Joining me today is Pam Schweitzer, PharmD and her daughter, Amy Graves. We discuss their book: Alice and Jack Hike the Grand Canyon. This is episode 9 of 15 in my Pharmacist Authors Summer Series.
Pam and Amy are a mother-daughter author team who come from a long line of Grand Canyon hikers. You may want to hike the Grand Canyon with your kids or grandkids after listening to our interview!
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Background about Amy and Pam
AMY GRAVES (daughter) and PAMELA SCHWEITZER (mother) are a mother-daughter author team who come from a long line of Grand Canyon hikers. Amy lives in Arizona with her husband and children. She is a graduate of Bowdoin College, where she studied Child Psychology and minored in Education. Amy’s first trip in the Grand Canyon was when she was 3 years old. Amy has positive memories of hiking as a child and has now taken her own children to the bottom of the canyon.
Pam grew up hiking with her parents and siblings on many of the Grand Canyon trails. She is a former Assistant Surgeon General and Rear Admiral in the Commissioned Corps of the United States Public Health Service. She and her husband, Paul, have organized several Grand Canyon hikes for family and friends.
The authors want to give families an idea about the preparation involved for this type of challenging hike and to share the experience from a kid’s perspective of what it is like to hike in the Canyon. The authors appreciate that the physiological response and benefits of being outside in nature is real, and it’s measurable, boosting one’s mood and improving mental health. Hopefully, the book will inspire families to experience the outdoors, enjoy nature’s gift of wellness and maybe even hike one of the Grand Canyon trails.
Information about the book from amazon.com
Alice and Jack Hike the Grand Canyon is a fictional picture book perfect for families with young children considering a challenging hike. Grand Canyon National Park has almost six (6) million visitors per year (second most visited national park) with less than one percentage (1%) going below the rim.
Alice and her brother, Jack, along with their Mom and Dad are hiking to Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon for spring break. Alice describes her and her brother Jack’s journey of preparing for and eventually hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Alice needs to face her fear of heights since there are sections of the canyon that are steep. Both kids learn about hiking etiquette and how to respond to minor mishaps. Alice and her brother forge a special respect and appreciation of this iconic natural wonder of the world and value the preparation involved in having a successful hiking trip.
Highlights from the interview
Alice and Jack Hike the Grand Canyon is a great example of how we can set our professional identities aside and share something from our personal lives. The content is not pharmacy-related.
In a way, this book is a social story that teaches kids about preparing for a hike. According to Amy, it’s also a letter to her children about the love she and her Mom share for the Grand Canyon. Amy’s children love the book! It’s a truly special book with a deeper meaning than just entertainment.
During the interview, Amy and Pam share tips for both preparing children for a hike and keeping a good attitude. From clothing to food to mottos, our conversation covers several topics. #optimismpositivity
The book was written for children ages 4-11. “Focus groups” with child hikers helped generate content for the book. Pam and Amy spoke to a number of children about their experience hiking the Grand Canyon.
Amy reads a selection from the book about 15 minutes into the episode.
During her closing comments, Pam encourages listeners to get outside, enjoy nature, and read this book with your family.
This may be the first of many books for Amy and Pam. Their illustrator is a friend of Amy’s, and they all enjoyed working together. I’m excited to see what these three ladies do next!
Links from this episode
Alice and Jack Hike the Grand Canyon by Amy Graves and Pam Schweitzer (amazon.com)
The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 185 featuring RDML Pam Schweitzer, PharmD (Nov 2022)
Dr. Schweitzer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-schweitzer-50638b16/
US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps https://www.usphs.gov
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Dates, authors, and book titles in the Pharmacist Authors Series
(Part 1 of 15) June 5, Introduction to the Pharmacist Authors Series (Episode 220)
(Part 2 of 15) June 9, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 221: Interview with Salam Kabbani, PharmD about her book: COVID Long-Hauler: My Life Since COVID
(Part 3 of 15) June 12, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 222: Interview with audio engineer Julie Walthers from Whole Story Studio: https://www.wholestorystudio.com/
(Part 4 of 15) June 16, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 223 Interview with Erin L. Albert, PharmD on her book The Life Science Lawyer
Part 5 of 15) June 19, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 224 Interview with Sue Ojageer, PharmD on her children’s book The Pharma Heroes: The Power of Precision Medicine
(Part 6 of 15) June 23, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 225: Interview with Tony Guerra, PharmD about his Pharmacist Residency and Career Series (8 books)
(Part 7 of 15) June 26, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 226: Interview with Christina Fontana, PharmD about her book Moving Beyond the Counter: Elevating into Heart-Centered Health Care through Entrepreneurship
(Part 8 of 15) June 30, The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast Episode 227: Interview with Jade L. Ranger, PharmD, about her book Mustard Seed Mentality: Unscripted Pearls of Wisdom from a Wife, Mother, and Entrepreneur
(Part 9 of 15) July 7, Interview with RDML Pam Schweitzer, PharmD and her daughter Amy Graves about their children’s book Alice and Jack Hike the Grand Canyon
(Part 10 of 15) July 10, Interview with Cory Jenks, PharmD about his book Permission to Care: Building a Healthcare Culture That Thrives in Chaos
(Part 11 of 15) July 14, Interview with Donna Bartlett, PharmD about her book MedStrong: Shed Your Meds for a Better, Healthier You
(Part 12 of 15) July 17, Interview with Frieda Wiley, PharmD about her book Telecommuting Psychosis: From Surviving to Thriving While Working in Your Pajama Pants. Plus, we touch on her 3 children’s books in development.
(Part 13 of 15) July 21, Interview with Tim Ulbrich, PharmD about his book Seven Figure Pharmacist: How to Maximize Your Income, Eliminate Debt, and Create Wealth
(Part 14 of 15) July 24, Interview with LaQuoia Johnson, PharmD about her book How Rxacism Manifests Inside the Small World of Pharmacy
(Part 15 of 15) July 28, Pharmacist Authors Series wrap-up (solo show)
Thank you for listening to episode 229 of The Pharmacist’s Voice ® Podcast! If you know someone who would like this episode, please share it with them!