Honey the turtle comes to storybook trail

A new book has been put into Ralph Stout Park's storybook trail. In "Being Me is the Best Thing to Be," a young turtle named Honey comes across a litany of other animals. She is jealous of each one's special traits, until her mother explains to her the value of her own traits. The book's author is Judy Erb, who moved to Mountain City from Zionville in April 2025. She wrote the book over the course of two days in January 2021 and got it published in October 2021. She got her inspiration for the book when she kayaked Julian Price Lake near Blowing Rock and observed all the different animals. Erb said she drew on her experiences as a retired "special ed and regular ed" teacher when coming up with the book's message. "I kept seeing children comparing themselves to each other: 'I wish I had that, I wish I had that,'" she said. Erb said when she discovered the storybook trail, she began looking into how to get her own book featured. She got approval from Morag Koerner, who created the trail earlier this year, but stopped her pursuit when she contacted the company who printed the trail's last book and was given a price she thought was unaffordable. "Our home in Zionville is still for sell…so I thought we 'we can't spend the money on this now,'" Erb said. Judy's husband, Mark Erb, was not so easily dissuaded. He set his mind to getting the book installed as a secret Christmas present for his wife. He found two ways to make it cheaper: firstly, he printed the pages at a smaller size then Judy got a quote for. Secondly, he installed them into the pedestals himself instead of having the city do it. He did the installation during a cold and windy day while Judy was at a long dentist appointment. Judy said she didn't expect it all, even after Mark told her they were going to the park for her Christmas present. She said the reveal was "obviously quite an emotional moment for both of us." Since "Being Me is the Best Thing to Be" was too short to fill every pedestal, she has gone back and put educational info about the book's animals into the leftover pedestals. She also put a blue background behind the pages. The book's illustrator, Emily Allen, lives in Ashville, NC and is planning a day trip to see the storybook trail. Judy said she picked Allen, who was attending Appalachian State University at the time, because they shared a similar vision for what Honey should look like. Allen pitched Judy a watercolor and oil style; they ended up going with the watercolor. Allen said one of her favorite illustrations is that of an egret, whose reflection can be seen subtly in the water. She also likes the fish pages, since her grandfather is a fisherman. Readers should be on the lookout for a butterfly on one of the pages, which Allen said isn't a character but is a nod to her who father who passed away when she was seven and inspires her daily. "He spoke with me while he was sick…and he always told me to look for butterflies," Allen said. "As a young girl, that's a relatable symbol. And as I grew, I began to understand some of the deeper associations with that — kind of chrysalis and rebirth and going through the process of life." Allen now works as a therapist for adolescents with autism; she said art often helps her connect with her clients. She also continues to do independent work as a studio artist. Korener said anyone interested in getting their book into the trail should reach out to Mountain City hall. Autographed copies of "Being Me is the Best Thing to Be" are available at the Johnson County Center for the Arts.