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For the seventh year running, the staff of First Book journeyed to Ben’s Chili Bowl, a D.C. landmark, to celebrate Halloween, display their costumes, and eat half smokes. We hope you have a spooky and spectacular Halloween!

First Book’s own Erica Perl, Director of Publisher Relations at First Book, is also an award-winning children’s book author. Her most recent effort, When Life Gives You O.J., is her first middle grade novel and was called “a must read for all 8-12 year olds”. Erica’s love and knowledge of children’s literature is a huge help to us at First Book, and we’re so proud that her new book has been chosen as an Amazon Best Book for June, 2011. 

When Life Gives You O.J. focuses on almost-eleven-year-old Zelly Fried, who has tried to convince her parents to let her have a dog for years. After all, practically everyone in Vermont owns a dog, and it sure could go a long way helping Zelly fit in since moving there from Brooklyn.  But when her eccentric grandfather, Ace, hatches a ridiculous plan involving a “practice dog” named O.J., Zelly’s not so sure how far she’s willing to go to win a dog of her own.  Is Ace’s plan so-crazy-it-just-might-work… or just plain crazy?

In honor of the release of When Life Gives You O.J., Erica will be giving away a gift set that includes a signed copy of the book, a water bottle, and bag on Wednesday, June 16, 2011. How to win? Follow @Firstbook on twitter tomorrow and answer this simple question: “What is a good children’s book for the summer?” Make sure to use the hashtag #kidlit in your response. The winner will be picked randomly and announced on Thursday, June 17, 2011.

Check out the book trailer for When Life Gives You O.J. below:

watch?v=6dC_3625Y7c

Moms are near and dear to us, here at First Book. Many of us are moms, and all of us have moms, of course, but more than that, when we look at the people who support First Book – through donations, volunteering and helping us spread the word – we see a lot of mothers. We think that’s because, while no one likes to see kids without books to call their own, mothers like it even less than the rest of us.

So to celebrate Mother’s Day, please consider making a donation to First Book in the name of a special mom in your life, and send her this nifty e-card to let her know you were thinking about her. We’ll use your generous donation to continue providing access to new books for children in need.

Happy Mothers’ Day, from all your friends at First Book!

This week is National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we want to take a moment to say “Thank you!” to all the First Book volunteers – the interns who give their time and knowledge at the First Book offices, the volunteers who come out to our reading parties and book distributions, the high school students and teachers who help us distribute tons of books (literally) each year, and the thousands of members of First Book Advisory Boards all across the country who raise over a million dollars every year to support schools and programs in their local communities.

Thank you!

We couldn’t do it without you.

First Book loves March Madness! We even have a “friendly” bracket competition going on in the office – although President Obama’s bracket was beating all of us the last time we checked.

Even in the midst of the drama and excitement of the tournament, we recognize that basketball teaches so many meaningful life lessons: courage, cooperation, dedication and hard work. Many of the inspirational lessons taught on the basketball court can also be found in the basketball-related titles that we carry in the First Book Marketplace.

So if you’re a teacher or program leader whose kids are swept up in the magic of March Madness, here are some books available on the First Book Marketplace that embody the spirit of basketball:

Laurence Yep’s Dragon Road: Golden Mountain Chronicles: 1939, is the story of best friends Cal and Barney who are down and out in Chinatown. In the America of 1939, they are trapped by invisible barriers created by racial prejudice. With no jobs and no real homes, it’s only their wizardry with a basketball that’s let them survive this long. That same skill suddenly flings a door open to fame and fortune when a professional basketball team, the Dragons, invites them to join the team.

Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big by Chris Paul and & Frank Morrison, chronicles the story of NBA all-star basketball player Chris Paul. When Chris was a kid everyone told him that he was too small to play basketball. But he ignored them all…because he had BIG dreams.

Off the Rim by Fred Bowen, is the story of Chris, who yearns to be more than a benchwarmer on the Oak View Middle School basketball team. With the help of his best friend Greta and her mom, Chris begins to change his defensive strategy and successfully learns to keep his opponents from scoring.

If you work with children from low-income communities, be sure to register your classroom or program with First Book so we can help you get books for your kids in March, and throughout the year.

The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

Happy birthday to Dr. Seuss, from all your friends at First Book!

What did YOU do to celebrate Read Across America Day?

Today is the first annual First Book Friendiversary! We are very excited.

A Friendiversary, of course, is the anniversary of a friendship. Think of one of your oldest and dearest friends. When did you first meet? How did you meet? That story is the story of your Friendiversary.

To celebrate Friendiversary, First Book teamed up with Mo Willems, the author of some truly terrific books for kids and a good friend of ours. Mo wanted to do something special for some of the kids in New Orleans (where he grew up) and Springfield, Mass. (near where he lives now). So today, thousands of 2nd-graders in those two cities are getting their very own copy of one of Mo’s ‘Elephant & Piggie‘ books. They will also be having Friendiversary parties in their classrooms.

We are big fans of both Mo’s award-winning work and his generosity, and we were proud to be able to help him get these books to the kids in those schools. To mark the occasion, we even had a Friendiversary celebration of our own. You can see some photos below. The ‘Pig’ team won the dance competition, but the ‘Elephant’ team has vowed to practice hard and take the prize next year.

We’ll share some stories from the kids as soon as we hear them. In the meantime, we’d love to hear your own Friendiversary stories. We know you have some good ones. Share them with us in the comments section below, or on our Facebook page.

Erica S. Perl is an award-winning children’s book author.  Her new picture book, Dotty, illustrated by Julia Denos, was published by Abrams in August, 2010.

Bookmark, The First Book Blog, is the last stop of the blog tour for my new book, Dotty.  Dotty is the story of a girl named Ida, her extremely persistent imaginary friend, Dotty, and her perceptive and kind teacher, Ms. Raymond.  When Ida starts school with Dotty in tow, she is pleased to discover that her classmates also have imaginary friends.  But as the year continues, all the other imaginary friends disappear, while Dotty remains… and playground conflict ensues.  Ms. Raymond steps in — not to rescue Ida, but to show her that she is not alone and that imagination is very much welcomed and encouraged in her classroom.

This blog tour has been a blast and as a special treat for the First Book blog, I’ve invited Julia Denos, Dotty’s wonderful illustrator, to join me today!  I’ve asked her three questions that I often get asked, and that – coincidentally – make great jumping off points if you read Dotty with kids and want to discuss it and do extension activities:

• Hi Julia!  Thanks for joining us.  First question: what is your “Dotty” (that is, what is the secret side of you that not everyone gets to see… and that won’t go away)?

My inner child is my “Dotty”! She’s always hanging around. I don’t think I will ever really totally grow up, I will always sort of have one foot in the imaginary realm and the other in reality, a little like Ida I guess… this makes me forgetful about practical things/open/dreamy half of the time, but worried I’ve forgotten my keys/grown-up acting/super-organized (to try to make up for it) the other half of the time. Most of the time people see grown-up me, but the inner child is the real deal, behind me on a very long blue leash.

• Can you tell us about a really good friend… real or imaginary?

My best friend is named Matt. He’s a talented artist. He creates character designs and outfit concepts for video games now, but we used to draw in high school art class together. He used to skate board and I used to try to balance on his board, not very well. He is very good at being practical and patient when I am dreaming off on a little cloud and forgetful (Matt’s a secret dreamer too). He’s the best listener I know. His favorite snack are peanuts-in-the-shell. We make each other laugh. We just got married this year!

• Okay, last question:  What would you like to see Ida and Dotty do next, if they had another adventure?

Ida learns to ride on Dotty’s back and Dotty learns to fly. Recess is spent at Dotty’s house (they fly there) having tea, instead of on the black top. Katya is invited if she’s nice.

Hmm, a flying adventure.  I like that.  Guess I better do some more writing!

Thanks for joining the blog tour, Julia! It has been such fun visiting blogs and meeting new friends along the way.  But never fear, I have some live-in-person events coming up, including the Princeton Children’s Book Festival tomorrow (9/11/10) from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Princeton, NJ and many more, so please check the events page at my website – eri

First Book staff got in touch with their magical side yesterday making treats in celebration of Harry Potter’s birthday. Here’s a taste of some of the treats we made!

Cockroach Clusters
Melt chocolate in a bowl and stir in halved pretzel sticks to create these crunchy cockroaches. Simply spoon out the mixture and attach some licorice antennae, freeze and enjoy! Make sure you eat them before they hop up and run away!

Acid Pops
Lightly coat unwrapped blow pops in a sugar-water solution, making sure to shake off excess. Then roll the pops in a colorful pop rock mixture to add a magic touch. Be warned, consumption of these pops may lead to head combustion!

Licorice Wands
Dip licorice sticks into the frosting of your choice, making sure to coat at least the top third of the stick. Roll the frosting-covered end in crushed lifesavers for a sparkling effect. Proceed granting wishes!

After a fun day in the office we realized that while the magic of Harry Potter has touched millions throughout the world, there are still under-privileged children who lack access to books. In honor of our hero’s birthday, please consider a donation to First Book so that more children may experience the magic of their first book.

Name: Mitali C.

Where is your home town?

Terre Haute, IN – I am the Indian from Indiana.

What do you do at First Book?

I work with amazing national nonprofits and   government agencies to get them connected to First Book resources.

What book are you currently reading?

“Banker to the Poor” by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Muhammad Yunnus

Tell us a fun fact about you?

I love to travel with a simple itinerary, “Go Left!”  30+ states and 20+ countries later and I have managed to see a good part of the world and somehow am still alive.

Do You Have a Favorite Quote to Live By?

“Nothing great in life is achieved without enthusiasm.” – Emerson

Who is your hero?

I know it’s cheesy mcheesey, but my parents are my heroes.  How they got out of there little villages in India, immigrated to America and then created a life in the states is beyond me?!  I’m just grateful that I was born into this great country and was provided tremendous opportunity thanks to my parents.

Today’s post is brought to you by Rosa, who writes:

As First Book interns, we learn the ins and outs of the behind the scenes work that allows First Book to reach so many children with so many books.  What we don’t always see, however, is the part where the books actually reach the hands of the kids who need them most.  That’s why on June 23^rd we jumped at the opportunity to represent First Book at the International Spy Museum’s Community Night here in Washington, DC and experience the direct impact of all First Book’s efforts.

Community Night is a fantastic event hosted by the Spy Museum in which admission to the museum is free for groups from underserved communities.  The museum reaches out to local schools and programs to ensure that a wide range of DC’s students benefit from the fun, interactive exhibits as well as the local organizations who attend the event. This month, the museum asked First Book, The Reading Connection, and the National League of American Pen Women to help educate the DC community about the available resources and programs ready and well-equipped to serve children and families from low-income areas.

There we were at the museum, with boxes full of 150 books for elementary through high school students, enough stickers to catch the attention of any child (and parent for that matter), and a brimming excitement to be a part of First Book doing what First Book does best—giving books to kids.  As soon as the event started at 4pm, families and kids of all ages quickly filled the museum, eager to learn about umbrellas with a super secret spy camera inside and hear the stories of the most devious spies in history.  What they weren’t expecting was to walk out of the museum at the end of the night with a brand new, free book.  Families were immediately interested by the table we had set up in the lobby, stopping to look at the variety of books we brought before entering the museum. “Would you be interested in taking a book home today?” we would ask the children. Their eyes would light up as they eagerly looked at the choices of book titles.  We even got to do a little spy work ourselves by getting to know the children and then recommending the book best fitted for them.  Within two hours, all 150 books were given to enthusiastic children!

Even after every child had a book, we still received a lot of traffic to our information table.  Community Night’s visitors loved learning about what First Book does for communities all across the country, and many signed up for more information about how to involve their child’s school or program with First Book’s resources. Whether they were school teachers interested in getting books for their libraries and classrooms, or parents looking to find ways they can contribute to First Book’s mission, our table was a big hit at the event!

One of the great things about working at First Book is how wonderfully supportive our many partners and friends are of the work we do.  In fact, we regularly hear from authors who say, “How can I support First Book’s efforts?”  So regularly, in fact, that we will be rolling out some exciting opportunities for authors and illustrators to get involved with First Book on a wide variety of levels.

In addition, we realized that the fact that the American Library Association annual conference was being held in Washington, DC this year offered a rare opportunity to reach out to many of our author friends to provide an opportunity to support us that did not involve any hassles, expenses or travel (unless you could crossing a street).  We created what we aptly named “The First Book Shameless Promotion Chamber” and we rolled out the red carpet.  To our delight, over twenty five of our favorite authors and illustrators came to participate in the project and gave it their all.  We were touched to hear a Newbery medal winner say, “I want to work with First Book!”  We were also honored when our literacy statistics moved more than one author to tears and consternation.  And we were rolling on the floor when two accomplished and well known authors turned on their considerable charm and humor simultaneously.

We’ll unveil the wonderful results of our video shoot soon, but here are a few candid shots to tide you over:

We are externally grateful to the talented and eloquent author and illustrators, as well as the kind and accommodating publicists who arranged their appearances.  It may have been shame-LESS, but we all had a wonder-FUL time promoting First Book.

I recently visited the Phillips Collection and was thrilled to see Renoir’s famous painting Luncheon of the Boating Party.  After having a long discussion with friends about the intriguing people in the painting,  I decided that Susan Vreeland’s historical novel with the same title was moving to the top of my summer reading list.  I picked it up at the library today to read right after I finish my current book club book The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.

As you can imagine, we often have discussions at the office about what everyone is reading, especially leading up to Memorial Day weekend.  I learned that several of my colleagues are reading the Millenium Triology by Stieg Larsson. I didn’t even know the triology had a name. I bought the first two for my Dad for Christmas last year and hope to “borrow” them back when I see him in July. I heard there is already a line forming!

Below are some other books on staff summer reading lists, quite a variety as usual:

• Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
• The Shack by William P. Young
• Building Social Business by Muhammad Yunus
• Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

What books are catching your eye this summer?

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Kim R.

Hometown: Beantown (Boston MA)

What do you do at First Book? I head up the Outreach and Advisory Board Team.  We have a big goal in 2010 of doubling the number of groups we serve by getting the word out to more programs who need books, and helping make First Book and our work a household name.  Can you tell a friend today?!

What are you reading now? Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris and Revolution of the Heart by Bill Shore

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by? “To those whom much is given, much is expected.” -John F. Kennedy

Tell us a fun fact about you? I love to ski.  There’s been a lot of snow in DC this winter, but no mountains…:(

Where is the most exciting/exotic/interesting place you have visited? Hong Kong and Berlin

Mac or PC? Both.

In case you haven’t watched the news, all of us at First Book here in the Washington DC area are under about 2 feet of snow, with more expected on Tuesday. The government is closed, the roads are covered and many places have lost power.

If you are snowed in, bored or just tired of winter, we suggest now is the time to try a time-tested, perfect power-free alternative to computer games and all those electronic ways to bowl, dance, serve an ace or hit a home run. Settling in to enjoy a GOOD BOOK doesn’t require electricity or a wireless connection. Satellite dishes may be covered with snow, wires may be down, but READING A BOOK just takes a quiet nook and a willingness to enjoy the moment.

We’re big believers in the power of books to create kids who love learning. Encourage this choice this winter. Pick up a book and read aloud to the family in the evening. Sit with the kids at bedtime and share a favorite chapter. At the end of the snow days, you’ll have travelled far and wide and gotten to know characters both good and evil along the way.

And who knows, when the power comes back on and the snow clears, you might still want to sit together by the fire and share a good book with the ones you love.

Last week, I left my position as a Strategic Alliances intern and officially joined the First Book staff as a Recipient Group Coordinator.  After trading in my 10^th floor office for a new office on the 9^th floor and saying farewell to the Strategic Alliances team, I headed to our warehouse in Harrisonburg, VA for my very first First Book assignment: hand-packing a special book order for doctors’ offices and medical clinics in greater New York.  As a Strategic Alliances intern I spent the fall learning about First Book’s corporate partnerships, so I was thrilled to be able to see our warehouse and learn about the logistics of how we actually get books to kids.

After a traffic-less drive to Harrisonburg, we arrived at the warehouse caffeinated and ready to spend the day getting books to the kids of New York. Our task: hand pack 37 special orders consisting of 15 different titles, including the Eric Carle classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and several bilingual books including My First Spanish Truck Book. Our estimated time to finish counting, packing, weighing and labeling the orders: one day.

So into the chilly warehouse we went! We had planned to be done counting the orders by lunchtime so we could spend the rest of the afternoon taping and weighing the boxes. But when 1:00 PM rolled around and we had only packed half of the orders we quickly realized this project was going to take much longer than just one day.  By the end of the day, sore  muscles, freezing hands and all we decided we were going to have to return to Harrisonburg the next day to finish what we had started.

So in the true First Book spirit, we set out alarms for 5:30 am and headed back to Harrisonburg on Wednesday.  Thanks to help from our friends at the warehouse, we had all 37 orders ready to go by late afternoon.

Despite the long drive, aching backs and numerous paper cuts, it was an amazing feeling to know that in just a few weeks children in the greater New York area will open the pages of brand new books and experience the joy and magic of  reading.

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Greg P.

Hometown: Manchester, CT

What do you do at First Book? I am the Coordinator on the Strategic Alliances team. I work with our corporate partners to create cause-marketing campaigns that help us fund our work of giving books to children in need.

What are you reading now? I just started The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I’m only on page 47—but so far, so good!

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by? “Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out.” –John Wooden

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what food would it be? This is a toss-up between apples, baked ziti, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And carrots and cucumbers. And candy corn.

Who is your storybook hero? Easy. My storybook hero is Ron Weasley. He has to fight all the really hard battles with Harry, but he doesn’t get any of the credit! Remember when he valiantly sacrificed himself as the knight in the human chess game?!

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Becky H.

Where is your hometown: Simsbury, CT

What do you do at First Book? I am an intern with the Strategic Alliances Team

What are you reading now? Vintage Veronica by First Book’s very own Erica Perl!

What have you learned by working at First Book? That it takes a lot of creativity, innovation and hard work to make a nonprofit run, but in the end it all pays off. It is amazing to be working for an organization where everyone is motivated by one mission – to get books to the kids that need them most!

What’s your favorite movie? It’s a Wonderful Life

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by? We have no way of knowing what lies ahead in the future.  All we can do is make the best decision we can based on the information we have.

Where is the most exotic place you have visited? Athens, Greece

Name: Nikki D.

Hometown: Lake Worth, FL

What do you do at First Book? I’m the Coordinator for the Development Team – all fundraising, all the time.

What are you reading now? A People’s History of the United States, by Howard Zinn.

What have you learned by working at First Book? I’ve learned that there’s only 1 book for every 300 children in a low-income neighborhood, but 13 books for  every child in a middle-class neighborhood. That’s why I’m here at First Book – to try and alleviate that imbalance!

What’s the first job you had? My first job was ironically working at Waldenbooks as a Bookseller. It was great, aside from having to work retail on Christmas Eve.

Tell us a fun fact (or un-fun fact) about you? As a preface, let me remind you that First Book reaches low-income children by working with Title 1 schools and community organizations that already serve our target population. First Book has a very special meaning to me because I both attended a Title 1 school and worked at a “First Book” community organization (a family resource center).

Do you have any favorite hobbies or life events coming up? My favorite hobby right now is definitely completing my graduate degree in public policy. In fact, I can’t think of something I would enjoy doing more on the weekends.

What’s your favorite movie? I have a few: Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Garden State, Newsies, Saved, the Day After Tomorrow, and the Harry Potter movies.

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by? “What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” – Emerson

Who’s your hero (storybook or otherwise)? My hero is Daniel Patrick Moynihan, the father of modern social policy, and a major proponent of government’s responsibility to provide a safety net for its citizens.

Mac or PC? I can’t live without the right-click on a PC.

Tags: Staff, profile

Yes, it is that time again!  First Book’s 5th Annual Halloween Celebration was held at the historic Ben’s Chili Bowl on U Street.

First Book staffers dressed in costumes such as asparagus, Amelia Earhart, and Kermit the Frog paraded through the restaurant, ate our fill and then many of us decided to forgo the metro ride back to work and walk off Ben’s famous half smokes and chili.

After 50 years, Ben’s is the same place it always has been and we are looking forward to next years 6th annual Halloween celebration!

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Nicole T.

Where is your hometown? Ferndale, Washington

What do you do at First Book? I support our Campus Advisory Boards in their fundraising and book granting activities as well as work with National Partner organizations to connect their programs and the children they serve with First Book resources.

What are you reading now? I’m reading The Lost German Slave Girl by John Bailey for my book club and I’m just starting The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz for an end of the summer comedic mystery.

What’s the most exciting, exotic or interesting place you have visited? Bintan, Indonesia in a cabana overlooking the South China Sea…complete paradise.

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what food would it be? Vanilla bean ice cream with fresh blueberries.

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Erica Perl

Where is your hometown? Burlington, VT

What do you do at First Book? I am the Director of the First Book Marketplace and National Book Bank.  Which means I handle our relationships with our publishing partners, and I oversee our book selections to best meet the needs and interests of our recipient groups.

What are you reading now? I’m reading Joseph O’Neill’s Netherland for one book group and Andrew Clements The School Story for another.  I’m also trying to get through Harry Potter book six before the movie comes out!

Tell us a fun fact about yourself. I am the author of several children’s books, including Chicken Butt!, Ninety-three In My Family and Chicken Bedtime Is Really Early.  My first young adult novel, Vintage Veronica, will be published in March, 2010 by Random House.  My Web site is www.ericaperl.com.

I’ll be signing copies of Chicken Butt! on Monday, July 13th at 1:00 pm in the Abrams booth #2343 at the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago. If you’re attending the conference or live in the area, please stop by and say hello!

What have you learned by working at First Book? I was pleased to learn that my ideal job exists!  At First Book, I can wear both my lawyer suit (yes, I have a law degree) and my chicken hat (yes, I actually have two of these), although not always at the same time.  I am at my happiest when I am surrounded by terrific, energetic people and wonderful children’s books… which is exactly how it is at First Book.  At First Book, I learn new things every day and I am thrilled to work in a place where creativity and collaboration are valued so highly.

What’s the oddest job you’ve had? I have had several odd jobs, including driving an ice cream truck and teaching dog obedience.  Combining these too jobs would have been a good idea — if ice cream is involved, my dog will do whatever is asked of her!

Do you have a favorite quote or saying you live by? I’m extremely fond of my Chicken Butt! book tour slogan:  “No BUTTs about it, we love to read!”

If you could have an endless supply of any food, what food would it be? I think I could survive on a desert island if there was a theater concession stand on it:  I love popcorn and red licorice.

I had the pleasure to travel to Southern California last week as part of the First Book team managing our Inland Empire distribution.  It was two and a half days of Hollywood glitz, glamour, sunshine… and distributing 250,000 children’s books donated by Disney Publishing to many fantastic organizations in the greater Los Angeles area as well as groups around the country.

Among the celebrity “sightings” were Dr. Martha, Kellie, and the rest of the Book Buddies team who came out to support the distribution, and show us around the town.  I was amazed to learn the story of how a family business of local health clinics came to establish Book Buddies, part of the Molina Foundation, a national network that builds libraries and puts books directly into the hands of children from low-income families.

Special thanks also to Lorraine, Carrie, Ozzy, and the rest of the staff of the United Way of Inland Empire, who hosted us in their warehouse, recruited overwhelming volunteer support (don’t we look great in our “Live United” shirts?), and somehow arranged perfect weather as we as we loaded up vehicles of recipient groups with their brand new books.

Meet the staff members that make the First Book magic possible!

Name: Jane K.

Where is your hometown? Philadelphia, PA

What do you do at First Book? As a Social Enterprise Fellow, I work as part of the Strategic Alliances team supporting First Book’s cause marketing partners.

What are you reading now? 1776 by David McCullough

What’s your favorite movie? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

What’s the oddest job you’ve had? Telemarketer. A lot people hung up on me!

Where is the most exciting, exotic or interesting place you have visited? In 2000, I went on Safari in Kenya. I not only saw hundreds of exotic animals (which was absolutely incredible!), but I witnessed tremendous poverty. This experience inspired my work with First Book.