Author & Developmental Editor
The Stray and the Strangers
by Steven Heighton (Author) and Melissa Iwai (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop
Booktalk: Based on a true story, a stray dog befriends an orphan boy in a refugee camp on a Greek island.
Snippet: In the fiery heat of summer afternoons, Kanella rested in her cool den under the table. The man now wore a hat. It smelled like sweet grass and cast a shadow on his red face. His eyes seemed bluer than ever.
Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.
What to Bring
by Lorna Schultz Nicholson (Author) and Ellen Rooney (Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop
Booktalk: Malia and her family are spending a day outside when they notice something strange. Huge white-and-gray clouds fill the sky, planes zoom overhead, and the air smells funny. A forest fire is sweeping the area, and they need to evacuate their home.
Daddy tells Malia that she needs to choose what to bring. “Pick small things. Things important to you,” he says. But there’s so much that Malia wants to take with her! Her pillows and blankets. Her family of teddy bears. LOTS of books. As the pile in her room grows, and chaos swirls around her, Malia comes to realize that what is most important to her won’t fit in a backpack: her little brother, her cat, and her dog.
Snippet:
Copyright © 2023 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.