A Salisbury mother of three just published her first book, which is named after her eldest son and features a character based on the family pet.

“Jasper’s Animal Adventures” by Lindsey Pullen tells the tale of Jasper, a young, enthusiastic boy who loves to explore outside and learn about animals. In the book, Jasper and his favorite pup, Lola, travel to Florida to learn about what makes alligators unique.

“This is my first book,” Pullen said on Thursday. “Hopefully, my first of many more to come.”

Inherent to the book is Jasper’s exploration of alligators. Alligator is a clue to other parts of the book. Pullen indicated that Jasper’s Animal Adventures features “challenge words” throughout and that they all begin with the letter A.

That alphabetic component offers a segue into Pullen’s next project, a book about beavers.

So how did this Salisburian cook up the idea of becoming a children’s author?

Pullen, who has a degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, started writing for fun but took on a more concentrated approach following complications from her latest pregnancy.

“I was bedridden for four or five months,” Pullen said. “I had to relearn how to walk. Then, I had a blood clot.”

That life-changing experience shifted Pullen’s outlook.

“I wanted to do what I love,” Pullen said. “So, I kept working on my book.”

The book draws its inspiration from watching Jasper learn and grow. As Pullen read books to him, she began to develop the idea based on what interested him, but the book is for children from multiple stages of development.

“I wanted a book that if you had children of different ages, you could sit down and read and have all their attention,” Pullen said.

For example, on each illustrated page, there is a butterfly. So, as she is reading to her children, she can engage the youngest daughter, Elin, by challenging her to look for the butterfly. Meanwhile, her two sons, Aksel and the titular Jasper, can focus more on vocabulary.

The book also features a familiar landscape for her little ones. Pullen’s husband, Aaron Ritchie, is from Florida, and the family vacations there frequently. That familiarity provided the perfect backdrop for a book about alligators.

Pullen is excited about the series and eager to see where writing takes her.

Jasper’s Animal Adventures was published through Dorrance Publishing Co. It was illustrated by Patrick Camelo.

It is available on Dorrance’s website or Barnes & Noble.