The Oxford County Educators Association-Retired (OCEA-R) is pleased to announce this year’s choice of a book to be distributed this fall to all the libraries in the county that have a children’s collection. The selection is “It Only Takes One Friend,” by Robin Taylor-Chiarello. It is the second time OCEA-R’s selection committee has chosen a book by this author. Previously chosen was her book Limbo, From African Slave to Honored Grave, which is about the life of a slave who lived in Fryeburg, Maine.
Robin graduated from Finch College and Harvard Graduate School of Design. She pursued a career as a primary school art and art history teacher and has designed many health care environments. Among her many endeavors was a time as president of United Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey. She has won a number of awards for her children’s books, including from the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York Book Festivals. She also was a winner at the 2014 Book Festival in Paris, France. She has won Mom’s Choice Awards for her books. Mom’s Choice Awards honor excellence in family-friendly media, products and services.
Other titles of children’s books by Robin Taylor-Chiarello include The Blue Lobster, The Blue Lobster’s Holiday, and Broken Wing. Robin attended a recent meeting of OCEA-R, explained her work, and read from some of her books. It is easy to see why they are so popular. They help young people deal with various struggles so many young people face. This year’s choice by OCEA-R’s book selection committee is It Takes Only One Friend, a story about a young bison who is chosen to replace a “retiring elder” at a bison ranch. He is anxious about being uprooted from his friends and familiar surroundings, struggling with the journey to his new home, and trying to make friends. OCEA-R anticipates the fifty copies of the book will make a welcome addition to library collections in Oxford County.
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