CARRBORO -- "Sometimes the best adventures in life can be found in your own backyard -- especially if you live in Carrboro," local author Irma Tejada told third-grade students at Carrboro Elementary School on Thursday.

Tejada and illustrator Chris Kanoy visited the school to launch a new children's book, "A Weekend in the Paris of the Piedmont."

Mayor Mark Chilton read the book to the children and introduced former resident Nyle Frank, who popularized the phrase "Paris of the Piedmont."

Chilton asked the 9- and 10-year-olds whether any of them spoke French or another language. Nearly half raised their hands, citing Hebrew, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese as a second language.

Tejada and Kanoy discussed how their love affair with Carrboro led them to create a story that features such local attractions as Weaver Street Market, Carrburritos, Cliff's Meat Market and the N.C. Arts Gallery.

"A Weekend in the Paris of the Piedmont" is about Lizzie, a young girl who feels sad about her best friend's trip to Paris. Sensing that her daughter may be unconsciously envious of her friend, Lizzie's mom, Betsy, decides to try to cheer her up by becoming tourists themselves.

The result is a weekend of discovery in their hometown and a whirlwind adventure that brings much joy to Lizzie and her mom.

A former accountant and hospital controller, Tejada retired from UNC Hospitals in 2004.

She got the idea to write about Carrboro after visiting a little village in France where she could walk everywhere.

"I'm really impressed with Carrboro," she said, citing the town's anti-war stands. "It's a small town, but it's so brave. It really is."

She wrote the draft one night on her computer and showed it to a young friend she'll only call Cara.

"She told me I had the two characters eating too much," Tejada said. 'She loved the book, but [said], 'They are going to get fat!'

Kanoy illustrated the book in vibrant yellow and orange colors on the front and back cover, and in black and white on the inside, designed to encourage kids to color the Carrboro locales.

Kanoy is a pastel artist who retired from UNC Hospitals in 2003 as the associate director of hospital epidemiology. She is a member of the Pastel Society of North Carolina and is known for her colorful executions of local architecture, streetscapes and landscapes.

The Chapel Hill Orange County Visitors Bureau provided $1,800 in seed money for the book so that the creators could find a publisher and help the bureau tell the story.