Sisbro Partners With Wildlife Artist for New Book
Oil paintings of pirates and animals teach children about waterways
Portland, OR — July 1, 2008 – Portland-based wildlife filmmakers Laura and Robert Sams, of Sisbro Studios, have partnered with acclaimed artist Heiner Hertling for a new children's book, A Pirate's Quest (for his family heirloom peg leg).
The book tells the story of a one-legged pirate and his watery search to find a very special peg leg. The peg leg is a family heirloom, which was passed down through the pirate generations from his grandfather to his father to him, and he loses it while visiting his two-legged sister who lives by a tiny lake far from the sea. To find his leg, he must follow the water, from the lakes to the rivers to the sea.
The book's idea came from a song featured in the new underwater movie from Sisbro Studios, called The Riddle in a Bottle. The movie tells the story of two siblings who must solve a mysterious riddle from the ocean, with help from loggerhead sea turtles, dolphins, tide pool fish and a singing pirate.
“We wrote a song about a lost peg leg, to help introduce ways that water moves around the world,” Laura said. “Then slowly we realized the song's story would make a great book, and we are extremely lucky that Heiner is onboard.”
Heiner Hertling is an award-winning artist and plein-air painter, who hosts a television series called Your Brush With Nature, currently featured on Public Broadcasting Stations around the country. Already Heiner has painted 40 original oil paintings for the book, including one based on his famous painting of gorgeous, red spoonbill birds standing in a mangrove swamp.
“Imagine a book filled with beautiful scenes of nature and wildlife . . . and there just happens to be a pirate in them,” Laura said. “It's going to be beautiful and quirky at the same time. We are so excited to be working on this project.”
The book will be published by Carl R. Sams II Photography, publishers of the New York Times Best-selling In The Woods books. The book will be available at Borders, Barnes & Noble and local bookstores.
About Sisbro Studios
Founded in 2001, Sisbro Studios creates award-winning high-quality
movies, books, music and educational media that entertain and inspire
children to learn about and explore the natural world. Sisbro Studios
has been presented with over 40 international awards for its smart and
entertaining product offering. Product families include: The Riddle in a Bottle, Lost in the Woods: The Movie, Stranger in the Woods: The Movie and Bearly Alike for films, A Pirate’s Quest for books, and Lost in the Woods: The Soundtrack, and Stranger in the Woods: The Soundtrack for music. For more information about Sisbro Studios, visit www.sisbro.com.
