Magnolia Rising: Local Author Releases Children’s Book

Southern Coast–Inspired Children’s Book Depicts Unlikely Crab and Heron Duo Saving the Marsh from Unexpected Dangers

Enchanted by the timeless beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry, Brian Moriarty was inspired to pen a children’s book that beachgoers, wildlife enthusiasts, and residents of the Lowcountry will love!

Moriarty’s Magnolia Rising (Blue Balloon Books) takes readers to the Lowcountry, where land and sea creatures live and where an anxiety-riddled heron named Aster and an awkward blue crab named Magnolia take on adventures in the sky! Together, Magnolia and Aster find belonging and discover that they can defy odds when they work together—despite the doubts and ridicule of those around them.

Mocked for their peculiar friendship, these two misfits prove all wrong when their friendship is the very thing that saves local wildlife from an approaching hurricane. In a story of accepting everyone’s differences and finding friends in unforeseen places, Magnolia Rising is a darling tale for all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Though Brian Moriarty calls Bay Village, home, the pull of the Lowcountry has drawn him back year after year since the 1970s—first as a young traveler with his parents and now alongside his wife, Ellen, and their children. An attorney by profession, Brian possesses a love of music and nature that brings a sense of harmony and wonder to everything he does, inspiring his creative pursuits and deep connection to the world around him.

These passions are woven together in his debut children’s book, Magnolia Rising, a creation lovingly shaped in collaboration with his family. In a world filled with complexities, Maggie and Aster’s story unfolds as a tender reminder of life’s most precious truths: the magic of self-belief and the unbreakable bonds of friendship.