ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – In classrooms around Northeast Florida, two puppies are inspiring children.
Pickle Juice and Patty Cakes are no ordinary set of French bulldogs. The sisters fought to survive from the moment they were born.
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The puppies weighed just five ounces at birth and required around-the-clock care. Their family had to set up an alarm to wake up every two hours to feed the two sisters.
Despite their best efforts, Pickle Juice couldn’t absorb any food. She lost weight and struggled to survive. For two months, the tiny puppy fought pneumonia.
When Patty Cakes also got sick, it was the family’s worst nightmare. She stopped breathing, her lips turning blue. They put Patty Cakes in an incubator, but even with the added heat, she wasn’t moving.
On the way to the vet, the pup didn’t seem to be breathing, but when the vet opened the incubator, Patty Cakes had survived.
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“She’s my miracle,” said Heather Marie, who was inspired months later by a gift to write a story about Patty Cakes. Heather Marie is her pen name, which she’s asked us to use for this story.
Her fiancé gave her a rug with the two dogs illustrated. Heather Marie said the art reminded her of Disney – and she felt the dogs’ journey to survive could be a book.
Heather Marie wrote the first installment of The Adventures of Pickle Juice & Patty Cakes — “Ice Cream Adventure” — in just one day. It took months of working with an illustrator to see her story come to life, but when the dogs landed on the page, they shone with color.
Heather Marie said her favorite role as an author is bringing her story directly to children. She has spoken with more than 800 children since her book was published.
When offered the choice between reading “Bluey” or “The Adventures of Pickle Juice & Patty Cakes,” Marie said the children pick the local duo.
“The book is actually beating out Bluey,” Heather Marie said.
The book sits on classroom shelves around Northeast Florida. Heather Marie said she pairs reading the book with opportunities for children to write their own stories.
Heather Marie writes the stories down and helps the children create illustrations for their own books. She said the children’s stories are now included on school library shelves.
Heather Marie has also worked with special educators to help reach children with special needs. She has been inspired to work with children with autism because of her own experience as a mother of a child on the spectrum.
Heather Marie worked with a licensed speech therapist to create a smash mat to pair with the book. Smash mats are a tool for language and speech development that helps children to recognize words in picture books.
“They’re able to follow along with the story and stay engaged and focused. Even if a child is non-verbal, it allows them to express themselves,” Heather Marie said. “Even though they can’t speak to you, they still understand what you’re saying.”
Heather Marie said she is bringing the book and smash mat to an autism school in February.
Currently, Heather Marie has only published one book in her children’s series. The next book featuring Pickle Juice and Patty Cakes is set in space -- and includes a cameo from Heather Marie’s own daughter.
Pickle Juice & Patty Cakes: Ice Cream Adventure is available at Doughfee Donut in Jacksonville, Toytopia in Nocatee, Book Loft on Amelia Island, Amazon.com, and is available to order on HeatherMariebooks.com.