Hello! Welcome to My Website! Home to my children's chapter books and early reader books.

Jo Ann Jeffries

I am an early reader and middle grade author of children’s chapter books. I love to read and talk about writing and publishing to middle grade students and adult groups.Currently, I live in Southern Oregon with my husband and two tuxedo cats. I love volunteering at the local library, running, baking, reading and writing.Below is a bit of info about the behind the scenes of why the books were written and published, as well as ones that are in the works.
‍
Like many, my interest in reading writing started when I was in elementary school. I never thought I would actually publish any of my writings back then. Only when my grandson and I co-wrote ‘Astronaut Kids’ did I actually get serious about publishing. My grandson, Lukas, provided the main theme of the book which was to send kids to space as a way to promote the space program. Fun fact about Astronaut Kids: Lukas knew all the technical detail and I validated it for the bibliography!

‘Puanani and the Volcano’ was written when I was living on the Big Island of Hawaii and volunteering for a preschool. When Kilauea volcano erupted I wrote about a young girl who turned her fear of lava destroying homes and flowing into the ocean into advocating to protect ocean life thru her beach clean up group. Puanani will continue her adventure in several more books about protecting the environment. Best for ages 5-10. Fun fact: My hybrid publisher encouraged me to write a children’s book about the eruption and earthquake.

‘Have You Seen Tucker’ was written after one of my cats went missing. I missed Tucker very much so I wrote this early reader book and used animals and birds were from the area in Idaho I lived at the time. The beautiful artwork on every page of this book makes it a favorite for many of the children whose parents have purchased this book for them! Fun fact: I found Tucker when he jumped out of the day lilies I was weeding!

My daughter and I wrote a little story by hand many years ago that became 'Loloa The Floppy Eared Puppy.' It’s a heart warming story about the struggles of a puppy finally finding his forever home and a little girl who never gave up wanting him. Best for ages 5-9. Fun fact: This book is set on the windward side of ‘Oahu where we lived at the time.

Loloa has an adventure called ‘Loloa’s Waterpark Adventure’. He goes to a waterpark on ‘Oahu with Monica and her family. Being adventurous, he chases after a mongoose he thinks he sees and the adventure begins! This second chapter book will be out late mid November/early December 2026! It will be best for ages 5-9 as well. Fun fact: There is only one waterpark on ‘Oahu!
‍
My next book is a change from the children’s chapter books I normally write. It is a memoir about my sister, Venus, as seen from my point of view as her power of attorney and primary caregiver. It talks about her life, her resilience, and her spirit while she dealt with the glioblastoma that took her life. It is projected to be out July of 2027.