Georgia M. Smith

If there ever was a paradise on earth, it was my Granddad Ennis' large farm in Tunnel Springs , Alabama about a 100 miles north of Mobile in Monroe County . The farm house sat at the end of a long winding road. Either side of the road was dotted with crops of sugar cane, corn, sweet potatoes, peas, watermelons and cotton, the one crop that nobody ate. These fields of crops, along with a gently flowing creek that made its way through a huge green pasture where cows grazed all day long, made Granddad Ennis' farm a very special place. There were also gently rolling hills and a tall, thick pine forest that surrounded the farm. The hills and forest created a beautiful rural landscape. None of these things existed in my hometown, Mobile , Alabama .

There was an aura of magic in Grandmother Julia's kitchen. Her sweet potato pies, biscuits with butter that she churned, and pork sausages were among my favorite foods. There were two other magical things at Granddad's farm. One was the L&N train that sped through the pasture. The other, and the most magical of all, was the tall, thick, green wall of woods. A fairy must have lived there because whenever we children yelled into these woods, she repeated what we said. Everybody said that it was an echo. But I was convinced it was a fairy having fun with us. It must have been this fairy who grew the cotton for her secret reason. All the other crops--the cane, potatoes, peas and watermelons— Granddad Ennis grew for us to eat. It is this fairy who solves W.J.'s problem. I love to read fairy tales to my kindergarten students, and I have loved my Granddad Ennis' farm for more than a half century.

I spent many week-ends, holidays and summer vacations at Granddad's farm. The farm was nestled among a beautiful pine forest. I wish to share this farm and forest with everyone through W.J. And the Teacake House.

In addition to W.J. And the Teacake House, Smith is the author of Boxcar Residents, a historical fiction story of the residents a railroad boxcar camp during the height of the Alger-Sullivan Lumber Company in Century, Florida.

Georgia McCorvey Smith, a resident of Pensacola, Florida was born in Tallahassee, but, grew up in Mobile, Alabama. A primary school teacher since 1963 she retired from the public school system in 2005 but after a few months in retirement she returned to teaching at a charter school where her granddaughters were enrolled. Georgia a graduate of Florida A & M University loves sharing her love of history especially her love of Pensacola's Spanish history, with children. Since retiring from the public school system, she spends a good deal of her time writing children's books.