Eau Claire author Jayne Fleming played the role of amateur reporter when writing her new children’s book Tattler Tales: Vonnie and Fussy, Girl Reporters. The darling storybook – which was published in December – details the adventures of Fleming’s mother, Vonnie, as an 8-year-old reporter in Eleva in the 1930s.

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I could darn near repeat it word for word. 

jayne fleming

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“I try to stay somewhat true to what really happened,” Fleming said, “but I have to make it entertaining. So I throw in things that are funny.”

Though a nurse by trade, Fleming is an incredible recorder, taking notes and descriptions for doctors and working on newsletters. So though writing a children’s book was tricky, it came naturally for her.

“I could darn near repeat it word by word,” she said,. “from memory.” Since Fleming’s family lives far and wide, she wanted to record her family’s history as stories to tell her children and grandchildren. “It would provoke questions,” she said. “It would get them interested in the past.”

The most wholesome part of the story, however, comes after the book’s end, when Fleming gifted the book to her mother as a surprise.

“She was so excited to have this written,” she said. If you can’t imagine how wholesome it would be to get your weekly newspaper from a couple of 8-year-old reporters, then be sure to check out the book at The Local Store.