By Jennifer Lang

If you鈥檝e ever set an idea aside only to wonder, 鈥榃hat if?鈥� then you might take new inspiration from Paula Kolins.

The Cloverdale author says her new children鈥檚 book, Turtle Has 3 Legs, was originally a story she wrote for her son to share with his kindergarten class at Martha Currie Elementary during show and tell.

He鈥檚 18 now, she says with a laugh, holding a copy of her new book 鈥� her first.

鈥淚t鈥檚 always been in the back of my mind,鈥� she says, explaining friends at the time encouraged her to have it published but she set the notion aside.

Kolins says the rise in bullying awareness and anti-bullying initiatives like pink shirt day convinced her it was time to pick up her manuscript again.

So she took a local course on how to get

published. Her instructor owned a publishing company, so after the course wrapped up, she submitted a manuscript for a children鈥檚 book for young readers.

鈥淚 just thought, you know what? People always say they鈥檙e going to do things and they never do, and I just really thought to myself if I don鈥檛 do this, I probably never will,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o, I just went for it.鈥�

To her delight, the story was accepted.

Just last week, Turtle Has 3 Legs became available for pre-sale on Amazon.ca.

鈥淚 cried when I saw it,鈥� says Kolins, a familiar face to patients of the Apple Medical Centre, where she works as the office manager.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things, if you don鈥檛 try it,鈥� she says, 鈥渋t will never be.鈥�

She says working with an illustrator on the book鈥檚 pictures took the longer than she thought.

She wanted the images to be realistic but kid-friendly 鈥� not cartoonish. 鈥淪o we kind of went back and forth with that.鈥�

She may have written the story many years ago, but the creative memory remains fresh.

When her sons were younger, she was 鈥淭hat mom!鈥� 鈥� the parent who was always volunteering and getting involved at her kids鈥� school. (She blames it on separation anxiety 鈥� hers).

Turtle Has 3 Legs is a story about a 鈥渟weet little turtle鈥� who鈥檚 different because he only has three legs and finds acceptance from a bossy beaver, a preening swan and other creatures with classroom alter egos.

Kolins was inspired by one of his classmates, a child with Downs Syndrome.

He wasn鈥檛 bullied or teased, but she couldn鈥檛 bear to think that might change as he got older.

鈥淗e was just a sweetheart,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat just got me thinking.鈥�

She hopes the book will remind parents to encourage their children to make friends with other children with disabilities or differences.

鈥淭hat is really the first step, accepting people, and teaching your kids to accept people.鈥�

She aimed the story at young readers, she says, because 鈥淚 think you have to start early. When your kids are in Grade 6 or 7 and being targeted, it鈥檚 not too late, but it鈥檚 almost as if you鈥檝e missed a golden opportunity when they were little.鈥�

Now, it鈥檚 her job to market her book.

She鈥檚 going to try to get it into book stores and school libraries, and will sell it herself at swap meets and other venues.

But first she plans to give a copy of the book 鈥� which is dedicated to teachers 鈥� to her son鈥檚 former kindergarten teacher.