Mary Kratz, a Schwenksville native, has combined her love for education and art to illustrate her first children’s book, Ella Bella Loves the Rain.

The 20-page rhyming book was written by Kratz’s aunt, Suzanne Downey Farrell. The creative duo is hoping that this is just the first book in what will become a series of children’s tales.

The book follows the journey of Ella Bella as she transforms a gloomy day into a day of pure joy. It was published in October by London-based Austin Macauley Publishers and is available on Amazon.

Before she started illustrating the book, Kratz, a Neumann University graduate and former teacher, read it many times to her two-year-old son Calder.

Then she got to work with her aunt.

“We went through the process together,” said Kratz. “I wanted it to look hand drawn so I didn’t go the graphic route.”

Instead, she focused on using colored pencils to draw the illustrations. She also drew on her teaching experiences to shape her drawings for the book.

Currently, the two women are working on their second book that has the now familiar main character heading to the beach.