Our Treehouse joins the Emma Clark Library’s Local Focus Collection

Our Treehouse joins the Emma Clark Library’s Local Focus Collection

We are thrilled to share some wonderful news--Our Treehouse, the first book from the Moms’ Playground Book Club, has been officially added to the Emma Clark Library’s Local Focus Collection. This program highlights local authors and illustrators whose creative work reflects the spirit and life of the Three Village community. Seeing our story placed among works that celebrate imagination, family, and collaboration is both humbling and deeply meaningful.

The journey of Our Treehouse began during the pandemic, when two mothers, Anna Koh and Emilia Zielinska-Bien, met at a playground in Stony Brook. In a time when distance and uncertainty defined daily life, the simple act of gathering outdoors with their children became a seed of inspiration. They discovered a shared love for storytelling—Anna through her watercolor illustrations and Emilia through her words. Together, they began dreaming about how to transform their everyday moments of play, imagination, and community into something lasting.

That dream grew into the Moms’ Playground Book Club, a creative circle that welcomes local parents and children to tell stories together. Joined by Freja and Becca, Anna and Emilia envisioned the club as a place where art and storytelling could bridge families, cultures, and generations. Their mission is not only to make books but to create shared memories—stories that reflect the voices, dreams, and colors of the Three Village community.

Our Treehouse became the first fruit of this collaboration. Written by Emilia and illustrated by Anna, the book tells a story about friendship, imagination, and the sense of belonging that every child and family seeks. The process was deeply personal: Emilia drew inspiration from her family life on Long Island and her love of nature, while Anna translated that warmth and sincerity into soft, vibrant watercolor images. Every page carries their shared belief that creativity is a form of connection—a way to heal, to dream, and to bring people together.

Being part of the Local Focus Collection is more than just a milestone; it’s an affirmation of what community art can be. The Emma Clark Library has long been a space where local stories find their home, and now Our Treehouse will sit on its shelves as a reminder that creativity often begins in the simplest places—a park bench, a child’s drawing, or a conversation between neighbors.

Through the Moms’ Playground Book Club, Anna and Emilia hope to continue this journey. Their vision is to create a series of books born from collaboration, each one carrying a piece of the community’s heart. Just as tree branches grow in different directions yet remain connected to one trunk, every story they share will celebrate unity through diversity, imagination, and love.

For families in the Three Village area, Our Treehouse stands as an invitation—to read together, to create together, and to discover the power of storytelling within their own homes. We are grateful to the Emma Clark Library for recognizing this project and for giving local voices a space to be heard and cherished.
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You can now find Our Treehouse in the Local Focus section of the library. May it inspire more families to climb their own “treehouse” of creativity and discover how stories can bring us all a little closer.

Our Treehouse, the first book from the Moms’ Playground Book Club, joins the Emma Clark Library’s Local Focus Collection—celebrating community, art, and storytelling in Stony Brook.