The Northern Neck is full of stories. With its long history of villages and towns as well as the people who lived in them, the heritage of the Northern Neck is one of keeping close ties to the land and waters that surrounds it; of constantly adapting yet remaining relatively unchanged.
TThe Northern Neck also has its own storytellers, documenting what makes this place so special and what draws people here. With these stories, readers young and old can take a piece of the ’Neck with them and have a new appreciation of this place some of us call home.
ABCs of Crabbing on the Chesapeake Bay
Written by Susan Swift with illustrations by Heather Cockrell
If you have ever wondered how those blue crabs ended up on your plate, this book is for you. Written by two area educators with family-member ties to the fishing industry, the book is meant to be entertaining as well as educational. Northumberland Elementary School librarian and author Susan Swift was inspired by the hard work of her husband Keith, a fourth-generation waterman, and now her son, Zach. “I always wanted to write children’s books and wondered why there weren’t more books about our area,” she said. She also knew nothing about crabbing before moving to Reedville from Pennsylvania, and wanted to highlight the work of local watermen to others that are new to the area or just visiting.
As kids (or adults) move through the alphabet, they can learn everything from the anatomy of a blue crab to the equipment used in the process of harvesting them. The book was carefully researched for accuracy, including the engaging illustrations by Northumberland Middle School art teacher Heather Cockrell. She grew up in Lancaster so she drew upon a lot of firsthand knowledge as she captured each of the letters.
While this is the first book for Swift and Cockrell, the rewarding experience of collaborating has led the duo to work on another, The ABCs of Oystering, due out later this year.
You can find the book online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble or locally at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum; The Tides Inn, Steamboat Era Museum and Kellum Farms all in Irvington; and local gift shops.
Adelaide and Agriculture
Written by Roslyn Haynie Banks, Suzette Banks and Juliette Banks with illustrations by Bonnie Lemaire
This is the second installment of Adelaide books—the first was Adelaide the Accountant—written by Roslyn Haynie Banks and daughters Suzette, 9, and Juliette, 7. Adelaide takes readers through a week of activities all connected to the agriculture of the region and introduces all sorts of people whose careers are tied to the industry.
Haynie Banks was inspired to write about farming as she grew up on a farm in Reedville. Highlighting the legacy of that family farm, the Whays Creek farmhouse, which sadly burned in 2019, is depicted on the front cover. Inside is a story of generational ties to the land and the importance of protecting the environment. Just as she had, Haynie Banks said “I wanted my daughters to appreciate growing up in a waterfront agricultural community.”
The story was also drawn from adventures taken by the family when Haynie Banks was homeschooling her children during the pandemic. She wanted readers to better understand agriculture and the different career options available, especially how they relate to science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Haynie Banks has some personal experience in a farm related career. As an accountant, she manages the finances of the Haynie family farm.
In addition to being depicted as two of the main characters—Haynie Banks said it was “delightful” watching her daughters reaction to seeing their illustrated selves—Suzette and Juliette were involved in the creation of the book, helping with the rhyming in the story, picking out artwork and helping create the glossary that is included in the back. “We figured if they had questions about certain words, it was something that should be included in the glossary” and they helped write kid-friendly definitions.
Haynie Banks created activity pages for kids to think and write about how each of the book characters impact the food they eat and the environment they live in. She even included her favorite chicken pot pie recipe. “It’s something I cook often and a healthy dish to feed family. Anything to get children to try vegetables,” said Haynie Banks.
The book is available online and at Three Little Birds in Burgess.
Good Night, Fish Boat
Written by Tiffany Wittman with illustrations by Jenna Bramblet
Follow the quest of fishing boat MJCP and its crew as it leaves Reedville to catch menhaden on the Chesapeake Bay. The story takes you aboard a blue and white fish boat, a familiar sight to those that have spent anytime in Reedville or on the bay, and shows you the hard work by many hands that go into catching the little fish that has been so important to the region.
Tiffany Wittman was inspired to write the story by her family—her husband who works on one of those commercial fishing boats and her four kids who did not understand what their father did for a living. Wittman had completed the manuscript and was in need of an illustrator when she connected with Jenna Bramblet who also grew up in Reedville, and was attending Virginia Commonwealth University studying interior design. When COVID hit, Bramblet returned to Reedville and the two finished the book, working from photographs of the spotter planes, purse boats and watermen in action.
Wittman wanted the illustrations to “convey knowledge and be pretty” as well as include familiar sights that are distinctly Reedville. Bramblet said there was a “helpful back and forth as they discussed the flow of text and pictures and it was important to Bramblet that she was “holding true to the vision of the book.” In addition to the familiar shoreline of Reedville and The Stack featuring prominently, her watercolors highlight wildlife found in and around the bay.
Wittman is working on a second children’s book about oysters, but for now Bramblet is focused on her interior design career in Richmond. That does not mean she is not open to a future collaboration. “Illustrating a book is a commitment,” she said.
The book is available for purchase at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum and Chitterchats in Reedville; Ross’s Fine Jewelers in Kilmarnock; Historic Christ Church in Weems and the Westmoreland County Museum.
That Smudge of Smoke
Written by Edith M. Hemingway
In the middle grade book That Smudge of Smoke, the region’s Steamboat Era is brought to the modern world with the discovery of a young girl’s diary, kept as she traveled on the SS City of Atlanta with her steamboat captain father in 1929. Twelve-year old Piper, coping with the recent death of her mother, shares what it was like traveling on the steamship with its interesting cast of characters who work aboard. She also takes an interest in the birds she sees traveling on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, including a list and sketches in her diary. When 12-year-old Garrett finds the diary in 2015, he wants to find out more about Piper and the places she visited. Ultimately, he ends up in the Northern Neck.
Much like her character Garrett, author Edith “Edie” Hemingway found the Northern Neck in the process of conducting research. She was inspired to write about the era by the doors in her log cabin home which were salvaged from an old Chesapeake Bay steamer, SS City of Atlanta. Hemingway said she knew there had to be a story there. “I’m constantly led by interests,” she said. Her past interests have been historical fiction during the Civil War and 1960s Appalachia, but always feature an adolescent main character. “I have a natural voice for that. I guess it’s because that’s the age I fell in love with books.”
Hemingway also loves the research process, and it was her research of the Steamboat Era that led her to the Steamboat Era Museum in Irvington and ultimately settling in the Northern Neck. The details helped give her story a real sense of time and place and allowed her to “get into each character’s head.” While she had “a rough idea of how I wanted it to end,” she likes to let her characters lead the story to unexpected places.
And readers like the results. Since its release, Hemingway has been visiting schools to talk about the writing process and the book, which was on the Virginia Library Association’s Cardinal Cup booklist highlighting the best in historical fiction, biography and American history for young people. “It’s fun to see what appeals to them and what they’ve learned from it.”
To enhance the story, Hemingway included a glossary, Piper’s reading and bird watching lists, as well as additional information about the Steamboat Era including a map and photographs.
Her previous award winning books include Rebel Hart and Broken Drum, both written with Jacqueline Cosgrove Shields, and Road to Tater Hill. Her books are available online, at The Bookshelf on Church in Kilmarnock, the Steamboat Era Museum in Irvington and ediehemingway.com.
