UP NORTH IN MICHIGAN

By Chari Binstadt
Sun contributor

It was the arrival of our first grandchild that started the process of my writing a children’s book about the joys of northern Michigan. I was looking ahead to all of the fun times we would be sharing with little Ellie and all of our future grandchildren when they would come for visits to our cottage on Little Glen Lake. I thought it would be nice for our children and grandchildren to be able to look up a book about this area, even when they weren’t up here with us. So … Up North in Michigan, a photo and memory book for children, went from an idea to reality and was first published in June, 2000.
Getting the ideas was easy, since there are so many things we love about being up north — going to the beach, looking for Petoskey stones, climbing the dunes, watching sunsets, having campfires, looking for dear, riding bikes, seeing the leaves turn brilliant colors in the fall … the list got longer and longer as I went through the seasons. I knew how much children enjoy looking at photo albums, so I decided to use photos for the book. I immediately thought of Ken Scott, since my husband and I have such a high regard for the way he captures the natural beauty of the area. I had never met Ken, but took a chance and sent off an e-mail asking if he wold be interested in talking with me about doing a children’s book together. He was very receptive, and when I showed him my idea, he was genuinely interested in doing the project. In Ken’s words, “I liked the idea of the book, as it was about getting out and playing in this wondrous playground we are so fortunate to live in.”
Ken and I have been very happy with the response to Up North in Michigan. This summer is the beginning of its third year since publication, and the book is already into its second printing. It’s gratifying to see that parents, grandparents and teachers have given the book a strong endorsement. The best endorsements of all, however, are the happy faces of children as they read about and look at pictures of their favorite things up north … in Michigan.
A Chicago native, Chari Yost Binstadt was introduced to this area by her husband David, with whom she shares a cottage on Little Glen Lake.
Up North in Michigan is available in Glen Arbor at The Cottage Book Shop, Hepburn-Holt Gallery, Tiny Treasures and The Totem Shop.