Polly
is the story of a horseshoe crab who discovers a sky full of st
ars on the night that she hatches, and wants to know more about what she sees. Not satisfied with the answers she gets from the other creatures of the sea, she sets out on her own to discover as much as she can.

Her curiosity leads her to many amazing discoveries above the water, including the strange and enigmatic “two feet” that live there - but when one of those encounters leaves her with an unanswered question, her real journey of discovery begins.

Polly is a story about self-discovery, the love of learning and exploration, and the quest for knowledge and wisdom. It’s a gentle story told through the eyes of one of the world’s most gentle and yet misunderstood creatures.

During the production of Polly, I consulted with marine biology experts to maintain scientific accuracy as much as possible. Even the stars in the night sky scenes are in their proper positions. The plot of the book follows the life cycle of the limulus polyphemus, from hatching to old age, and the theme touches upon the basics of the scientific discovery process. The end of the book features a section on facts about horseshoe crabs, as well as a short bibliography of other books on the subject.

All of the illustrations were created by myself in colored pencil.

Things readers have said about Polly:

“This will have children chanting “What happens next?” as Polly the horseshoe crab discovers the world she lives in. I won’t give it away but the ending is truly beautiful. If you have children or not, you will love rediscovering the world though the eyes of Polly.”
- Sharon (Amazon reviewer)

“The illustrations are beautiful; full of color, detail, and depth. The story inspires wonder as Polly travels around the world, and into the deepest part of the ocean to talk to the mysterious Wise One. This book easily ranks with my favorite storybooks from my childhood, and I can see this becoming another classic children’s book if enough people read it. I know I’ll be re-reading it for years to come.”
- Lilli (Amazon reviewer)

“So many books either do well at the illustrations or the text but this author nailed both! The story is well told and can be enjoyed by both young and old. I love that the lessons interwoven in the story are subtle not preachy. As an educator I was thrilled that so many great facts were added in the back making this book both
enjoyable and educational.”
- Shawna (Amazon reviewer)

“Hooray!”
- Mrs. Schlitt’s 3rd grade class (after hearing the surprise ending of the story)




Where to find Polly, and other fun stuff:

Polly is a self-published, print-on-demand publication. Sometimes, I have some copies available in my personal stock. You can contact me (wjwalton@yahoo.com) to see if I currently have any. If not, copies can be purchased at Amazon or Barnes & Noble

Polly coloring and activity pages (in PDF format) are available here, and printable (and colorable!) bookmarks are available here.

Interested in a reading and/or book signing? You can contact me at wjwalton@yahoo.com, and a Polly press packet (including press release, posters, sample pages, and more) is available here.