Photo submitted – Sarah C. Trzepacz (right) and her niece, Kelly Wander, are the author and illustrator of the picture book Adventures of a Happy Little Goat.
By Tom Prestopnik
In this fast-paced world, it’s important to take a step back from time to time to refocus and recharge oneself. Or, as the saying goes, to stop and smell the roses. This is especially true for little children who can be easily drawn to and mesmerized by electronic devices in our 24/7 world.
To provide a bit of downtime from all that busyness, as well as just enjoying the creative process of writing and illustrating, Little Falls native Sarah (Prestopnik Hessler) Trzepacz and her niece, Kelly (McGrogan) Wander, have teamed up to write and illustrate a children’s picture book titled Adventures of a Happy Little Goat. The twenty-eight-page book with thirteen full-page illustrations was recently self-published through Amazon in both paperback and Kindle eBook formats.
The simple, sweet story is about a cheerful little goat who leisurely wanders through a tiny village. Along the way, he discovers the beauty of the world around him in such places as an outdoor café, at a playground, and along a swift stream while meeting many friends during his fun-filled journey. It is a tale about curiosity, kindness, and the joy of simple adventures. The book will be enjoyed especially by pre-K and early-grade readers.
Trzepacz, who authored the story, is a clinical laboratory technician residing in Salisbury Center with her husband, Paul. This is her first published story, resulting from a burst of inspiration in July of 2024.
“A typical day, getting ready for work, when a little tune popped into my head. Then a few words started to form, and I thought this could be a cute song to sing to my grandchildren. I quickly realized that I can’t sing, so I played with the idea of turning whatever this was into a story.”
Over the next year, she did many rewrites, though months would go by with no writing completed, yet the story was always simmering in the back of her mind. At a family reunion in the summer of 2025, she spoke with her niece, Kelly Wander, an art teacher, about teaming up to illustrate her story. “I had ideas jotted down of how I envisioned each page. I believe in Kelly’s artistic ability, and she did an outstanding job!”
Wander, a wife and mother of two children, used colored pencils as the main medium for her illustrations. She taught middle school art at Little Falls Middle School from 2013 to 2020 and currently teaches the same in the Whitesboro Central School District.
“I love the amount of detail and warmth that colored pencil can bring to an illustration, and it felt like the right fit for this book. I also made a few digital edits along the way when needed, but the illustrations were primarily created by hand.” The initial artwork took her nearly a year to complete, and several edits and last-minute changes were added before publishing.
“Art has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember, and teaching art has been a huge part of that,” Wander said. “Being able to step outside of the classroom and use my art in a different way through illustrating this book was a really special experience. It was exciting to see the illustrations come together and ultimately become part of a finished book that others could enjoy.”
After the story was written and the illustrations completed, it took an additional seven to eight months to fine-tune everything. “My brother Tom helped me through the challenges of self-publishing. I had no idea how time-consuming and involved that would be,” Trzepacz said. “Towards the end of completion, we reached out to my nephew, Ryan (Kelly’s older brother who owns and operates a graphic design business in Utica), to help solve a few formatting issues.”
To view or order the book on Amazon, click on the link below.
“Two years ago, a tune entered my thoughts and now I have a children’s book,” she added. “I am so grateful for all the help I received and so proud of how Adventures of a Happy Little Goat turned out.”
Sarah C. Trzepacz is the daughter of the late John and Frances Prestopnik of Little Falls. Kelly Wander is the daughter of Ed and Barbara (Prestopnik) McGrogan of Whitesboro.
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