"There hasn't been a publisher up here that will handle children's books," she said, adding that she was refused by publishers in the South many times over. "I was having a dreadful time ... and most Northern artists have said the same thing -- they cannot get in."

The Man in the Moon, a book she describes as "an entertaining myth about the creation of the solar system," has also become a local project from start to finish.

"I think that's really important," said Brookes, who has lived in Yellowknife for eight years and five before that in Cambridge Bay.

Brookes was at the Yellowknife public library Wednesday to offer pre-school children a sample of what she's written. The official release is scheduled for early March.

Already an author of dozens of unpublished children's stories she hopes to publish, Brookes said she selected The Man in the Moon as her debut because "it was the one with the most appeal."

Library technician Fred Coppin commended Brookes after the reading, noting the books was well-received by those who matter the most.

"The kids really seemed to enjoy it, and that's the acid test," Coppin said.

The Man in the Moon also offers an original collection of illustrations by popular artist Ann Timmins, who won a competition to design a banner for the legislature.

One of Brookes' four children, 16-year-old Jane, proposed the book idea three years ago. Brookes said she has no aspirations to support herself through the venture, though. Rather, she's seeking an avenue to express her creativity and enjoy herself.

"I've worked for a number of years in the school system. I love working with children," she said. "But on a full-time, day-to-day basis any job becomes stressful."

A professed fairy-tale and folk-tale enthusiast, Brookes said she enjoys the works of fellow children's authors Peter Eyvindson, Michael Kusugak, Jean Little and Kathy Stinson.

She also hopes to one day produce an interactive CD-ROM focusing on animals of the High Arctic.