Hulme went to the rest home where Davis lived, ostensibly to cheer her up, but found herself being the one entertained. Those visits were part of an outreach program for Mormon shut-ins. Davis told of growing up in a large Mormon household in New Mexico in the early days of the last century.

Hulme would leave thinking, "Someone should write these stories down." Eventually she realized that that someone would have to be her. So she began typing the stories up after each visit and reading them back to Mrs. Davis at their next meeting.

By the time Davis died, Hulme had a trove of 35 different stories. These, combined with Hulme's own imagination and remembrances of also growing up in a Mormon household, form the basis for Climbing. It's the second in a series, and Hulme expects it to yield six books total.

Most of Hulme's 15 published works have been written for preschoolers and early readers, including pop-up books. But Climbing the Rainbow is designed for 8­12-year-olds, telling how 10-year-old Dora managed to catch up to her grade level, attending school for the first time four years late.

She was born tongue-tied: her tongue attached to the roof of her mouth, making it impossible for her to speak. Part of an isolated family, she had never been to a doctor, but at last one saw her, diagnosed her plight, and performed the necessary surgery to free her tongue.

Thus, she was finally able to teach herself to talk and read. As homesteaders, the family had very little money but plenty of innovative ideas about entertainment. Events in the book range from the grimness of preparations for a funeral to gleeful participation in a fly-swatting contest.

A tragedy tears her life apart. "Vivid, gritty and touching" are the words the American Library Association uses to describe Climbing the Rainbow. Hulme, who was recently widowed, says that the final book publication preparations helped her with the grieving process.

The Monte Serenan will have a booksigning March 6, 2­4 p.m., at Beehive Bookstore, 1197 Wyrick Ave. at Bercaw in San Jose. Incidentally, there's another local touch: Mrs. Davis' daughter is Mary Lou Irwin, who lives in Saratoga. "And looks just like Ora," says Hulme. "I feel like I'm back with her when I visit."

GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: They met at the Vegas Ventriloquist Festival two years ago, and now Carol Greene will be reuniting with Ryoko Utsunomiya in Kobe, Japan. Greene is a professional ventriloquist and Utsunomiya a vent student. As a Goodwill Ambassador from Skyland Church, Greene will be in Japan a month.

She'll lecture and perform, along with sightseeing. One performance will be a benefit in Tokyo for Japanese FHI, a world hunger organization, at the invitation of Takeshi Ikeda, president of the Japan Ventriloquist Association and a movie star.

Greene is traveling by herself, knows only a scant Japanese, but "taking the puppets is a good icebreaker. When I travel with puppets, I tend to meet people and encounter very unusual experiences," she says.

Greene and her puppets will lecture about California life, including the story of Mountain Charley, the '89 earthquake, locally grown products, and community events—Harvest Festival, potlucks, art shows, concerts. She'll sing four original songs in English and Japanese.

She'll visit a cha-dou (traditional tea ceremony teacher) in Tokyo, stay in a Japanese inn in Kyoto, and attend Hina Doll Festival Day. "I'm taking four puppets: Reginald Rabbit, who thinks he's God's gift to women; Katie Lynn, typical kindergartner; Terra Terrier, who looks real; and Cal."

Cal is a California Cuckoo, cross-eyed and bright feathered, and will be a gift to Utsunomiya just before Greene leaves Japan.

OUTSTANDING DEALER: John Moore of Moore Buick Pontiac GMC was one of 63 candidates nationwide nominated for the Quality Dealer of the Year Award sponsored by Time Magazine and Goodyear Tire. The award is given for exceptional performance in dealership and distinguished community service.

Those are two attributes that Moore has in spades, as anyone will tell you—Patti Hughes, for one. Moore was nominated by the Silicon Valley Auto Dealers Association and was one of only three nominated from California. An East Coast dealer won the award.

Moore's son, Bret, LGHS '90, is the third-generation Moore to work at the dealership. Fleet manager is Dave Hopp, LGHS '76. "This just proves it pays to shop Los Gatos," adds Hughes.

Got a tip for Main Street? Send email to maryanncook@earthlink.net.