A Thousand White Butterflies and Spirit of the Cheetah in Pittsburgh!
The first Pittsburgh Festival of Books was a grand success. The predicted rain did not arrive until late in the day and attendees enjoyed sunny skies for readings, story telling, poetry and all things books. Jessica Betancourt Perez, coauthor of A Thousand White Butterflies, joined me from York, PA. She shared her experiences as an immigrant coming to the US from Colombia and read our book to the audience. Jessica's son Caleb modeled the traditional Colombian Sombrero and poncho for us. I shared Spirit of The Cheetah (coauthor Khadra Mohammed) with the audience. Kids and [...]
Honored to have TWO books Chosen Best Books of the Year 2022
Bank Street College In choosing books for the annual list, reviewers consider literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes. Each book accepted for the list is read and reviewed [...]
From Korea to Ukraine, An unexpected Connection
I recently received this email from Korea: To Karen, Hello, I’m a teacher at a Korean elementary school. While reading ‘four feet, two sandles’ I wondered if there was a Ukrainian and Polish version of that book. Please let me know when you know that. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, While Four Feet Two Sandals, about two refugee girls in a refugee camp in Pakistan, is published in several languages I had to respond that there are no translations of this book in Ukrainian or Polish. How small our world [...]
A Beach Tail Now In Paper Back!
I got my copies! It's not too early to start planning for your beach read. And now it's in paperback. Illustrated by Floyd Cooper who sadly passed away this last July. A great loss to the children's book world. He brought his magic to A Beach Tail and I am honored. See his many wonderful books here: http://www.floydcooper.com And no need to wait for warmer weather. Read and take a beach adventure now!
Story Walk A Thousand White Butterflies Vail, CO.
Who doesn't love a winter walk in the snow with a good book? Put on your boots, snowshoes or skies, bundle up and take the dog. Head on over to Big Horn Park in Vail Colorado for the story walk and read A Thousand White Butterflies sponsored by the Vail Public Library. Enjoy activities along the way. Enjoy nature. https://vaillibrary.com/storywalk/ Vail too far away? Check out your local library or independent bookstore for a copy. Curl up with some hot chocolate. And READ! Enjoy!
A Thousand White Butterflies a CCBC Winner!
Category: Best Picture Books for School Age Children CCBC Choices is the annual best-of-the-year list of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The fully annotated Choices document will be available as a pdf by early March, 2022. The Choices 2022 books will also be in the CCBC-recommended books database by early March. This announcement. Something to warm my heart and soul on a gray, cold winter day. A day like Jessica and I imaged for Isabella when we were writing A Thousand White Butterflies. [...]