As the third child of thirteen, author Wanda R. Thurston, was her mother's little helper. Changing diapers and rocking crying babies became something to look forward to as she grew to have three of her own, helped with six grandchildren, and anticipated all the new little ones. Through her own struggles with learning, the anxiety of peer pressure, and watching the constant worry of fitting in cross the little faces of so many, she developed a desire to show the kids a different approach. She wanted to explain in a different way - to make learning and coping a little easier.

The Adventures of Alexander Gator is about learning. Alexander Gator is different. He is not like the other alligators - and he likes it that way. He doesn't want to be like them. Alexander wants to learn and wishes he could be like the little people he sees each day sitting around a campfire. He is quiet when he sneaks by so he can hear them talk. Although the other alligators think Alexander is weird, it doesn't take long for them to be glad that he is.

About the Author

Wanda R. Thurston was born in Louisa, Kentucky and moved with her family to Dayton, Ohio, to an area now known as Riverside. She learned, at an early age, that being different is not fun. Moving her own family to Hobbs, New Mexico, for work, then again to Victorville, California, she has witnessed the changes in children as life became less about working hard to learn for their future and more about what to do to impress others just to stay safe.