3 couples make new children’s book ‘ABCs of Lake George’

By Cathy DeDe, Chronicle Managing Editor

Three couples — five of them local teachers — have published a new illustrated children’s book called The ABCs of Lake George, “an alphabetical journey through the nature, history, and beauty of Lake George.”

“The idea for the project began during our weekly trivia get togethers, before evolving into a collaboration of a shared passion for the beautiful place we call home,” they wrote in an e-mail to The Chronicle.

About the six authors:

Jen Burrall teaches second grade at Hudson Falls. Jen Spath teaches elementary art at Queensbury.

Their husbands Kevin Burrall and Rob Spath both teach science at Lake George Junior-Senior High School.

Hahnah Fetterman teaches health and physical education virtually to Kindergarten through 12th graders. Her husband Jacob Fetterman is a project manager specializing in stream restoration.

They’ll celebrate the ABCs of Lake George book release on Saturday, April 18, at Caldwell-Lake George Library, from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

It’s “open to the public, free,” Mrs. Fetterman touts. “Signed copies will be available!” She said, “We plan to have it available in local stores and shops around the lake” as well.

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Mrs. Fetterman, in an e-mail conversation with The Chronicle said that while playing trivia, “We jokingly began coming up with ideas for each letter of the alphabet and realized that maybe we could turn it into something meaningful. There seemed to be a hole in the market for that type of book in our area.

“We didn’t pursue it right away,” she said, but “our wonderfully talented artist (Jen Spath) later followed up and encouraged us to bring the idea to life.”

In December 2023, Mrs. Fetterman said, “We created a shared Google Doc so we could collaborate on the text. By April 2024, we had nearly completed the alphabet, although X and Y proved to be challenging.”

Their solution was: “X marks the spot where the lake is most deep,” and “Y is for yellow warm beams of the sun.”

“By July 2024,” said Mrs. Fetterman, “we had a full rough draft, and our illustrator, Jen Spath, began designing the page layout. During summer break, Jen painted the watercolor illustrations.”

Mrs. Spath utilized Lake George water from her front yard for the paintings, “adding a meaningful local element to the artwork,” Mrs. Fetterman says.

“Once we had both the text and illustrations, we compiled everything in Canva and began the graphic design process.” Then they collaborated on revisions and edits.

“From our first draft to receiving the final printed books, the process took a little over two years,” Mrs. Fetterman said.

“We each took the lead at different times, based on our strengths” — from creating the text, rhymes and the “playful cadence” they sought, to researching facts for the “learn more” section at the end of the book, and overseeing the logistics, legalities and finances required to create and sell a product.

“Coordinating six people definitely had its challenges,” Mrs. Fetterman says, “and having children in all of our families added another layer to scheduling.

“Because we all shared a common goal and communicated regularly, we were able to stay organized and make steady progress.”

“We hope our book brings readers as much joy as we experienced while creating it, and that it helps foster a deeper appreciation for Lake George in young readers and families.”

The book is printed online through IngramSpark. There’s an “ABCs of Lake George” Facebook page as well, with book details, events and contact info.

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