From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books.childrens

Her husband, E. Wesley Jernigan, illustrated her books. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/tucson/name/gisela-jernigan-obituary?id=33593858
Gisela died peacefully at Tucson Medical Center Sunday, February 27, 2022. She was born Gisela Brashear in Livonia, Michigan to William W. Brashear and Gisela H. Brashear, and moved to Arizona when she was 18. She is survived by her husband, Wes; her sons, Marcus, Kevin, Thomas and Alan as well as her daughter-in-law, Kelsey; her two granddaughters, Cora and Alma and her nephew, William Broen. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, William R. Brashear and her sister, Margot Broen. Despite a life of difficulty resulting from severe rheumatoid arthritis beginning when she was 18, her accomplishments are substantial. In addition to being a mother to four sons she took three degrees at the University of Arizona including a master's degree in library science and a doctorate in Language, Reading and Culture. She became an expert in children's literature and taught courses in Southwestern Children's literature at the University of Arizona. She was the author of a half dozen children's books including "One Green Mesquite Tree", "Agave Blooms Just Once", and "Sonoran Seasons". Several of her books won important awards including "Arizona Author of the Year" from the Arizona Libraries Association. She was fluent in Spanish and had studied Japanese. She also ran the library at Saint Frances Cabrini Parish for many years. Until a few years ago, she led a political book discussion group and a writing group at Antigone Book Store. She has been an inspiration to her family and the many people whose lives she has touched...
https://www.google.com/search?q=%22gisela+jernigan%22+books&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwizve2jpviCAxVPGGIAHZs8B5cQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=%22gisela+jernigan%22+books&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQA1DWCFiJG2CcHWgBcAB4AIABZIgBwAGSAQMxLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=xRdvZfPGJs-wiLMPm_mcuAk&bih=644&biw=1366&rlz=1CAJMBU_enUS1087
(book covers)
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/801310.Gisela_Jernigan
(reader reviews)
From "Contemporary Authors":
"...When my oldest son was born in 1970, I did not really know much about current children's literature, although I enjoyed reading him Winnie the Pooh and Richard Scarry books. In 1976 I went to library school, and my first class in children's literature was a revelation. Every evening, when our instructor wheeled in a book-laden cart, it seemed like Christmas or my birthday; the selection of children's books was so varied and appealing. Now I was inspired to begin reading hundreds of children's books to both myself and my children. Gradually, after reading and enjoying so many other people's books, I began to feel that maybe I should try to contribute something myself, rather than just taking from other people.
"In 1986, when I was pregnant with my youngest child, I was sitting at the kitchen table (in Tucson, Arizona) and heard the cicadas buzzing loudly in the two large mesquite trees in our backyard. They seemed to represent the heat and laziness of summer to me, and I was inspired to write the first page of my Sonoran Desert counting book, One Green Mesquite Tree. The other pages did not come so quickly or easily, and I did not always write them in numerical order. I had to do quite a lot of research to make sure that I had the plants and animals depicted in possible elevations, combinations, times of day, etc. I really had the idea to write a Sonoran Desert alphabet book at the same time. At that time there were no other books on these topics. While I am still interested in writing about the Southwest, I'm also interested in writing about other regions, especially the Great Lakes, where I grew up."
WRITINGS:
One Green Mesquite Tree, illustrated by husband, E. Wesley Jernigan, Harbinger House (Tucson, AZ), 1988.
("Introduces the numbers one through twenty in rhymed text and illustrations describing various plants and animals of the desert.")
Agave Blooms Just Once, illustrated by E. W. Jernigan, Harbinger House, 1989.
("Illustrated verses present plants and animals of the desert from A to Z.") Sonoran Seasons: A Year in the Desert, illustrated by E. W. Jernigan, Harbinger House, 1994.
("Introduces twelve food-related plants of the Sonoran Desert.")
The Tooth of Meluadeangel, 2014
("This story is a retelling of one of the myths of the Palau Islands of the western Pacific...Wes Jernigan learned the traditional narrative art style of Palau and a number of local myths while doing doctoral research in the Palau Islands.")
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