Brigette P. Allen
Los Angeles, CA
Creator of The Circle Tales, Environmental Impact Consultant, Former Investment Banker, Co-Author of Living Without Plastic
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: June 8, 2023
Genre: Children’s Book
Publisher: The Circle Tales
Page Count: 32
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9798987527603
Price: $18.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
C Train is a STEAM-based series and the first from the creative environmental and education company, The Circle Tales. This debut picture book for children ages 4-8 delightfully tells the tale of how a New York City subway train finds a new home thanks to an old friend. Created by environmentalist Brigette P. Allen, written by Meredith Rusu (author of There’s a Yeti in my Tummy, Anna, Elsa, and the Enchanting Holiday, Silenzio, Bruno!, and The DATA Set and written for many popular licenses including LEGO, Disney/Pixar, Peppa Pig, and Star Wars) and illustrated by Ángela Atuesta. C Train is a whimsical, engaging and beautifully illustrated picture book about a New York City subway train that finds a new purpose.
Above the city streets are bustling with activity and below the C Train happily takes people from all walks of life to their destinations. The train’s favorite passenger is Maya, a Latinx girl with a star barrette who loves the ocean and tells the train stories about sea life. The subway loves Maya’s stories and begins to wonder, “Where do sea creatures sleep?” Time passes and the train’s favorite rider grows up to become an engineer, all the while C Train grows older and less reliable until she is finally retired. A surprised C Train encounters Maya again, and the old friends embark on a new journey together.
The first book in the The Circle Tales series introduces children to the concept of repurposing something at the end of its “useful life” and the creation of artificial reefs, inspired by Brigette P. Allen’s niece and the true story of the New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority repurposing old subway cars by placing them on the ocean floor as part of an artificial reef program. C Train is a “magical, messy, and marvelous” story that helps children make a connection between city and ocean life, between re-use and the environment.
TALKING POINTS
- Reducing and recycling plastic, and using alternative materials to plastic.
- Implementing circular systems and advocating for a circular economy to encourage the continual use of resources.
- How to write a children’s book with tips on storytelling, book publishing and building a publishing company.
- Connecting children with purposeful and engaging activities and ideas to help the environment through critical thinking by encouraging them to come up with solutions of their own.
- Repurposing materials to avoid the landfill, such as creating artificial coral reefs like the subway train in Allen’s first children’s book, C Train; even though it may not always be easy or effective. The hope is that as these children grow up they won’t be afraid to question and will one day design what they own or create to be more recyclable, reusable, biodegradable, etc.
- STEAM education as a significant component of early childhood education so children learn from an early age about materials and where they go at the end of their “useful life”.
- Brigette P. Allen’s past experience as a Finance expert is also available to discuss topics on measuring business profitability including why implementing circular systems will actually reduce companies costs over the long run. .
- Connecting with audiences on environmental topics in English and in Spanish, Brigette organized an event together with the Colombian delegation for the United Nations’ inaugural Ocean Conference in 2018 on the impact of single-use plastic on the oceans.
TIMELY TIE-INS
June
- National Great Outdoors Month
- National Reef Day - 1
- World Environment Day - 5
- World Oceans Day - 8
- Global Wind Day - 15
- World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought - 17
- National Dump the Pump Day - 17
- National Upcycling Day - 24
- National Read a Book Day - 30
July
- Plastic Free Month
- National Make a Difference to Children Month
- Purposeful Parenting Month
- Wild About Wildlife Month
August
- Family Fun Month
- What Will Be Your Legacy Month
- Book Lovers Day - 9
- International Youth Day - 12
PRAISE
"This first installment in a STEAM-based series, created by Allen and written by Rusu, introduces youngsters to the concept of artificial reefs: train cars that are lowered to the ocean floor to provide homes for sea life. Rusu’s engaging story thoughtfully explains C Train’s transformation and effectively utilizes repetition (“Magical, messy, and marvelous”) to make a connection between city and ocean life. Atuesta’s bold and bright painterly illustrations capture the vitality of New York and the sea. A note at the end recounts the story’s nonfictional inspiration. An entertaining and educational look at artificial reef creation." — Kirkus Review
“...an eye-opening guide on how to lessen one’s dependence on plastics. The authors make a strong case that consumers can’t recycle their way out of plastic’s deleterious effects on the environment, so a total rethink of habits is necessary. They offer substitutions for almost every type of plastic one can think of—and some plastics that one may not think about at all, such as Scotch tape and chewing gum, in place of which rubber adhesive and cellulose can be used….This is a clarion, convincing wake-up call to the scope of the global plastic problem and what readers can do about it.” — Publishers Weekly Review of Living Without Plastics
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 17, 2022
Genre: Memoir / Christian Inspirational
Publisher: She Writes Press
Page Count: 304
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-1647429003
Price: $15.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the age of social media, what does it mean to connect through a hand-written letter?
True Story: When Amy Daughters reconnected with her former friend from camp decades ago, Dana, via Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Through social media, Amy learned Dana’s son Parker was at St. Jude battling cancer–devastating news, but what else do you do besides comment an “I’m so sorry,” nowadays?
But more than a comment happened, Amy woke up in the middle of the night and felt called in a way she couldn’t fully explain to write handwritten letters to Dana–someone who through time and distance, had become nothing more than several hundred other faces on her Facebook account.
When Parker died, Amy, not knowing what else to do, continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before. The richness of the experience left Amy wondering something: If my life could be so changed by someone I considered “just a Facebook friend,” what would happen if I wrote all my Facebook friends a letter?
A staggering 580 handwritten letters later Amy’s life would never be the same. As it turned out, there were actual individuals living very real lives behind each social media profile, and she was beautifully connected to each of those extraordinary, very real people.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native Houstonian and a graduate of The Texas Tech University, Amy W. Daughters has been a freelance writer for more than a decade — mostly covering college football and sometimes talking about her feelings. Her debut novel, You Cannot Mess This Up: A True Story That Never Happened (She Writes Press, 2019), was selected as the Silver Winner for Humor in the 2019 Foreword INDIES and the Overall Winner for Humor/Comedy in the 2020 Next Generation Indie Awards. An amateur historian, hack golfer, charlatan fashion model, and regular on the ribbon dancing circuit, Amy — a proud former resident of Blackwell, England, and Dayton, Ohio currently lives in Tomball, Texas, a suburb of Houston. She is married to a foxy computer person, Willie, and is the lucky mother of two amazing sons, Will and Matthew.
TALKING POINTS
- Lost Art of Letter Writing – The deliberateness of a letter, honest, believable and genuine, more than Social Media could ever be. Bringing back the beautiful connection of a hand-written letter.
- How can we teach our younger generation to value a pen & stationery?
- The stages of grief and how to remain a constant and connected friend experiencing the grieving process.
- The power of prayer and finding purpose.
- The evolution of friendships and connections due to social media.
- Work from home and the disconnect it creates–how letter writing can bring back more meaningful relationships.
- Women in Sports – Amy is a decades long sportswriter–a position with its own trials and tribulations as a woman in a male-dominated field.
TIMELY TIE-INS
December
- Read a New Book Month
- National Letter Writing Day – December 7
- National Christmas Card Day – December 9
January
- Self-Love Month
- Universal Letter Writing Week – Jan 8-14
- Hunt for Happiness Week – Jan 15-21
February
- International Boost Self Esteem Month – February
April
- Month of Hope; Day of Hope – April 5
- World Health Day – April 7
- Tell a Story – April 27
- Trauma Awareness Month – May
PRAISE FOR DEAR DANA
“Dear Dana is an inspirational memoir about caring for friends near and far by reviving a lost art.” — Foreword Reviews
“. . . a captivating study regarding writing letters to friends and rethinking how people successfully bond in the modern world. An intriguing and inspiring exploration of different forms of communication.”— Kirkus Reviews
“This is a book for anyone who wonders about the differences between a Facebook friend and a Real-Life friend and who yearns to see a person’s real life behind their Facebook image. It is also about the power of prayer and the abundance of kindness in our world. But ultimately, it’s about connection and how we are all connected when we come from love.” — Rivvy Neshama, author of Recipes for a Sacred Life: True Stories and a Few Miracles
“Captivating . . . I laughed and I cried as I followed the pleasures of real mail, and the lesson hit home: Whether written or spoken, our words matter. They have the power to illuminate someone’s darkest day.” — Laurie Buchanan, PhD, author of Note to Self: A Seven-Step Path to Gratitude and Growth and The Business of Being: Soul Purpose In and Out of the Workplace