Book: A Broken Crayon Still Colors
Q1. Please introduce yourself so that the readers will get to know you better.
Hello readers! A bit about me and my background. I graduated from Suffolk University in 2016, with a Bachelor’s in Communications and Public Relations. After graduating, I was working in various Client Service roles in Boston, and eventually, New York City. In August of 2019, I left the corporate world to pursue my dream of becoming an educator. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education with a Dual Certification in Special Education at Bank Street Graduate School of Education. Last semester, I was student-teaching in a 4s/5s UPK classroom in NYC. This semester, I am student-teaching in a 2nd-grade classroom in NYC.
Q2. What is your inspiration behind your book “A Broken Crayon Still Colors”?
A Broken Crayon Still Colors was inspired by my own childhood experiences dealing with divorce. As I reflected on that time, I remembered how scared and confused I was. I questioned what my family would look like with my parents living apart. However, I did not have books or resources that reflected what I was going through or how I was feeling. So, I sought to change that.
Q3. When did you realize you want to be an author of Children’s Book?
During my 2021 Spring Semester at Bank Street, I was enrolled in the course, Language, Literature, and Emergent Literacy in the Primary Grades. This course truly allowed me to examine the role of literature in children’s lives and understand the role of literature in language development in children’s primary and new languages. Exploring the ways to use literature from a wide range of genres and perspectives, honoring and stimulating children’s storytelling, and deepening their learning across content areas, was the catalyst for creating A Broken Crayon Still Colors. While this book started as a final project for school, it has turned into a dream come true.
Q4. Are you planning to release your next book soon?
I hope to create many more children’s books, inspired by my own experiences, and the experiences of those around me. I am in the process of working on another children’s book, which focuses on autism (ASD). While I am in the very beginning stages of this book, I want to focus on stories that reflect and honor the lives of ALL young people.
Q5. For which age group your books are suitable?
My books are suitable for children 8 and under. However, my hopes for this book are to provide a resource for children, grown-ups, and educators, that acknowledges the complex emotions often associated with divorce, separation, and changes within a family, yet explain that even when we feel “broken” those feelings are not forever. This story also serves as a way for children to recognize that “family” looks different for everyone. As a way for children to express their understanding and how they make meaning of the story, the last page of the book encourages readers to draw their family portrait.
Q6. What is your favorite Quote?
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” – Maya Angelou
Q7. What do you like the most about your country?
Diversity. Without the diverse lived experiences of those in our country, we would have no stories to tell, no traditions to share.
Q8. What suggestion you want to give to parents of little readers regarding a reading habit?
One suggestion I would give to parents of little readers is to really think about the books you are choosing to read with your child and/or books you purchase for your child. Make sure you are choosing books that empower and affirm all identities. Recognition of a child’s identity in books can have a powerful effect on how they view themselves and how they view others.
Q9. What does literary success look like to you?
To me, literary success would be knowing I impacted someone’s life. Whether that “someone” is a child, a parent or guardian, an educator, etc., success is knowing that A Broken Crayon Still Colors positively influenced a life.
Q10. Lastly, who is your inspiration in life and why?
My inspiration in life cannot be attributed to a single person, as so many have touched and influenced my life in so many different ways. However, my inspiration to continue to learn, to grow as an educator, and to keep writing, is simply drawn from all of the children who I have had the pleasure of being around.
Book Is Available On Amazon
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