By Sophia Wiener
Tying the Two Rivers Together
Lori Herschkowitz-Skala, a Shrewsbury teacher for 30 years, tells her kids they’re never too young to be kind. Her latest children’s book, “The Hair Tie,” illustrated by local business owner Jessica Monaco, supports her point.
The story? A young girl on her way to donate her hair to cancer patients loses her favorite hair tie. But just like her hair is about to make another child very happy, her hair tie travels around Shrewsbury and Red Bank, helping whoever happens to find it – a dad trying to carry gifts for his kids, a dog with messy bangs – in small, meaningful ways. Herschkowitz-Skala conceived the idea during a jog through town during which she happened to spot a hair tie on the ground exactly when she needed one. Wondering how it got there – and who else it might have aided – spurred her imagination.
But the book’s roots go deeper. Ten years ago, Herschkowitz-Skala learned she had cancer. Within weeks, her dog was also diagnosed with it and died. She calls herself not just a cancer survivor but a “cancer thriver.”
“I had so much help” during her cancer treatment, she said. “I decided I was going to give back and to help anyone I knew that had cancer.”
That wasn’t just talk. While recovering, Herschkowitz-Skala adopted a rescue, Rosie, and had her trained as a therapy dog. They volunteered at hospitals and schools together for years. But when Rosie was paralyzed in an accident, Herschkowitz-Skala was determined to find another way to give. She wrote a children’s book, “The Road to Rosie,’ and split the proceeds between cancer research and animal rescue.
“The Hair Tie” features local shops like Once Bitten Donuts and Shore Gamers, illustrator Monaco’s store, because Herschkowitz-Skala hopes to “tie” the community together. The book’s proceeds will go to pediatric cancer research.
But first and foremost, she wants to make kids aware that they can donate their hair to cancer patients. They can help, too.
“I try to make it known I’m a breast cancer survivor,” she said. “Anyone who knows anyone with it, here’s my number. If they reach out, I talk them through and share resources. I know what it’s like.”
Herschkowitz-Skala’s books are available through her Facebook, @ storyloribooks. She encourages readers struggling with cancer to contact her on Instagram @ storyloribooks.
Herschkowitz-Skala will be at The Baker’s Grove in Shrewsbury at 11 a.m. Sept. 7 to sign copies of “The Hair Tie.”
Sun, Sea, Sharks… and Specters?
In 1808, the little-known Oyster War began up and down the Shrewsbury River. Clammers and fishermen had seeded and fed new beds in the rivers to combat overfishing, but they clashed with homeowners over ownership of the oysters. Fishermen thought of the river as a highway that should belong to everyone; nearby landowners wanted to stake out the adjoining waters and reap the profits. Tensions escalated. There was arson, theft, injuries and, finally, a fisherman was shot while stealing clams.
For years afterward, people claimed to see his ghost.
Patricia Heyer found these small-town folk stories fascinating. A Red Bank special education teacher for 35 years, Heyer grew up in a small Pennsylvania town where “nothing ever really happened.” After taking an early retirement, she started researching what she’d only had time to skim.
Her project grew far beyond her expectations. “I fell in love with the rich and raucous history of this unique little corner of Monmouth County,” she said. “As I studied… I found a bevy of folklore available in old newspapers, news pamphlets and old documents.”
Her research eventually turned into “The Ghostly Tales of The Jersey Shore,” a spooky anthology where “history and folklore collide.”
In 2023, Heyer adapted “The Ghostly Tales of the Jersey Shore” for middle-grade readers as part of History Press’ Spooky America series. History Press soon approached her about adapting another of her books, this time for kids interested in real-life scary stories; she and her husband Robert Heyer – a biologist who compiles New Jersey and New York shark attack files – had written “Shark Attacks of the Jersey Shore” as a tribute to their shared love of marine biology and oceanography. Their book surveys the history and myths of shark attacks, from the first recorded attack almost 200 years ago to the birth of shark-mania. The children’s version, “Jaws of the Jersey Shore,” was published May 8.
Heyer hopes her children’s books will nurture kids’ love for reading and local history. History doesn’t need to stay in a classroom or take place thousands of miles away – it can be right outside their doors.
Heyer’s books are available at arcadiapublishing.com. She will also be at the Red Bank Library at 11 a.m. Sept. 7 participating in a book and school supplies giveaway.
The article originally appeared in the September 5 – September 11, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
