Did you, too, know those two

Down by St. Lou?

You Knew?

Betty Lou and Mr. Hoo, that’s who!

That’s the beginning of the illustrated children’s book written in rhyme, “Hoo Knew?!: Adventures in Rhyming for Children and Those Young at Heart” (40 pages; $24.95, hardcover, $16.95 paperback; $7.99 digital, Suncoast Digital Press, 2022).

“It is enjoyed best as a read-along. The reader will have as much fun as the children,” says the book’s author Bob Baumert from his home in Salisbury Township.

“I wanted it to be similar to what I was reading to my children,” Baumert says, naming Dr. Seuss books and the Berenstain Bears as examples.

Baumert has not targeted a specific age group, guessing that it might be ages two to eight. “Whatever age you define as read-along,” he says.

Everything in the book was inspired by a rhyme scheme.

Baumert says “hoo” brought to mind an owl, who is Mr. Hoo, and Betty Lou rhymes with that name.

The colorful illustrations in the book are by Mark Bockrath, a representational landscape and figure painter living and working in West Chester, Chester County.

Using watercolor and pastels, Bockrath has a lighthearted, cartoonish style that captures the many moods of a variety of people and animals.

You can see expressions on a cow, rooster, kangaroo and even a moose head on a wall.

There are also events in the rhyme scheme: a zoo, caribou stew, a parade with kazoos, cordon bleu in Paris (Parlez-vous?), fondue and even a cockatoo tattoo in Oahu.

“Hoo Knew” did not begin as a book.

“I’ve always written poems, many of them for fun. My sister was going to get married for the first time at the age of 65. I was going to read the poem at the reception.

“That was my main inspiration. I never finished it, but one day I thought, ‘Hey, I can turn this into a kids’ book.’”

He and his wife, Madalyn Schaefgen, have lived in Salisbury Township since 1988.

The couple has three adult children, Emily, Chris and Melissa, who matriculated in Salisbury Township School District. Two are family physicians and one is a mechanical engineer.

Baumert reads to his three grandchildren, Leif, 3; Tyler, 2, and Sylvie, 1.

“Hoo Knew” is planned as first in a series based on the questions posed by the words “Who, What, Where, When, Why and How.”

The next will be “Watt an Idea!,” described at the end of “Hoo Knew” as being “about a brilliant lightbulb full of fun new ideas.”

Each book is to use a different literary device. Whereas “Hoo Knew” uses rhyme, others will use alliteration or simile.

“All will be educational in some way. One will have kids learning what rhyme is, while another will teach them how words can sound like each other,” says Baumert.

“Learning by example is better than learning by rote. Kids can learn anything you try to teach them,” he says.

Bockrath, a lifelong friend, was the first choice as illustrator.

“I knew him since second grade. We often sat next to each other because of the alphabetical closeness of our last names. I have lots of memories of him drawing in class.

“We went to the University of Delaware together, and he was the best man at my wedding.”

Baumert is a retired electrical engineer. He worked at Bell Labs for 20 years, for 10 years at smaller companies, and for 13 years he owned the IT company Computer Troubleshooters. He has seven patents in digital communications.

He describes the educational goals of his book the way an engineer might:

“Neurons are making connections. It is better if we can help make those connections early on. It is harder to make them later in life. Reading will challenge your imagination.”

Bob Baumert is available for readings of “Hoo Knew?!” in schools, preschools and libraries: 484-707-3340; bobbaumert56@gmail.com

“Literary Scene” is a column about authors, books and publishing. To request coverage, email: Paul Willistein, Focus editor, pwillistein@tnonline.com