Light Up the Night--Building a Library

Week of October 9—An Interview with Picture Book Author Jean Reidy

Friday, October 14—Light Up the Night—Building a Library

This is the final installment in a five-part interview with picture book author, Jean Reidy.

Rob Sanders: Jean, I heard that you were using the launch of your newest book, Light Up the Night to benefit a special cause. Tell us about it.

Jean Reidy: Most people know by now that my picture book, Light Up the Night, will be released October 11, 2011. What people probably don't know is that the story—while visibly very American—was inspired by the children of Uganda, many of whom are orphaned by AIDS while others have been displaced due to civil war. My family has developed strong connections to that country and its children over the past six years.

To celebrate the release of the book and those beautiful children, I’m holding an online auction November 7th-18th to benefit literacy in Africa and a library at Musana Children's Home in Iganga, Uganda, where I worked last summer. The auction will be called LIGHT UP THE LIBRARY.

I’m coordinating project with the volunteers for an amazing Peace Corps project called Libraries for Life—which is providing books for libraries in designated Ugandan schools. The project is being administered by, not only the Peace Corps, but also the Books for Africa organization. And Musana has been designated as one of the recipient libraries.

It’s Your Turn!

1. Visit Jean’s auction at http://lightupthelibrary.blogspot.com/!