Chelsea Kirby is the perfect example of having a dream and turning it into reality.

"I've always wanted to do an ABC children's book," said the Manheim mother of two, who loves to paint and draw.

Last year, she found herself with some extra time and a desire to channel her energy into a creative project.

The result is "North American Animal ABC's," a 58-page hardbound book written and illustrated by Kirby. It was published in December.

"I would work on the book when the kids were in bed in the evening," said Kirby, whose daughters are 2 and 5 years old. "I did a lot of the painting after they went to sleep so they wouldn't get into the stuff I was working on."

From alligators to zigzag salamanders, the book features an animal for each letter of the alphabet.

"All of the animals are found in North America, and each page has a little fact about the animal underneath it," Kirby explained. "It's geared toward kids ages 5 to 12, and there's a little something for everyone in that age range, between the pictures and the facts."

During her research for the book, Kirby learned several interesting things about her animal subjects.

"It was really cool learn to learn about cats called ocelots that live in Texas," she recalled. "They are a South American cat that used to be found all over the Southwest, but they're dying out, and now they are endangered."

Although she enjoyed creating the book, it did present a few challenges, she said.

"Some of the letters were harder than others to find an animal for," she remarked, noting that she discovered Xantus's hummingbird for the letter "X." "I didn't know they existed before I wrote this book."

After spending several months working on the book, Kirby began searching for a publisher. She found Dorrance Publishing online and liked its Christian focus and large inventory of children's books.

She's happy with how the book turned out, and her daughters enjoy reading it with her.

"They each have a copy of the book, and they each chose one of the original pictures to put in their bedrooms," she said.

Looking to the future, Kirby shared that she might sell copies of her book locally at some businesses and events, and she may consider writing a second book after taking a break.

"It's not as easy to write a book as I thought it would be," she said. "It's a long process, but I enjoyed doing it."

"North American Animal ABC's" is available at https://bookstore.dorrancepublishing.com/north-american-animal-abcs and on Amazon.