Mount Pleasant Magazine Nov/Dec 2016

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Dr. Cotton ultimately partnered with local publisher The
Fig and The Vine in 2011 to publish “When Fred The
Snake Got Squished and Mended.”
This story was just the beginning of Fred’s saga; three
more stories about the friendly snake followed: “When
Jungle Jim Came to Visit Fred The Snake,” “When Fred
the Snake Goes to School,” and
“When Fred The Snake and
Friends Explore Charleston.”
These books follow Fred and his
friends through their various
adventures. The last book takes
place in Charleston and includes
some of the most beloved and
iconic spots in town – in fact,
the crew of animals takes a well-
deserved trip across the Ravenel
Bridge to East Cooper.
In order to make the books’
vibrant illustrations come to life,
Dr. Cotton invited his illustrator,
Bonnie Lemaire, to explore the
Lowcountry.
“When I wanted to do the
Charleston book I said ‘You bet-
ter come to Charleston so you
know what you’re illustrating,’
so she came down to Charleston
with her purple hair and green
shoes and her very nice husband
and small child in the spring this
year. She took photographs and
then went back home and drew
these illustrations.” Dr. Cotton
explained.
Prior to the Fred tales, Dr.
Cotton was no stranger to the
writing world, though he has
spent the majority of his time
practicing medicine.
“I’ve written close to 1,000
medical publications, and I’ve
written 15 books about the medi-
cal world. I like writing, and I’m
good at writing so I’ve written a bunch of other different
things. But sometimes getting things to rhyme isn’t easy,”
Dr. Cotton joked.
His medical expertise is what ultimately led him to
the Charleston area. Upon leaving England in search of
a career that would allow him to teach and further his
research, he wound up at Duke University while he was
on one of his lecture tours. After being “made an offer he
simply could not refuse,” he relocated to Durham, North
Carolina, where he married his current wife.
After eight fulfilling years at Duke, Dr. Cotton’s boss
decided to relocate to Charleston and take a position at
MUSC, urging Dr. Cotton to
join him.
“I’m very glad that I moved
here. That’s 22 years ago now,”
the doctor said.
When he arrived at MUSC,
Dr. Cotton began building up
the gastroenterology program
and teaching classes. He con-
tinues to teach and do research
and considers himself to be
only semi-retired.
Meanwhile, the Fred books
became his side project and
an outlet for him to release his
creativity and continue writ-
ing. At this point, they have
garnered quite a bit of atten-
tion and created a following.
“One award I got was
from a children’s organization.
They said the original Fred
book is a great way of teaching
kids about crossing the road
and also that hospitals are not
scary,” Dr. Cotton said.
Fred’s story not only
influences children in the
Lowcountry; it’s about to be
introduced in China as well.
“I’ve done a fair amount of
work in China over the years,
and a book I wrote about my
life has been published in
Chinese. So one of my doctor
friends in Hong Kong trans-
lated [the Fred books] into
Chinese, and they’re working
on the publication right now,” Dr. Cotton said.
From school signings to readings at Barnes & Noble,
Dr. Cotton hopes to use Fred to further educate and en-
tertain children. The next installment of Fred’s adventure
is already in the works. It’s about his day at the beach, and
it’s expected to be published sometime next year.
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Dr. Cotton’s illustrator, Bonnie Lemaire, left, traveled to
Charleston so she could get a feel for the Holy City.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Peter Cotton.