Bashful Billy and the Mysterious Island is a children's book for our tumultuous times. It features animals, adventure and nature while promoting friendship, respect and cooperation among different species.

The book is set on the shores of a lake in northern Illinois. The star is Bashful Billy, a bulldog who lives in a cottage on the lake with his human family. He spends his days sleeping on his dock and pondering a mysterious island in the middle of the lake. He wants to know who lives there and what their lives involve.

Thanks to a pair of strong beavers who give him a ride on their backs to the island, Billy begins to meet a variety of interesting animals: a pair of gorgeous swans, a group of pelicans, an imposing eagle, a sly fox, a deer and her doe, a fearsome coyote and a rugged turtle.

Each animal has named the island after his or her species. Nobody cooperates and everybody has a fear of the coyote. Over the summer months, Billy visits the island every day, building relationships and helping the animals bond. In late summer, a huge event occurs that threatens the entire island and all the inhabitants.

Bashful Billy must find a way to save them.

Grandparents and teachers will love reading this book to their grandchildren and students. Children will be excited to read about Bashful Billy and his friends over and over again. The world will be a better place because of Bashful Billy and the Mysterious Island.