On this page, Betty Fahlman, the illustrator of the book series, is introducing herself.   Hi, that's me, Betty Fahlman. Unfortunately, I don't speak German so Jutta has to translate for me. Here you see me with my dog Bridget. She is a very brave dog. She saved my husband Richard from a mother Grizzly bear who was trying to bed down, with her cub, in our hay barn. Bridget also pulls the tails of my horses – she thinks it is a game and they don’t mind. I have lived most of my life in the beautiful Arrow Lakes Valley although I was born in Ontario. Our three children were born here but now all three have their own careers and live elsewhere. Our oldest, a son, recently moved to Boulder, Colorado with his family, the second, also a son, lives near Vancouver in Langley with his partner, our youngest, a daughter, lives in Banff with her partner. Drawing and painting have always been a large part of my life and I have a BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design. I also help run a local artist gallery. The Nelson Art Gallery for a show has recently accepted me so I’m very busy painting and drawing. It is fun drawing for Jutta’s book but it is too bad I don’t read German because Jutta has to interpret the story for me. I’ve always loved to read and enjoy illustrations in books so doing the drawings of the Hartmann's is enjoyable.                    back to main page             E-mail to Betty