Author Jeff McMahon Entertains Kids with Books at Frugal Frigate

As rain poured down in Redlands last Saturday, families took shelter in the warm confines of children's bookstore, Frugal Frigate, where they spent a few hours with children's book author Jeff McMahon and his family as the author read aloud from his book, "Swimming to the Moon." For 20 years, McMahon, who now resides in Temecula with his family after they moved from Chicago, has devoted himself to writing a collection of poems, each inspired by his relationship with his children. In an introduction to his audience on Saturday, he explained the project — his poetic work — first began as a hobby, but as his children grew he began to read them poetry collections penned by author Shel Silverstein, like "Giraffe in a Half," "Falling Up" and "Where the Sidewalk Ends." After seeing the joy his children got out of hearing the stories told in the poems, McMahon explained he started on a quest of his own to entertain his children through his own written word. After years of work and dedication, McMahon self-published his work, "Swimming to the Moon," a collection of whimsical poems and stories described, on the front cover, as a "collection of rhymes without reason." The book features illustrations by Florida-based artist and illustrator Jessica Warwick, who has also illustrated books like "Bedtime for Sarah Silverman" and "My Daddies and Me." McMahon's daughter, Shannon McMahon, said, “I remember when my father would read to us as children and we would become so excited about reading time. My first memory goes back as far as 3 years old. My brother and I enjoyed that time with him and we are both proud of him.” Frugal Frigate store manager Scott Winn made contact with McMahon and invited him to read at the store and sign books for his young fans. He recalled what drove him to reach out to the author: ”When my wife read the book to our sick 3-year-old daughter and it was the only thing that could calm her and put her to sleep, I knew I found a hit!” he said while laughing.