Angela’s House resident teams up with her school nurse to publish children’s book

The book was written years ago.

Three Village schools nurse Tracy Bloom and her son crafted that part of “Do Skunks Think Skunks Stink?” But without any illustrations, it sat on a shelf collecting dust.

That is, until Ward Melville High School sophomore Ella Ignacio, a resident of Angela’s House III in Stony Brook, got a hold of it.

“I knew Ella would be the perfect illustrator to bring this story to life,” said Bloom, who has been Ella’s one-to-one school nurse for years. “She is such a talented artist, and she captures the feelings of characters and delivers the message.”

Based in Hauppauge with homes in East Moriches, Smithtown and Stony Brook, Angela’s House is a nonprofit organization that cares for medically frail children with special health care needs, while providing supportive services for their families. It was during the pandemic, when students were remote learning, that Bloom encouraged Ella to help create illustrations for “Do Skunks Think Skunks Stink?”

Ella completed the drawings for the book during the fall and the book was published shortly later. Copies are being sold for $25 as a fundraiser to benefit Angela’s House. Readers interested in purchasing “Do Skunks Think Skunks Stink?” should contact Bloom at tbloom@3villagecsd.org.

_{Top photo: Tracy Bloom, a Three Village Central School District one-to-one school nurse with student Ella Ignacio (Courtesy: Three Village Central School District).}