I wanted to share a brand new children’s author with you Susan Bernardo and to share her new book The Big Adventures of Tiny House. I can’t wait to share the book with Charlie.
Noted children’s author Susan Schaefer Bernardo has cracked the code for transmuting adversity and emotional pain into healing, inspiration and creative power
Fueled by the creative synergy she shares with illustrator and veteran art director Courtenay Fletcher, her long-time collaborator and best friend, these two creative women continue to forge a gratifying literary partnership, friendship and path towards personal growth.
In fact, this successful personal and professional collaboration has led them to (literally) reach for the stars. Their second book, The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, co-authored with Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton, is currently orbiting the planet aboard The International Space Station.
The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm was read aloud by Astronaut Kate Rubins, and recorded for a unique STEAM initiative called Story time from Space.
Since meeting at a Mommy and Me class 12 years ago, their friendship has grown, along with their children, and deepened as they navigated Susan’s difficult divorce and the loss of Fletcher’s dear friend, another young mom, to breast cancer.
In their upcoming book, The Big Adventures of Tiny House (Inner Flower Child Books, April 25, 2017, 9780971122826, $17.95), the women transform their diverse experiences into a book that celebrates the art of living life your own way, learning to trust yourself, and not worrying about what everybody else is doing. It also explores salvaging the pieces of something lost to create something new and beautiful.
In The Big Adventures of Tiny House, aimed at children ages 3-8, the adventure begins when an old farmhouse gets salvaged and recycled into Tiny, a snug little house with a big heart — and WHEELS! With the help of Big Truck, Tiny sets off across America to discover if he is still a real home.
Tiny makes friends on the road, like Shiny the Airstream, Waverly the houseboat, and Buster the skoolie. He even goes to a jamboree! After thousands of miles, Tiny discovers that home isn’t a place…it’s a feeling in your heart.
The irresistible rhymes and delightfully detailed illustrations are sure to enchant children – and the book’s gentle messages about sustainable living and working together will delight parents and teachers as well.
“Remaking Home,” or how to rebuild your life following a traumatic event or big life transition. Bernardo and Fletcher’s book, Sun Kisses, Moon Hugs sought to heal her family’s grief over her divorce, help them come to terms with shared custody, and reassure her children that they were always connected, even when not physically together.
This perspective could resonate with divorced families, as well as those who have lost a beloved relative. Susan’s prescription: “Love your new life, fill your home – however tiny – with your art and friends and love….and keep rolling.”
Healing Through Creativity. Susan learned to manage bouts with anxiety and sadness, as well as her “busy brain” by cultivating multiple, creative coping strategies.
She’s found respite in such diverse pursuits as journaling, sculpture, writing poetry and communing with nature. Through these activities, she transforms her pain into something meaningful.
Susan is also an advocate for A Window Between Worlds, a non-profit that uses art as a healing tool to help combat trauma, in domestic violence shelters, veterans groups, schools and bereavement groups.
Following Your Dreams. Susan has excelled at following her dreams and has lots of insights to share on crowdfunding, indie publishing, surrounding yourself with like-minded souls, and not letting your vision be stopped by creative “gatekeepers.”
As Susan puts it, “Life is about learning and growing and expanding – it’s about listening to your heart, acknowledging where it wants take you, and then finding a path to get there, one step at a time.”
About: Susan Schaefer Bernardo
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
