Margaret M. Peiffer is the author of Henrietta and
Henry, a self-published children’s book awarded the
Trafford Gold Seal and positively reviewed by the U.S.
Review of Books. But Peiffer doesn’t spend her days
hobnobbing with literati. She spends her days serving Queen
of Apostles School in Alexandria – and has for the past 18
years.
When the 33-year veteran of the federal government retired
from her personnel job in the Office of the Controller of the
Currency in 1997, she hoped to find a way to give back to the
community.
“I’m not a person to sit and look at soap operas all day,”
she said.
So Peiffer, a parishioner of Our Lady of Victory Church in
Washington, headed to a public school to apply for a
part-time tutoring job.
“But when they said all you can use are flashcards, I was
out,” she said. “That’s when I thought I’d try the Catholic
schools. I’ve been Catholic all my life and the schools were
familiar territory.”
Peiffer found her place at Queen of Apostles, 10 minutes from
her Alexandria home, under then-principal Mary West. She
trained as a reading specialist and began working with
children in kindergarten, third, fourth and fifth grades.
“I love reading and I love children,” she said. “Putting the
two together is sometimes challenging, but helping children
is what I do every day. That will be my legacy.”
When she isn’t tutoring, she assists the current principal,
Kathy Littlefield, with writing informational packets for
parents and completing other tasks as needed.
Peiffer volunteers at Queen of Apostles every day from 9 a.m.
until 3 p.m., except on Tuesdays, when she ends at noon. Then
she packs up and goes to Charles E. Beatley Central Library
in Alexandria to teach English to adults.
Outside of volunteering, Peiffer enjoys what Alexandria has
to offer. Her regular walks around Southern Towers, an
apartment complex on Seminary Road, inspired her to pen
Henrietta and Henry, which came out in March. “I saw a goose
sitting on her eggs and I would talk to her every day,” she
said. “One day, I noticed that her eggs had broken, and
that’s what gave me my book idea.”
Illustrated by Kenn Yapsangco, the story of Henrietta and
Henry follows the lives of a mother goose and a father
goose living in Alexandria. Their story teaches children
about the habits of Canada geese and the basics of
environmental stewardship.
In her review of the book for U.S. Review of Books,
Anita Lock wrote, “Henrietta and Henry is not only a
wonderful informational book on the life cycle of geese, but
it also sets a powerful example on the effectiveness of
dedicated parenting and community involvement in raising the
next generation.”
Peiffer’s second book, Rainbow Love, now in
production, plays on a few similar themes as Henrietta and
Henry. It, too, stars animals and takes place in
Alexandria. The book revolves around a chipmunk and a
squirrel who spot a rainbow over Fort Ward Park. Through the
animals’ conversation, young readers learn the story of
Noah’s ark.
“Faith is the basis of my writing and my life,” said Peiffer.
“I want children to learn to take care of what God has given
us and to protect the earth.”
Stoddard can be reached at [email protected].
