New Releases by Shutta Crum

Making Waves: A West Michigan Review (MWWM) is literary journal published by Ludington Writers, a diverse group of wordsmith enthusiasts and practitioners. The fall 2025 collection includes poetry, fiction, narrative non-fiction, micro-fiction, personal essays, and visual art inspired by and/or centering around the theme "Homer's Oddities." Edited by Nicole Bernadette Birkett, Linda Banton-Trush Sandow, Kathlene Barrett, Josh Berliner and Averey Dahlberg.

Heaven is a place where one can have fun. Or so thinks award-winning author Shutta Crum. When asked about death by one of her grandchildren, she imagined the perfect heaven. A place where grandmothers play hockey, have iguanas as pets, jump rope, find treasures at jumble sales, and keep a loving eye on grandchildren. Grandma Heaven, and its companion book, Grandpa Heaven, provide reassurance to young worriers that heaven is a happy place and that love never dies.

Heaven is a place where one can enjoy the afterlife. Or so thinks award-winning author Shutta Crum. When asked about death by a grandchild, she imagined the perfect grandparent heaven. A place where grandmothers and grandfathers have fun. In Grandpa Heaven, grandfathers paddle canoes, have pet ferrets, tell knock-knock jokes, find treasures like bungee cords, and keep a loving eye on grandchildren. Grandpa Heaven, and its companion book Grandma Heaven, provide reassurance to young worriers that heaven is a happy place and that love never dies.

The Way to the River goes down smooth as a well-aged scotch, with subtle complexities that linger long after the first sip and entice you back for another. -Michael Henry Lee. Internationally published haiku and senryu poet, and Southeast Region Coordinator of the Haiku Society of America Vivid with nature imagery and music, The Way to the River, Shutta Crum's latest chapbook, leads us through a series of sections that read like mini chapters, each one building upon the next, each poem a jewel of a journey into the past. "Watch for a road/that reaches out to touch your foot/Maybe just a thin thread-an idea of a road" says the poet in moments of insight where "the assault of tides-the battering, /the stretching, has made" her "more seasoned against the storm surge," or when she asks "I threw a rock. Someone bled. You?" She examines her fears, her flaws. What is it that stirs us "there-just there-something/a stealthy movement/a primitive fear nosing in the mud/someone lost at the root?" But we are given hope, "Might I feel the blessings of a dusky sky/and find forgiveness in the ancient light." She even imagines heaven at the end, peppered with a little humor. Her language flows like a river. And we believe her. -Zilka Joseph. Author of In Our Beautiful Bones, Sparrows and Dust, Sharp Blue Search of Flame Shutta Crum finds her way to the river, to baptism and redemption. She pulls up the stuff we've discarded-but also a few rainbows-before she floats in her playful heaven. She describes her journey in a language as clear as the water she hopes will carry her and her readers through the river's twists and turns. -Keith Taylor. A.L. Becker Collegiate Lecturer in English (retired), and Director, Bear River Writers' Conference (retired)

"A young mouse ventures out of the family nest to find the greatest adventure of all: reading"--Provided by publisher.

A charming summer board book that's just right for toddlers, from the team behind the critically acclaimed picture book Mine! What does a toddler say when she drops her sunglasses in the sand? "Uh-Oh!" What does she say when a seagull lands on her sandcastle? "Uh-Oh!" What does she say when she finds a crab in her pail? "Uh-Oh!" And what does she say when a BIG wave is coming? That's the biggest "Uh-Oh!" of all! This nearly wordless story of toddler adventure perfectly captures the dynamics between the youngest friends and the sheer pleasure of that favorite toddler word: Uh-Oh!

A charming re-imagination of "Sleeping Beauty" in which a boy must solve a witch's riddle in order to save his family and end a centuries-long curse. William and his little brother, Pinch, have been left alone at their home atop the mountain ever since their mother disappeared and their father went to look for her. When William is visited by a mysterious witch named Morga, it seems their lives might be in danger-unless they help the witch solve a riddle and find a dark family heirloom. William sets out on a quest that leads him into the heart of the Old Forest. There his mother rests in the deep sleep of an ancient curse, her only companions a boy who wakes up a different size every day and a tiny yellow dragon who can dream storms into life. Can William solve Morga's riddle, or will he unleash Morga's curses upon the world?

"At a family reunion, dozens of 'beastie' cousins spend the day running wild, playing in the creek, filling up on food, and making mischief."

A kingdom is at war. A princess has been kidnapped by a dragon queen. A brave squire volunteers to set out on a quest to rescue her. But there's just one small problem. He's Thomas, the shortest of all the squires. With little more than a donkey, a vest, and a sword, Thomas will have to use all of his courage and determination to battle a beast with many heads, reach a forbidden island, and rescue the princess from a most fearsome dragon-and an even more fearsome fate! Part thrilling adventure and part enchanting fantasy, sprinkled with charming black-and-white illustrations, Thomas and the Dragon Queen will delight young readers from start to finish.

Have you ever had a toy you really really liked? Have you ever had a lot of toys you really really liked? Have you ever said "MINE!"? If so, this book is for you! Enjoy this adorable, playful, picture-based book about two very young children and an adorable dog navigating the troubles and triumphs of sharing.

Late one day I hurried home, Stepping through the wood alone. It was deep and dim; I could barely see. But I thought brave thoughts to comfort me. A Young Skunk heads home through the woods—alone. Or maybe not… Could there be robbers, or pirates, or ghosts, or trappers in the woods? And is our hero brave enough to keep away? With bouncy rhymes, charming art, a subtle counting theme, and a surprise ending, this story will entertain and reassure any child who’s ever been afraid.

A farm family scurries for shelter from a violent thunderstorm that brings welcome relief from the heat and also an unexpected surprise.

When animals seeking new homes see Old Mill Farm, they know that it is just right, while human house-hunters, shown a variety of houses by their realtor, finally make clear what they are truly seeking and wind up at the farm, as well.

In this tender, lyrical story set in the mountains of Kentucky, Brenda Gail is spending the summer with her great-grandparents. Gran Pap tells her that "everybody born in the mountains got a song inside 'em," made of memories. That means Brenda Gail has one, too, "just waitin' to come out." A squabble with her troublesome cousin Melvin, in which Big Ma's favorite hen is injured, and their reconciliation help Brenda Gail start to choose the moments that will be in her song. Rich, poignant art from esteemed illustrator Ted Rand is paired with an atmospheric text written by a true storyteller. Kids everywhere will want to make up their own "mountain songs."

In the small town of Baylor, Kentucky, twelve-year-old Jessie K. Bovey and her friends confront some of life's questions during their summer vacation in the late 1960s.

Over in the meadow there's a spring wedding, with the couple's 10 best friends to celebrate. What's next? A house! 9 diggers, 8 masons, 7 carpenters, 6 well diggers, etc. show up with all their trucks and tools to build a new house.

Follows the parallel adventures of and encounters by a bear cub and a young photographer.

The first sight a newly-hatched chick sees is a fox who he thinks is his father, but a fox can't parent a chicken, can he?

Who would imagine all the night sounds that sing together in one small house on a hill? While the northern lights dance and all of nature seems to join in, one little boy hears everything. The whole house rocks to the beat, but even the most restless child cannot resist such hypnotic music, and soon his dreams are dancing along. All on a Sleepy Night is as soothing and warm as a down-filled comforter.