Cynthia Kern OBrien

Pens a Picture Book with a Magnificent Message

by Lindsey Giardino

Cynthia Kern OBrien, a California native, grew up during a time when you never wanted to be inside and were thrilled to play outside until the streetlights came on.

“The neighborhood yards were always scattered with bikes, skates, and skateboards as we traveled in packs house to house,” she recalls. “As kids, there were no computers, and not much was available on TV, so we used our imaginations to create games. And no day was complete without a round of neighborhood hide-and-seek!” 

OBrien continued nurturing that imagination when she became a children’s book author—something she says was a “happy accident.”

“I spent one afternoon working in the garden with my then 5-year-old granddaughter,” she shares. “We stopped to eat some lunch, and she suddenly asked me, ‘How long have you been a fairy?’ That one question set off a chain of events.” 

OBrien’s first book, I Used to be a Fairy, was a fun project with her granddaughter and is a word-for-word recount of the day’s discussions. At the time, she didn’t know books were supposed to be edited. Still today, OBrien hasn’t revised that story. 

“I have never edited that first book, as I see it as more of a journaled memory than I do a ‘published’ book,” she says. “The first three books were a learning and discovery experience. I am so proud of my fourth book, Marky the Magnificent Fairy—the result of all I have learned.”

Illustrator Jeff Yesh brings Marky and her woodland world to life as she learns that believing in yourself isn’t easy when the other fairies make fun of her. They laugh at her one small wing and say mean things about her fiery-red hair, her glasses, and her freckles. But Marky shows them that everyone has exceptional qualities—some are visible and some are invisible.

OBrien explains that writing Marky was an emotional journey. “However, it began to evolve into much more as I started talking to teachers, doctors, families, and others who work with and/or live with special needs children,” she says. “Marky the Magnificent Fairy is written with the intent of eliciting back and forth discussions with children at home or in the classroom.”

“I am so blessed and fortunate to have partnered with Linda Radke and the Story Monsters Press team on this book. The entire team fell in love with Marky as I did. It has been a passion project for all of us,” Obrien says. “This book is about diversity, inclusion, bullying, disabilities, kindness, believing in yourself, self-love, confidence, acceptance, positivity, and compassion. No matter what age you are.”

All of OBrien’s books—which include I Don’t Want to Go to Preschool and The Tooth Fairy and the Baby Elf—are based on true events, with characters shaped around people she knows. 

“Along the way, I have found that the more you tell, the braver you get in the telling,” she says. “The story of a fairy who could not fly was always an idea. Then Marky was inspired by the joy and bravery of a 4-year-old girl who takes tap and ballet lessons while missing a hand. That moment triggered a flood of thoughts and ideas. I knew in that moment who Marky was.”

Now, Marky the Magnificent Fairy is part of the Lucky Fin Project, which helps provide information and resources on limb differences.

“I am so honored that it was recently selected for some of their favorite books featuring limb-different characters,” OBrien says. “Marky is in great company.”

For more information about Cynthia Kern OBrien and her books, visit pickleshousepublications.com.