In 2019, retired Hallmark Keepsake Studio Artist, Linda Sickman collaborated with her niece on a children’s book titled, “Lake Bear.”

The story was written by her niece, Amanda Morgan, and was based on a bear sighting she captured on video at the Lake of the Ozarks.  Morgan then turned to her Aunt for help with the illustrations in the book.

Sickman, who was known for her sculpting, had never done full illustrations before.   When asked about her creation process for the book she said, “I watched the video multiple times, seeing the bear paddle across the water and go up on the dock…  Even though my bear doesn’t look exactly like that, I was definitely inspired by the event and tried to keep things similar.”  Sickman also said she drew inspiration from her own small lake cabin near Kansas City.

At the time of this writing, “Lake Bear” (ISBN: 978-0578624587) can be found online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  It is also carried by the Big Thunder Marine Family Boating Center in Lake Ozark, Missouri.

“Lake Bear” was a featured, front page article in the March 6-7, 2020 weekend edition of the Lake Sun newspaper.  (Thanks to Keepsake Studio Artist, Robert Chad who shared this story on Facebook.)