EAST LONGMEADOW – Former Meadow Brook Elementary School nurse and East Longmeadow resident Carol Kasper has penned her first book, “I Have Cheese Doodles Up My Nose! Quotes from an Elementary School Nurse’s Office.”

Kasper worked as a Registered Nurse for 36 years, with the final 15 years in school nursing.

“As the School Nurse at Meadow Brook School, I would get a laugh or smile daily from the amusing and surprising things the children would say,” Kasper recollected. “When I would sometimes relate these anecdotes to family or friends, they would say, ‘you should write a book!’”

From there, Kasper began to write down funny or interesting comments that children would relay to her, and she kept a journal for several years.

“The title of the book is one of the first quotes I recorded in my journal. It always struck me as the perfect example of a child’s humor, honesty and unpredictability.”

“I Have Cheese Doodles Up My Nose” presents quotes from elementary school children that Kasper describe as funny, captivating and honest.

“My Health Secretary and I would hear a child make a funny remark, and later she would say, ‘is that going in the book?’ Not all the comments did—I tried to choose the most unique ones,” Kasper explained.

For years Kasper planned to put the quotes she’d collected in book form. Though she enjoyed putting together the quotes, the process of submitting the book to publishers and waiting for a response was daunting. After receiving a few rejections, Kasper decided to go down the self-publishing route.

“It took me about two months to format the book for publication. There were a few bumps, as I’m new to the process, but Kindle Direct Publishing on amazon.com was very helpful,” she shared.

Though the book has countless quotes, Kasper notes a few favorites.

“Some of my favorite quotes are of a child trying to describe an illness or injury,” she explained,“‘My temperature was 99 and I was throwing up. When it’s 100 you must be dead.’ ‘When I eat my soup, I feel like poop!’ ‘My nose is bleeding, and I wasn’t even picking it!’ Also, a child’s unique perspective, ‘I just had my birthday– I was five years old forever!’ and ‘I finished my math problem – I used my 14 fingers!’”

Kasper’s e-book for “I Have Cheese Doodles Up My Nose! Quotes from an Elementary School Nurse’s Office” was released on March 6 and the paperback on April 17. Kasper notes she’s had a good response from both the school community and local parents.

Though she is no longer Meadow Brook’s nurse, Kasper still maintains ties with the school by volunteering. Additionally, she volunteers with Link to Libraries and St. Michael’s Religious Education program. In her spare time, Kasper enjoys traveling with her husband and spending time with her three children, whom they are very proud of.