.