Guest Post from author Connie-Vee Hawkins
People often say I was born with a camera in my hand. I loved taking my parent’s camera and snapping pictures. I saw each picture as a story. As I grew older, everyone realized I was indeed the storyteller of the family. Storytelling is therapeutic. It helps us to process the negative experience and immortalize a positive experience. Many experiences turned into stories. Like the one I wrote while in elementary school. It was called The Wrong Turn. I later understood it was my way of processing moving to a predominantly white neighboorhood in the ‘70s.
Just about every day, my sisters and I were subjected to insults at school or when we walked home from school. “jungle bunny” “jigaboo” “spear chucker” and the constant hearing of the “n” word were all foreign to me. Never head that ending with a hard “r”-although it was similar to what I heard on the streets in Watts, this was different…painful. Maybe it was the look in the faces of my White schoolmates and their parents when they said it? Maybe.
Mr. Hayes was my 5th-grade teacher. He was a White man that suffered from the Marfan syndrome, which made him this long-haired, extremely tall and lanky hippy-like man. Coming from Watts made him even extra particular to me. I really liked him. I being his only black student made him take an interest in me, I think he was just as curious about me as I was him.
“Have you ever read the book, Sounder?” he asked me one day. I hadn’t. He then handed me the book. I read it twice over the weekend. I was so moved by the characters and the experience which, although in two different worlds we were experiencing the same thing. When I finished the book, I wanted more. I wanted to read about my experience. The next book he gave me was, The Miracle Worker-The Helen Keller Story. Although she was a White lady, I related to her. Being the outcast. Different from her peers. Misunderstood and struggling to assimilate. Assimilation was survival. After reading her book, I started writing my own stories. I was in 5th grade.
As an adult, I became the mother of two children. Of course, I wanted to read stories to them that was like my experience. Stories that valued family, hard work, unity, and more. I wanted my girls to see characters that looked like them and their experience. So, instead of going on the exhaustive hunt for these books, I started writing them myself. I even tried to illustrate them. They loved them.
I’m not sure if people understand just how valuable it is for kids to see diversity in kid literature. It’s like, the world is looking at you and saying…hey, your life matters too. Your experience matters, little one.
As a mother, I wanted to share with my children my experience as a nature lover. I grew up camping in the Angeles Forest and although we often experience racism, it was always overshadowed by the beauty of nature. I discovered, there were tons of books dealing with, cooking, sibling-rivalry, and sharing, but nothing on nature with black families. So I started writing short stories for my children’s bed-time stories that featured topics that included characters that were nature lovers or loved hiking, camping and more. It just seemed to make storytime extra special. Most of those stories are still on longhand on some paper in a box by my bed. But I vowed to share them with the world. One book at a time.
Adventure one: Up and Out, is just the beginning. Much more to come. 🙂
About Connie-Vee
Writing was my first connection to creative expression. I have always been fascinated at how words strung together in a story can awaken one’s imaginations while inspiring us to live a better life.
When my children were younger, I enjoyed reading folktales with a positive, message-driven narrative—only I wanted to see more characters that looked like my daughters and the children of color in my community. I began writing those stories myself and eventually shared them at local schools, where they were well received. Now I’m making them available in paperback, e-book format and audio version—one story at a time.
“Connie-Vee is a talented storyteller and gifted, generous teacher. It was a pleasure to work with her. She has the courage to try to make the world a better place by celebrating diversity while also showing the humanity and kindness that can unite us all.” –Robert Reese, Author
life wouldn’t be again the same. The negro roving seller is the unexpected dream of the hard reality, which she should face. Being confused between two worlds, she must make a decision about her life. However, she ignores that fate has dark plans for her. Years later, when her son refuses her love and her grand daughter’s life will be in danger because of the bombing substances, a young negro appears again in her life to show her that the past is still alive and the old wrong actions are waiting for their justification. “Between two worlds” is a romantic and middle-grade book for children aged 10+ and teens alike.
Peggy Fourka is no stranger to children’s publishing. She has illustrated more than 200 books and has written a number of children’s fictional stories, including “Adventures on the Island of Bullies,” which was a best-seller in Greece and Cyprus and was produced into a theatrical play in 2015. The book and musical taught children about friendship, love, and respect. Fourka’s latest book “Heaven’s Alphabet”, also published by Psichogios Publications, focused on the alphabet through Christian faith. In 2018, Fourka fulfilled another passion when she started teaching Byzantine Iconography to children. Mrs. Fourka and her husband Michael, enjoy spending time with their 9-year-old son, George, who is not only the artist’s inspiration but brings the color into her life.
Demetra Socratous is a primary school teacher, a drama facilitator, a human rights and peace trainer. She has obtained her degree in the Science of Education and a minor degree in French Studies from the University of Cyprus (2004). She received a Master’s degree in Drama and Theatre in Education (University of Warwick, 2007) and a second Master’s degree in Arts and Culture Management (Rome Business School, 2017). She was the Coordinator of the ‘Youth and Culture’ Workshop of Pafos 2017 Cultural Capital of Europe, as well as the co-Coordinator of the Cyprus Youth Network of the European Cultural Parliament. A short video on her voluntary work has been posted on the European website for the European Year of Volunteerism 2011.
alone and at last to realize by herself that we must accept the responsibilities. We should correct our mistakes with the same magic way that we may play with the stars one night. A beautiful little girl, good and strange, learns that the sky has his own rules in order the day to follow the night, the sun to follow the moon and we should enjoy their colors in any case. The fairytale ” Polichromes Haroumenes Steges ” Published for the first time in 2018 from Anatypo Publishers, in Thessaloniki. Mrs. Vaso Katsarelia writes fairytale and poems since she was a child. She has received numerous awards in literature competitions. Her big love for the books motivates her driving force for all that she makes.
illustrator’s amazing work, Athena Petouli, who treated the lyrics in such a way, giving life to them. The writer is also lucky for having such a talented illustrator to make her treasure, shine through the illustrations.
When you must talk to kids for letters, you need a different way to use, ore playful so as to attract their interest. In this book, there is an innovative scheme. The alphabet letters come alive, become persons, have a certain job that starts with the same letter, the letters have things to do, they have their own life.
letters of the Greek Alphabet, contributing to the learning process with their joyful lines.
Demetra Socratous is a primary school teacher, a drama facilitator, a human rights and peace trainer. She has obtained her degree in the Science of Education and a minor degree in French Studies from the University of Cyprus (2004). She received a Master degree in Drama and Theatre in Education (University of Warwick, 2007) and a second Master degree in Arts and Culture Management (Rome Business School, 2017). Demetra is a youth leader and active member of various socio-cultural organisations. She was the Coordinator of the ‘Youth and Culture’ Workshop of Pafos 2017 Cultural Capital of Europe, as well as the co-Coordinator of the Cyprus Youth Network of the European Cultural Parliament. A short video on her voluntary work has been posted on the European website for the European Year of Volunteerism 2011. She is currently a Heritage Youth Ambassador of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage. She writes tales, short stories and poetry, which have received prizes both in Greece and Cyprus. She published three children books: “Mary and the White Pea” (on child cancer); the poetry collection “Truths, Dreams and Peace” (nominated for the Cyprus National Children Literature Award 2017; awarded by the Cyprus IBBY 2016), “Dad in a Cage” (on parental imprisonment).
This book can help children, parents, and teachers build a new perspective and find the heroes of the book inside them.
Despina, Marios, Maria, Panagiotis, Panagiota, Vangelis, Evangelia, Myrto, travel with their family to Tinos. As it is usually the case, they meet each other on their way there. At first, they talk about the seagulls, the pigeons and the wonderful pigeon cotes of the island of the Virgin Mary, Tinos. Following the statement of Panagiotis that he has only heard his teacher talk about the Virgin Mary, the other children start telling 
him what they know about the Mother of our Lord.
grandeur and beauty.
Epi N Michi-Zeggou was born in 1969 in Larissa, Greece. Mother of three, she is a veterinary surgeon. She entered the world of writing with her essay “Journey into the World of Dementia” written in her father’s memory as an effort to help inform people and support families experiencing the problem of dementia. On the occasion of this essay, she presented a paper in the 9th Panhellenic Congress of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (Thessaloniki, May 2015) entitled Dementia as Seen through the Perspective of the Caregiver. The rights of the essay have been conceded by the author to the Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders “Alzheimer Hellas”. She has also established an online support team for patients with dementia
A doll will be the companion of a child on the road of the forced and violent escape from his homeland. At the most difficult time, in the middle of the turbulent sea, the doll falls into the waves to save her friend from the dragon of the sea bottom. In the
On the occasion of a cheerful dialogue between a bat and an owl, which live in the Monastery of Agia Anastasia, Farmakolytria, the yarn of glorious Greek history during the time of Alexander the Great, spins. We also get to know religious personalities whose lives and unwavering faith have given courage to thousands of people over the centuries, and even up to the modern era. We as readers become one with the dozens of families who visit the Monastery 
From one moment to another, unexpected great joy”! It’s a poetic collection addressed to preschool and school-aged children. Mr. Theofanis Theofanous using the haiku technique in an intelligent and playful way helps children to understand and love poetry! Drawing themes from the natural environment he drags us into a joyful fist! Riding on a bicycle we travel to a fantastic seacoast, we take rabbits out of our hats lying on a pillow that leads us to the moon! While from grandmother’s pot the smell of cinnamon, sugar and pumpkin scents the whole place! We hear the cats jumping on the covers hunting mice while we drink orange juice on the terrace counting stars. Witches and elves are thrown out of the books and swallows, dolphins bats and canaries complete the party. Lavender scatters its aroma and a daisy brings dew drops to the bees. A rose, a poppy, and a jasmine flower teach us the alphabet’s love. In this crazy dance, ants follow beating the tambourine
Agatha Rodi is not only a long-time supporter and ambassador for Multicultural Children’s Book Day, but she is also a Global CoHost!
