By Jeremiah Walter
”I wrote this when I lived in Banning Lewis Ranch,” says author Stacy S. Jensen about All Pikes Peak Reads picture book selection Before I Lived Here, “and it’s about that neighborhood (in east Colorado Springs).”
In Jensen’s book, gorgeously illustrated by Victo Ngai, a boy explores the history of where he lives. The building of his house in Banning Lewis Ranch, the development of the neighborhood, the Utes who called the area home, and dinosaurs roaming forests are unearthed layer by layer as the reader is taken back in time.
While serving on a Banning Lewis Ranch Metropolitan Board, Jensen “was always reading development documents. I thought, ‘How does a stack of development documents turn into a picture book for kids?’ So I wrote this story.”
While studying the history of the area for the book, Jensen did research in Pikes Peak Library District’s Regional History & Genealogy collections in the 1905 Carnegie Library connected to Penrose Library. She also attended Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) critique group meetings at several Library locations, which was a valuable resource for Jensen when she lived in the area. She has since moved back to her home state of Georgia.
“I was at a SCBWI conference with other Colorado authors who were teachers, and I had so much positive feedback on it. People said, ‘I could see this being used in the classroom,” recalls Jensen. “But I just couldn’t find the right editor to get hooked on it.”
At the time, Jensen had written 200 children’s book manuscripts, but none of them had been published. Despite enduring so much rejection, Jensen never lost faith.
“I’m always hopeful that I will have the right story,” she said. “I keep working on my craft.”
Her perseverance paid off in 2021 when Ana Crespo, a Colorado Springs author and member of the same SCBWI critique group as Jensen, became an agent and helped sell Before I Lived Here to the prestigious children’s book publisher Neal Porter Books.
Jensen’s first published book was released in 2024 and has received much acclaim, including spots on New York Public Library’s best books and the Bank Street College of Education best children’s books list.
Now her book is on the shelves of libraries like the one she frequented as a kid.
“My parents took us to the local library, and we would pick up books in the summer and just get stacks of books and take them home and read them. I hope a child enjoys spending time with [Before I Lived Here]. Victo Ngai put so many details into all the illustrations. I enjoyed books like this as a kid because you can sit with it, find little details and feel like you’ve made a discovery too!”
Jensen also hopes that reading the book will encourage appreciation for the history of the reader’s neighborhood.
“There’s something there before you live there,” says Jensen. “Sometimes it’s a really good history, and sometimes it’s a bad history, but it’s history, nonetheless. I think it’s important to know about it. There’s a lot of power in knowing the history of your community because knowledge is power. And it’s fun to learn those things.”
Jensen will be visiting Library 21c at 11 a.m. on Sat., Sept. 26 for two programs. After Storytime and a discussion in the morning, she will conduct a writing workshop at 12:30 p.m. that will delve into how to write a picture book and why these books are important for all ages.
“If anybody wants to write a children’s book, they should be prepared that it is hard work, but it’s so fulfilling to be able to write a story that children and families can connect with and enjoy together,” says Jensen. “Reading books together creates so many memories.”
Explore all the title selections from All Pikes Peak Reads
All Pikes Peak Reads is Pikes Peak Library District’s (PPLD) annual community-wide reading program that focuses on celebrating literature, improving connections, and fostering dialogue across social, cultural, and generational lines.
This year’s reading selections all connect to our shared history, as they commemorate the Colorado 150th and the USA 250th anniversaries.
Adult selection:
Woman of Light
by Kali Farjardo-Anstine
Young Adult selection:
I'll Be Waiting For You
by Mariko Turk
Juvenile selection:
Will's Race for Home
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Picture Book selection:
Before I Lived Here
by Stacy S. Jensen
