Monmouth alumni sisters Eiserman, Simmons collaborate on children's book 20 years in the making
Monmouth, Ill. (03/20/2026) — Even a short book can take a long time.
That's one of the lessons that the Galusha sisters - alumni Mary Ann Eiserman '72 and Cherry Simmons '80 - shared with a group of Monmouth College students Wednesday evening during a talk on campus.
The book in question, I Love You All the Time! So Much Love, All the Time!!, was first conceived by Eiserman - a retired high school English teacher - in 2005 as a project she created for and with her 7-year-old granddaughter, Anna.
And when did Eiserman first get a copy of the book to share with her sister, who illustrated the children's book?
"The first books arrived just before Christmas last year," said Eiserman, who hadn't told Simmons, a retired art teacher, that they were on their way. "It was, 'Merry Christmas,' after 20 years. It's really been this lovely, rewarding time."
How it began
"I've heard that this happens to musicians," said Eiserman, "but all of a sudden, the words were right in front of me. I said, 'Anna, let's write a book,' and we wrote the words in a little notebook. Anna drew some, too."
Part of the book's story is loving in spite of childhood "issues" such as being messy or grouchy or petulant. Or, as a website promoting the book states, it "celebrates love in everyday moments. Through warmth, reassurance and simple language, it reminds children that love is always present - in family, friendship and within themselves."
After putting actual pencil to paper, the project became serious, but Eiserman realized she only had half of the formula for a children's book. She needed an illustrator.
"I needed to have drawings done," she told the students. "Hmmm. Who might I turn to?"
And that's where Simmons picked up the story.
"She said, 'Keep it simple. It'll be easy,'" said Simmons. "At the time, I had a daughter getting married, and our school was consolidating. This weighed on my heart for years. I knew she was waiting."
Simmons' first drawing was of Anna in a bassinette - one that had been in the Galusha family for years and that their mother had slept in as a baby. In keeping with the book's central theme, there are hearts throughout the collection of images Simmons created.
For the aspiring writers in the audience, Eiserman shared some of what she went through to get the book published, as well as lessons she learned along the way.
"You need an agent to work with a big-time publisher such as Random House," said Eiserman, who also warned, "It's expensive to do. And make sure as you go through the process that the book is the way you want it to be."
Teachable moments
In addition to sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the world of publishing, both sisters - who are also graduates of Yorkwood High School (now part of the United school district) - shared stories of their teaching careers, which both spanned at least 35 years. Eiserman was a high school English teacher in Chicago's northwest suburbs, while Simmons stayed much closer to home, teaching high school and junior high art in nearby Biggsville at West Central and its predecessor on the site, Union.
Eiserman's favorite book to teach was To Kill a Mockingbird, and along with that Pulitzer Prize-winning story about prejudice and racial injustice, she quoted a song for her students from South Pacific, titled "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught." It includes the lyrics "You've got to be taught before it's too late / Before you are six or seven or eight / To hate all the people your relatives hate."
In other words, the exact opposite of the message that she and her sister are trying to convey with I Love You All the Time!
Simmons focused her teaching memories on the progress she always saw in her students and in the connections they'd forge, being able to read the minds of her students, or the students reading her mind, such as knowing exactly what she meant when she'd reference creating a certain color or using a specific technique.
"I enjoyed watching the process of the students learning to see," she said. "That's what I taught."
Simmons also recalled some college memories, including the converted chicken coop overlooking the football field that was home to the art department and some of the "best professors" she studied with, including Harlow Blum and George Waltershausen.
"I had a lot of great experiences here," said Simmons, who had planned to focus on only being an artist but, at the suggestion of her "wise" mother, took education classes "to fall back on."
More information about the book, which is available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble, is available at maryanneiserman.com.
Media Attachments
THE GALUSHA SISTERS: Mary Ann Eiserman (left) and Cherry Simmons discussed the creation of their new children's book during a March 18 program at their alma mater, Monmouth College.
MARY ANN EISERMAN: Twenty years ago, she came up with the text for the book while in the company of her 7-year-old granddaughter.
CHERRY SIMMONS: The retired art teacher shows students the sketchbook that holds her illustrations for the book.
Monmouth College
Barry McNamara 309-457-2117, mcnamara@monmouthcollege.eduShare this Story
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