Island writer and publisher Gwen McConnell will hold a release party for her latest children’s audio book, “The Tales of Mindy Mousekins,” from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Vashon Bookshop.

Five years ago, McConnell and her husband Marc Gavin moved to Vashon to give their two young daughters a childhood infused with nature and the nurturing of a small community.

“We wanted for them, and us, to have a slower pace,” McConnell said, “an actual childhood with all the freedom that we had growing up … playing in the woods.”

Committed to a natural environment, McConnell also felt strongly about reading kind stories to her girls. She was familiar with children’s literature, having been a student in the University of Washington’s certificate program for children’s books and having researched the children’s books currently on the market. Finding a dearth of titles and harboring a secret desire to open a publishing company, McConnell took matters into her own hands. She had been impressed with the storytelling that was an integral part of her daughter’s education at a Waldorf school on the island. When she eventually met Seattle Waldorf teacher and author Jacqueline Houston, McConnell’s idea to publish children’s book started to grow legs. She established Whispering Bog Books and began publishing audio books for kids ages 2 to 9.

While Houston recorded her stories about the friendly forest denizens, every other artistic endeavor for the project involved island artists, including painter Britt Freda, designer Jenna Riggs, musicians Karin Choo, Annie Roberts, Gaye Detzer and Marc Gavin.

“I am so grateful to those incredibly gifted and generous artists,” McConnell said. “This island has an astonishing amount of talent.”