Children's author Thomas to appear at Lewiston Library

Peggy Thomas always assumed she'd be involved in the world of science. After earning a Masters degree in anthropology, then having children, she realized she had a yearning to keep learning, and she appreciated a wide variety of topics.

"If I would have stayed in school, I would have been a perpetual student," said Thomas, who will appear at the Lewiston Public Library on Tuesday.

"But I realized with writing, you don't have to specialize. You can be eclectic as you want."

The Middleport resident (in green in photo above from the Batavia library) now has 15 children's and young adult books, and she'll be leading a program entitled "Tall Tales from the Erie Canal," geared for children in first grade and up. The presentation begins at 6 p.m.

During the program, children will craft their own tall tale. After the event, the author of "Talking Bones", "Snow Dance" and "Joshua the Giant Frog" will also be holding a book signing.

"I love coming and speaking to kids," Thomas said. "I love some of the things that the kids come up with. I'm always amazed with how intense they can be. There's a level of energy you can tap into. Feeding off that energy is a lot of fun."

At the end of the program, Thomas will take the various ideas and meld them into one.

Although she lives in the eastern part of Niagara County, Thomas said she's a fan of this half.

"I love that area," she said of Lewiston and Youngstown. "The arts scene is better than you have in most places. We love the music and we're always up there."