Synopses & Reviews
Everyday a young girl is disheartened by the things in her neighborhood: the trash on the streets, the graffiti on the walls, and the homeless woman that sleeps in a box. When she learns the word "beautiful" at school, she sets out to find "something beautiful" in her surroundings. In her search, this little girl learns to see beyond the barren ugliness of her environment to find beauty in her friendships, her family, and herself.
About the Author
Sharon Dennis Wyeth is the author of several books for young readers, including
Daughter McGuire and
Always My Dad. Illustrator Chris K. Soentpiet is the recipient of several awards, including the International Reading Award for More Than Anything Else and the gold medal for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show for Peacebound Trains.
Author Q&A
author fun factsBorn: April 19 in Washington, D.C.
Education: Radcliffe College--Harvard University
Currently lives: Upper Montclair, New Jersey, with her husband Sims and daughter Georgia, 12
Previous jobs: Family counselor, actress, voice teacher, and television writer
Pets: Roscoe, a chocolate brown, fluffy, large poodle!
Favorite hobbies: hiking, cooking, reading, gardening, singing, dancing
Favorite foods: pasta, hot chocolate, corn on the cob
Favorite clothes to wear: long dresses, big hats, sundresses, and huge earrings!
Favorite colors: blue, brown, and red
Favorite books: books by Toni Morrison, Jane Austen, Walter Dean Myers, and Mary Pope Osborne (also fairy tales and picture books!)
Inspiration for writing: Remembrances of my childhood; watching my daughter grow up; my husband (who is also a friend); the young people I meet in my travels -- they are curious, capable, and filled with wonder! Books I read and all the great people who share my interests: educators, librarians, people in publishing, friends who are also writers. My desire to share what I have learned and to pass on something beautiful.
From the Trade Paperback edition.