WV artist releases new children’s book, ‘Buddies Rebuilding’

By Stephen Baldwin, RealWV

Payton Brown is prolific. 

Last month, we brought you the story of her latest coloring book, dedicated to the best of West Virginia. It was her fifth coloring book in total. 

She works three jobs teaching art, and her fourth job is producing her own artwork. You’d think she would get tired. You’d think she would need time in between projects. You’d be wrong. Because like I said…Payton Brown is prolific. 

Last week, Payton released her first children’s book. It’s entitled Buddies Rebuilding, and she gives her mom most of the credit for it. 

“My mom is a high school English teacher, so she’s great with words,” Payton says. “I’m more visual and she’s smarter. I’m an artist, not a writer.” 

Payton and her mom worked to tweak the story and illustrations over the summer. “If it weren’t for her, it wouldn’t be nearly as good!”

So what’s it about? Buddies Rebuilding is “a story about animals in the forest, inspired by West Virginia, that are experiencing deforestation,” she says. “They all work together to rebuild their forest.”

The main characters are Daisy Deer, Brody Bear, and Rosemary Raccoon, in addition to several other forest creatures. 

Payton hopes it teaches kids not only to respect the planet but also to work together towards a common goal. “Making sure the planet is a safe place for all of us to live and use our different talents is so important,” Payton adds. 

The book is only available via Payton’s website at the moment. It costs $16.99 plus shipping. You can also find her in Instagram follow her on Instagram @paytonbrown.art.