Teresa Henryka Panjer
Yazmeenka Goes Electric by Teresa Henryka Panjer
Once Yazmeenka gets her heart’s desire, she can
think of little else but her guitar. With her life taking a
downward spiral, sadly so does her music. Only she
can come up with a plan that works for her. When she
does, her family notices that she is truly happy, and
her musical creativity sounds wonderful too. Her life
takes on a new meaning when everyone sees
Yazmeenka go electric.
About the Author and Illustrator of “Yazmeenka Goes Electric”
As a child,  I enjoyed listening to my mother’s story telling of fairy tales,
and poetry.  Nature, and the outdoors were important to me while
growing up, and the visits to my uncle’s farm. There was the pond filled
with wild turtles, frogs, tadpoles. There were the  butterflies,
dragonflies, and birds that never escaped my attention. The occasional
meaty spider sunning on a dew laden web was quite interesting. The
neighborhood’s children often got together to play outdoor games,
some came with pet dogs.  In the winter we went skating on the pond,
and sledding. It was always fun to curl up with a book at home and
read poetry, and stories that I could relate to. I enjoyed writing about the
animals in my environment, and in my teens, I  wrote to grateful friends
who often commented that they found my letters interesting, and they
always wrote back. My story writing hobby gradually increased over
time. Something would inspire me, and there was always a story to
write.
Some years later, at the University of Windsor, Ontario,  I received a
degree in Social Science, and continued my education in Teacher’s
College to receive a degree in Education.  During this time I met a
wonderful man. We had a daughter, and being our only child, we made
sure she was always busy enjoying the Arts. She earned a black belt in
Karate.  She took singing, piano, and performed at recitals, and
festivals. She was in the York Region Children’s Chorus for years, and
traveled to Wales as well as British Columbia to perform at music
festivals there. On her own she was composing songs, and writing
lyrics. She taught herself how to play the guitar, and performed her own
composition at her school’s theatre. Whenever she had spare time,
she’d be seen drawing. Later on she enrolled at Max the Mutt’s School
of Animation and Design to learn Story Boarding, and to become a
better artist.
Erin and I teamed up to produce “Yazmeenka Goes Electric”. The book
is a must read for any young reader who knows what it is like to enjoy
something too much, so that it takes precedence over all the other
important things in daily life. Yazmeenka models what can happen
when things get neglected. She also models how to reflect on past
events, and makes adjustments.  With her parent’s guidance she
methodically works things out. This sets the stage for a wonderful
surprise performance.
Erin made Yazmeenka jump off the page to life in “Yazmeenka Goes
Electric”. She is a wonderfully talented artist, and illustrator, who
brought out the comical side of  these characters in visually pleasing,
fun, and innovative ways. We both look forward to working on another
project together sometime down the road.
When Reindeer Fly by Teresa Henryka Panjer
Christmas is approaching, and young Ashur is bursting with
excitement.  His imagination runs away with him, then he
experiences magic that is truly out - of - this - world.  Hardly able to
sleep on that special night, he writes about his fantastic journey in
his Holiday Journal. BUCKLE-UP as he takes you on this wild ride,
when the reindeer fly!