Which five words describe “Ellie & the Rainy Day”? Fun, adventure, family, creativity, and bonding.
Can you share one highlight from the book? One of my favorite parts of this story is when Ellie is shown a rainbow after the rain clears. One mother said that she take away was to “Always look for the rainbow after the rain” and I think this is an excellent message for children.
What is the purpose of this book? To take a common occurrence like, a bored toddler stuck inside on a rainy day, and transform it into a story packed with adventure, play, creativity and mother-daughter bonding.
Are there themes that you find turn up again and again in your work? A common thread? I’m learning that my passion is writing stories that specifically teach life skills, build confidence, and reinforce positive self-esteem. With “Ellie & the Rainy Day”, the life skill is overcoming obstacles. It’s important to know that things won’t always go as planned, but how we react really shows our level of resilience. Children, especially African-American boys and girls, have to be resilient in this world and these are the kind of messages that I want to be reflected in my work.
Which character or part of the book was the most fun to write? Which was the hardest? I didn’t plan on including the song that Ellie and her mother sing together in the rain when I first drafted the story. But it felt really boring to just say they sang in the rain, so I’d say I had the most fun coming up with the song. The hardest part was creating the beginning of the story. I kind of knew how I wanted the story to end and what would lead up to the ending, but wasn’t sure how the story should start. I wrote three different versions and picked what fits best with the rest of the story.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? Yes. My next book will be available later this year! I’m so excited to share this project with the world. It’s called “Cocoa, Tea & Honey” and celebrates the many different shades of beautiful brown skin. I love it and I know parents and little readers will love it too. Sign up at www.Elliesbookshop.com to get all the updates.
About the author:
Kimberly Davis-Peters has always loved to read. Eager to share the love of reading with her little one, Kimberly was struck by the limited number of stories featuring African American characters and became inspired to create children’s books to help meet this need in the reading community.
Purchase link: https://amzn.to/38qqaEV
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