The new children’s book Ginger’s Journey may be in the finishing stages of publication. But to two local children, the story is anything but new.

Their father, Jeff Harris, has been telling them the story of Ginger’s Journey since they were very young. Four years ago, Harris’ wife suggested he turn the story into a book, and thus began their family’s challenging, yet extremely rewarding journey.

Harris, an account manager at Viking Electrical Supply, hadn’t had any writing experience prior to Ginger’s Journey. To make up for this, Harris joined a local writers group.

“If you want to see a fish out of water,” Harris laughs, “I was it.”

The story follows the titular Ginger (a puppy),  who is allowed to walk to her favorite nearby farm. Her parents tell her to stay on a certain path, but she encounters other animals along the way who are in need of help. So, should she follow directions or help the poor animals? Tough call.

Harris said that he was likewise faced with challenges at each step in the process. He remembers it being most difficult to take his original 3,000-word draft and whittle it down to only 1,000 words per the instructions of his editor, Mary Ellen Schutz. This length seemed to be more appropriate for his intended audience of 3 to 7 year-olds.

Harris’ children, Kate and Dan (now 10 and 7), are very happy about how the book turned out, complete with illustrations by their former babysitter, Stout art student Hannah Jeffries.

“They’re having a lot of fun,” Harris adds, “they get so excited to show Ginger’s Journey to their friends, their teachers.”