No-one could ever accuse Joan K. Aspinall of being lazy. In just two years, her publisher, Some Child Books, has published nine of her books – and the prolific Bermudian author and professional artist and illustrator is currently working on three more story books for 2010.

Meanwhile, Miss Aspinall has four new books on the market which, drawing upon the Forrest Gump analogy, she says are "as varied as a box of chocolates, consisting of a cross section of genres that appeal to a variety of readers".

'Pitty Pitty Pat', is geared towards the younger child from the age three up and has oversized text, simplified, musical language, and presents a challenge of tongue-twister sounds. The-32 page picture book provides a depiction of Bermuda's flora and fauna, with a concluding scene in St. George's harbour.

'Dizzy Loopy's Bermuda Journal: The Adventures of the Loop-de-Loop Lizards of Bermuda' takes the form of a first-person journal written by an 11-year-old lizard. The storyline provides a humorous look at Bermuda through Dizzy Loopy's scribbles, side notes, and cartoon drawings of his Loop-de-Loop family's disastrous summer activities of biking, beaching, and snorkelling.

'Cedars of Winterhaven' is a special Christmas book. Illustrated with full colour art, its 40 pages are based on the true facts of the cedar tree blight of the 1940s, and tell how the love of little creatures give a young sapling, Cedarliddle, his heart's desire by transforming him into the last Bermuda cedar Christmas tree on Earth.

Regarding 'Cedars at Winterhaven', the author said that "if public response merits", she felt the book should be turned into an extensive history of the cedars in hardback format.

"The fantasy story of Cedarliddle will remain in the minds of all those who read it, and establish an awareness of how we cannot let a tragedy of this magnitude ever happen in Bermuda again. We must cultivate a love of the cedar tree in young children."

'West End Mayhem', the third book in Miss Apinall's 'Shoo Cat Shoo' series, has her madcap adventurers, led by Tuppie the cat, travelling from Hamilton to Dockyard via all of the South Shore beaches, before sneaking aboard a Tall Ship to return to St. George's. Unfortunately, they are discovered by the captain, who orders them tossed overboard and the story leaves them floating in a barrel off St. David's.

'West End Mayhem' continues the page format established in the previously published 'Road Toad' where Miss Aspinall uses photographs of Bermuda locations imposed with cartoon imagery. The stylised, cartoon woman at Horseshoe Bay is surrounded by real life sunbathers, and the crowds at Mangrove Bay watching the Non-Mariners Race share their space with sarong clad ladies who first appeared in Shoo Cat Shoo.

Miss Aspinall also incorporates images from her large-scale acrylic paintings and also includes a large glossary which she says "is truly a celebration of the Island's 400th anniversary".

"It contains a vivid description of the Sea Venture landing in 1609, and the Island's ties with Jamestown, Virginia.

There are notes reflecting Bermuda's past glories in tourism; references to Bo Allen, a former, well-known Elbow Beach Hotel social host; descriptions of moongates, kite flying, and the non-mariners race; tidbits as to why our water is so blue and our sand so pink; and current events such as the annual sand sculpture competition and this year's Tall Ships visit," Miss Aspinall added.

The following Bermuda retail outlets stock Miss Aspinall's books: Brown & Co., Bermuda Bookstore, People's Pharmacy, Bermuda Society of Arts, Hamilton Pharmacy, St. Theresa's Gift Shop, Robertson's Drugstore, Book Cellar, Craft Market, Dockyard Phoenix Pharmacy and Caesar's Pharmacy.

For further information, Miss Aspinall's e-mail address is: pina@ibl.bm.