Hi, I'm author Lea Beall. Some people ask me how and why I wrote The Stink-a-roo Dog and the Forbidden Portal. I tell them I wrote it when I needed to laugh and when I needed to see my children laugh.  I was very ill, and had been ill, bedridden, for years.  When some doctors finally found some solutions, I began feeling well enough to write.  

     I had really been missing seeing my kids laugh. I was well enough to feel bored in bed, so I wrote this story and others about our affectionate, loyal dog, Patches.  He was there, lying at the foot of my bed, and I thought, I'm going to write about his silly antics and how he loves to get stinky and dirty. I wrote the story from his perspective, so Patches is the narrator.  I hoped to encourage my children in their reading skills, and I thought a funny story would do more to encourage them than anything else.  I drew some pictures to go with the story and it DID make my kids laugh!  I think laughter is a good medicine.  The story created an avenue for me to interact with my kids and I think the laughing made us all feel better. 

     As my health improved I drew more illustrations to go with my book and wrote more funny stories. I eventually submitted The Stinkaroo Dog and the Forbidden Portal to a publisher. 

      I think that kids really need something to hold their attention to encourage them to read if they are having a hard time learning to read or having other difficulties in life.  This short story is meant to help parents laugh with their children and to encourage those with reading difficulties. It is funny enough to keep a child reading and short enough to hold a child's attention.