A local Arvada woman has added another career onto her resume. Not only is Michelle Rodenburg a local Arvada teacher and parent, she has recently become a writer, too. Her day starts early and as any fifth/sixth-grade teacher would say, ends early the following day. Intertwined into her busy daily life at Swanson Elementary School are her own children's lives, of which she and her husband, Rob, love to be a part of.

"I love to see Tyler, Becky and Drew work so close together on the things that they love to do. When volunteering with them, I get to witness the joy they get out of these programs, and I want to be there for them to help them live their lives to the fullest," says Michelle. She volunteers at their high school and middle school theatre and choir events, and somehow, in that chaos, finds the time to fulfill her passion for writing.

Michelle has jumpstarted her career as an author by writing a beloved children's book called Tuppy the Turtle Puppy, This is a story about a Maryland Terrapin who loses his way and finds himself in a quaint cove, thanks to a hungry seagull. He is found by a nice couple who live in the cove and is nursed back to health. This is a "factional" tale, as it is based on a true story. This book is presently being sold in three stores on the East Coast as well as Beyond the Blackboard in Arvada.

Recently, Michelle has developed her own publishing company, The Grubnedor Press, and reproduced a long-time favorite story, The Good Germ. This story is about a germ who, rather than make people sick, wishes to help them by becoming a doctor. He needs to decide what kind of germ to be before he gets into the human body. However, the decision is made for him when he hitches a ride into the body of a young boy on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Both books are beautifully illustrated picture books brought to life by Amy Fitzgerald, a local illustrator who is attending Kansas State University. Included in the books are comprehension strategies that teachers and parents alike can use to help their children love to read. These strategies include prediction, questioning, inferring, clarifying and summarizing, all of which are part of the national standards children are expected to learn in school.

"It's important for children to read and understand what they're reading because that will take them so far in life and inspire their imaginations to soar," says the author. Michelle Rodenburg is pleased to be a teacher and a published author and can't wait to get more of her fabulous stories circulating throughout the U.S.