Meet Author Carmen Agra Deedy
When I realized I loved to read as a kid
When I was a little girl I loved hearing stories, I loved seeing stories on TV, and I loved ballads, because my father would sing songs. But reading was so hard. I was born in Cuba, so when I came here, I spoke Español. I didn’t speak no stinkin’ English. So I didn’t like to read, because reading was such hard work. I learned to love reading, despite the hard work that it takes to decode and figure out sounds and sight words. That’s where I discovered Charlotte’s Web.
My favorite childhood stories
I loved Encyclopedia Brown, The Boxcar Children, and all the Nancy Drew mysteries. The BFG is still one of my favorite books in the whole wide world. I could go on all day. But if I had to mention one more—The Trumpet and the Swan.
What inspires me to write stories for children
When I realized I loved to read as a kidWhen I was a little girl I loved hearing stories, I loved seeing stories on TV, and I loved ballads, because my father would sing songs. But reading was so hard. I was born in Cuba, so when I came here, I spoke Español. I didn’t speak no stinkin’ English. So I didn’t like to read, because reading was such hard work. I learned to love reading, despite the hard work that it takes to decode and figure out sounds and sight words. That’s where I discovered Charlotte’s Web. My favorite childhood storiesI loved Encyclopedia Brown, The Boxcar Children, and all the Nancy Drew mysteries. The BFG is still one of my favorite books in the whole wide world. I could go on all day. But if I had to mention one more—The Trumpet and the Swan. What inspires me to write stories for children
When I was a little girl, I found the library to be a place where I could hide for hours, open a book, and disappear into every imaginable magical place. Everything vanished around me when I was reading. Sometimes when I closed a book I still walked around and felt like I was in ancient Rome, or floating down the Nile. Kids inspire me these days, because I’m around them all the time. I suppose I really want to write a book that will take a child to one of those wonderful places that I went to as a girl. I’m working on it, guys. How stories connect with kids
Check out Carmen’s books.
Ages 8-12 In this playful homage to Charles Dickens, unlikely allies learn the lessons of a great friendshipSkilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing secret, longs to escape his street-cat life. Tired of dodging fishwives’ brooms and carriage wheels, he hopes to trade London’s damp alleyways for the warmth of ye olde Cheshire Cheese Inn. He strikes a bargain with Pip, an erudite mouse: Skilley will protect the mice who live at the inn, and in turn, the mice will provide Skilley with the thing he desires most.
Ages 6-10 This New York Times Bestseller is a true story of hope and generosity, and the gift a small Kenyan village makes to the people of America. This children’s book was done in collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah and features stunning illustrations by Thomas Gonzalez.
Ages 4-8 Martina the beautiful cockroach doesn’t know coffee beans about love and marriage. That’s where her Cuban family comes in. While some of the Cucarachas offer her gifts to make her more attractive, only Abuela, her grandmother, gives her something really useful: un consejo increíble, some shocking advice.
Ages 8-12 For centuries, the Star of David was a symbol of Jewish pride. But during World War II, Nazis used the star to segregate and terrorize the Jewish people. Except in Denmark. When Nazi soldiers occupied his country, King Christian X of Denmark committed himself to keeping all Danes safe from harm.
Ages 6-10 When Sunrise Elementary School advertised for a thick-skinned librarian with a burning love of books, Miss Lotta Scales knew she was perfect for the job. Who could guard books better than a REAL dragon?
Ages 6-10 Walter Higgins is a scrappy child with a great imagination, yet is still not quite sure of himself. In fact, he feels lost when he is shipped off to Boston to visit his unknown Great Aunt Hortensia (“the Warden”) while his parents pursue their own dream of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Walter feels he is in for the worst summer ever. But then he befriends a mysterious neighbor, Old Zeb, a lonely, grizzled sailor who builds ships in bottles. Deep in the cavernous confines of the cellar, Old Zeb lets Walter in on the Great Secret Project and his lifelong dream.
Ages 4-8 Agatha loves her new feather bed, but when six shivering, naked geese pay her a visit to discuss the origin of the feathers, is her goose cooked? This title is also available in Spanish.
Ages 8-12 Bessie and Ninny are the best of friends. Sometimes on milk-moon nights, Ninny throws buttons at Bessie’s window. When Bessie peeps outside, Ninny sings: “Bessie, oh Bessie! Come dance with me! For I hate to dance alone, Where the old men sleep, And the women weep, And the wild, fey children roam.” Down the drainpipe Bessie slides to visit Ninny, and off they go. |
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
14 Cows for America
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale
The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark
The Library Dragon
The Secret of Old Zeb
Agatha’s Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story
The Last Dance