Retired Scottsdale teacher authors children’s books

Scottsdale author and poet, Linda Rittenhouse recently published the third children’s picture book in her Nana Posy series about a vivacious grandmother’s interactions with the wildlife in her Arizona back yard.

The first two books in the series, “Nana Posy’s Project” and “Nana Posy and Quail Pie” were published earlier this year, according to a press release.

“I started writing this series to entertain my grandchildren. When my 93-year-old mother encouraged me to publish the stories so other kids could enjoy them, I set out on a frustrating quest to find an illustrator.

In the end, my son volunteered to do the illustrations. He seems to enjoy putting me in outlandish poses, and people say that while my stories are fun, Tyson’s illustrations absolutely make the books. I couldn’t agree more,” says Rittenhouse in the release.

In “Nana Posy and the Christmas Concert,” Nana Posy has a bad case of the holiday blues. Even though she has decorated, baked, and sung holiday songs in what is described as her “terrible scratchy voice,” she has a hard time getting in a festive mood.

Isolation due to the pandemic and thinking about how people will miss loved ones during the holiday season has taken its toll, so the release said "Nana Posy and the Christmas Concert” deals with challenges faced by all worldwide.

Nana Posy’s style of talking to children is noted to help them navigate this time and show how “life can work in magical ways to bring joy even during the most difficult times.”

Since retiring from teaching French and Spanish for Scottsdale Unified School District, the author has also published a young adult novel, “Fearless!”

Set in halls, classrooms, track, and locker room, “Fearless!” is the story of Noah Martin who searches for a place to excel while enduring the challenges of middle school, and the unlikely heroes he meets along the way.

“It was wonderful to take some of the unforgettable memories I have from teaching and coaching and turn them into a novel. The book is a record of some of the ways my student athletes inspired me every day,” says Rittenhouse.

All of her books are available to purchase on Amazon or to borrow from Scottsdale Public Library’s Local Author section. She has a website for children, NanaPosy.com where kids can read, write, and learn about poetry.