A Two Rivers woman is using her experiences to connect with her granddaughter in a very unique way.
Deanne P. Wells became a grandmother for the first time last year, and she wanted to find a way to connect with her granddaughter in a fun way.
Thus, the Dee Dee’s Adventures Coloring Book series was born.
In total, Wells has created 11 books in the series, starting with Dee Dee’s Adventures Out West.
“That one was very personal to me because it tells a story of this young girl who took all these adventures with her dad and got to see the Southwest, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico,” she explained.
In case you haven’t connected the dots yet, Dee Dee and Deanne are one and the same.
Deanne says this was her way of telling her story to her granddaughter through a medium she can understand.
“She’s obsessed with them,” Deanne said. “She has her collection. She sits in the middle and she’s surrounded by all the books. She has her favorites, and my daughter reads them to her.”
The aspect that makes these coloring books incredibly unique is the pictures.
While they are in a cartoony style, Deanne says they are based on real photos, including many from our local area, in one of her favorites in the series, Dee Dee’s Adventures in Two Rivers.
“The majority of the images are from my photographs that I’ve taken over the years,” she explained. “I’ve collected a lot of pictures that I’ve taken of historical spots and Two Rivers that I wanted to share with the younger generation who may not have had a chance to see what it was like back in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.”
While Dee Dee’s Adventures Out West will always hold a special place in her heart, Deanne says Dee Dee’s Adventures in Two Rivers is quickly becoming her favorite.
“The response has been wonderful, with people remembering Rock City and Hamilton,” she noted. “For me, it’s about all these people that built a community.”
She also noted that it serves as a reminder of where we came from, as the Cool City is in a state of growth and transformation.
Deanne is not only an accomplished coloring book author, but she also has two self-affirmation books, which are available on Amazon, along with the entire Dee Dee’s Adventures series.
