CENTRAL CITY — I stopped by the Gilpin Arts Gallery on Friday, July 24, 2026, to meet Denver author and artist Betsy Shepardson, who was there to sign copies of her children's book, “The Surprising Adventure: A Story in Words and Pictures.” 

Little finger puppets were available for children to follow along with the story, matching the characters in the book. 

As Shepardson turned the pages, she paused often to point out little things — a bird tucked into the trees, a trail winding deeper into the forest, a change in the light that shows time passing. 

Author and artist Betsy Shepardson flips through "The Surprising Adventure" while discussing the story and the illustrations she created for the children's book during a book signing at the Gilpin Arts Gallery.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Shepardson wrote, illustrated, and published the 28-page book herself. 

The story follows Emily, a young girl who discovers a mysterious old book in her attic and suddenly finds herself inside its pages. 

With help from a wizard named Zorac, she sets off through an enchanted forest with characters like Bear, the Littlest Squirrel, Rabbit, and Stag, discovering that the pictures are telling part of the story right alongside the words.

"I liked books, and I liked the idea of going into a book and traveling in a book," Shepardson said when I asked where the idea came from.

Like many authors, she said her main character isn't entirely fictional and has parts of her in it. 

"I think that's true of a lot of people that do children's books," she said. "The child... has a lot of characteristics that they have themselves."

One of the book's biggest themes comes from the Littlest Squirrel, who decides she isn't too small to solve a very big problem after a hungry bear begins eating the forest's winter food. 

When I asked her about the overall message of the book, she said a reviewer captured it in just a few words: "Littles can do big things."

The book is only part of what Shepardson creates. Around the gallery were original paintings, prints, and a series of illustrated story cards that work as greeting cards with miniature stories tucked inside. 

I couldn't resist buying one of the Halloween-themed "Boo" cards, which tells another adventure featuring Emily after she's whisked away to an enchanted pumpkin patch. The cards are designed to be mailed like ordinary greeting cards, but each one unfolds into its own short story.

Shepardson grew up in Denver before studying at the Art Students League of New York. She said she originally thought of herself as a writer, but over the years discovered that readers connected just as strongly with her artwork. 

One of Betsy Shepardson's colorful illustrations shows Emily, Zorak, and the Littlest Squirrel celebrating after outsmarting Black Bear in "The Surprising Adventure." The Denver author wrote and illustrated the book herself.

Photo by Mindy Leary

Today, she combines both passions, creating stories where the paintings carry as much adventure as the words.

She said she's continuing to place both her books and her story cards in galleries, museums, and bookstores around Colorado as she introduces readers to Emily's magical world.

Readers who would like to follow Emily's adventures can buy “The Surprising Adventure: A Story in Words and Pictures” through Shepardson's website at betsy-shepardson.com, on Amazon, at the Barnes & Noble store in Glendale, or on Bookshop.org. Signed copies are also available at the Gilpin Arts Gallery, located at 117 Eureka Street in Central City.