Groups in Roanoke are hosting a free, family event Saturday, June 1, as part of the launch of a new children’s book, ‘Larry the Roanoke Logperch.’ A bright-eyed, five-inch fish named Larry is the hero of the book.
“Larry seems to be capturing people’s attention,” said Cheri Hartman, a volunteer with the Kiwanis Club of Roanoke. “Believe it or not, this little darter fish has so much personality!”
The Kiwanis Club secured a grant and recruited a children’s author, and a Roanoke artist, to create the book. Larry the Roanoke Logperch is an environmental story about a fish who explains why he and his species are threatened by pollution and need flowing, clean water to survive.
Hartman said the fish that inspired the book has a hopeful story with a new twist. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed removing the Roanoke Logperch from the list of endangered species. It was originally listed in 1989, but pollution controls, and the removal of dams, have given these fish more habitat.
Scientists with Roanoke College and Virginia Tech, and others, reviewed the book and offered feedback to ensure the book was accurate.
“The input from so many different people made it a better book and a better project,” said Melissa Rooney, the book’s author. “And I’m really looking forward to giving the book to kids and families free of charge.”
Rooney will be signing books this Saturday at Melrose Library in Roanoke’s Northwest Neighborhood from 11-3 and kids can get a free copy. The book’s illustrator, Jane Gabrielle, will organize a community art project with children.
Goodwill Industries will host a career fair, and a local church is serving free food.
Visitors can also walk through the newly developed Kiwanis Nature park. A stream in this park flows into the Roanoke River, which is one of 31 waterways in the world Roanoke Logperch have been spotted.
