Collinsville Resident Weaves Love of His Children, Story and the Sea in Children's Book

Collinsville resident Michael J. DiPinto may not be a trained writer but he loves a good story and has told many, especially when his children Aaron and Nicole were younger. During a family vacation in South Yarmouth several years a comment from then 4-year-old Nicole sparked an idea.  

DiPinto, however, didn't do much with the idea but held on to it. 

“I left it alone for a good number of years,” said DiPinto, a life-long Canton resident.

Several years later, DiPinto took three to four months to perfect the story and now the “The Princess Mermaid and the Missing Sea Shells” is out for the world to share.

It tells the story of a young mermaid, Princess Nicole, who decides to swim alone and is captured by Captain J. Lee Fish.

The book continues with plenty of adventure, teaching valuable lessons as children of all ages learn how her fellow mermaids rescue Nicole. 

“It never started out being about a lesson, it just turned out that way,” said DiPinto, a construction administrator and project manager for Tai Soo Kim Partners Architects.

Approximately a year ago, DiPinto was in Florida and visited a gift shop, where he saw publications from an area publisher, Peppertree Press, LLC. He decided to bring them his manuscript. The company liked what they saw.

“It was just the right place at the right time,” DiPinto said. From there, the publisher found an illustrator and worked to publish the book.

It is now available locally at Carol and Company in downtown Collinsville, as well as through major online retailers like Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and Books a Million. DiPinto is also working on getting other retailers, such as aquariums, to carry the title. 

Learn more about the book and get updates and more at its facebook page.