Children's Books

Picture books written and illustrated by Nina Leipold on Hilton Head Island, for readers ages 4 to 8. Almost every one starts with something real she saw on the beach, like a live sand dollar carried home as a souvenir or a dolphin being fed from a boat, and turns it into a story a child can understand and do something about.

The Mermaid of Hilton Head series

Mermaid Nina travelled the East Coast with her pod until the island's stressed sea turtles gave her a reason to stay. Each book takes on one problem in the water around Hilton Head.

• The Mermaid of Hilton Head, book one: why she stayed, and the sea turtles nesting on the island
• Dolphin Adventures, in which Captain Rick helps her stop dolphins getting hurt by boat propellers
• Nina's Necklace, about sharks, and why being feared is what puts them in danger
• A Christmas Coral, coral turning white and an unexpected helper in Santa. The one to give in December
• Mermaid of Hilton Head Coloring Book, 25 of Nina's own illustrations and a hunt for plastic straws

Flounder Cat books

Flounder is a real cat who talks using communication buttons, and Mouse Toy is her best friend and the only toy that has survived her.

• Love You, Mouse Toy, Flounder's own story of her best friend, told in her own words through her buttons. As far as we know, the first children's book authored by a cat
• Flounder Cat, in which Flounder the Purrmaid takes on the plastic in her ocean
• Limited Edition Mouse Toy Keychain, a Mouse Toy of your own in a protective globe, and the companion to the book

More beach and animal stories

• Sammy the Sand Dollar, Nina's first book. A sand dollar is picked up off the beach, and only a child can help
• The Journey of Jiggles, a hermit crab rescue based on a true story
• Fiki & the Frog, a cat, a pond, and a frog who would rather he stayed out of it

What kids take away

• Sand dollars are alive, and taking one off the beach kills it
• Sea turtles nest on Hilton Head, and one simple change helps keep them safe
• Dolphins are wonderful to watch and dangerous to feed
• Sharks are put at risk by being feared rather than understood
• Coral turning white is a warning sign for the whole ocean
• Plastic in the water, and the small habits that add up
• A habitat belongs to whoever already lives there

Hardcover or softcover

Every story comes in hardcover at $17.99 or softcover at $12.99, and the story is identical either way. Hardcover holds up to toddlers and classroom libraries; softcover is the one to buy three of for gifts. The coloring book is $9.95.

A good gift for

Beach house bookshelves, grandchildren who visit in summer, teachers and classroom libraries, cat households, and anyone taking a piece of Hilton Head home with them.

Mouse Toy and Flounder turn up across the Flounder Cat collection, and Mermaid Nina has her own Mermaid of Hilton Head apparel.