Searching for a better life, Mina and her parents leave their German fatherland in 1845 and sail to Texas where they find hardship, tragedy, and adventure.
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More About the Author
Since my father was a German professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, I grew up in a neighborhood near the campus. He read to me from an early age which began a love affair with children's books and led to careers as teacher, librarian, and writer. Books opened the door to a big world and gave me the desire to see it. Thus I spent one summer bicycling around Europe and another traveling in North Africa and the Middle East.
When I married Tom, an architect and artist, we set out on a trip around the world for a year, traveling by freighter and living several weeks in a Buddhist temple. Along the way I wrote articles for newspapers and magazines which Tom illustrated, our first artistic collaboration.
But it was not until I tried writing children's books that my career began to blossom. Our first book, A Paradise Called Texas, was a Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee. The idea came from a story my father told me when I was a little girl. His grandfather left Germany in 1845 and brought his wife and young daughter, Mina, to the Texas frontier. Tom and our two sons collaborated to illustrate this book.
Many books later Tom and I are still married and living in Austin. In fact our marriage thrives on working together. We have recently published a picture book biography entitled I, Vivaldi, which received the Children's Choices Award given by the International Reading Association. Doing the research was a joy, since Vivaldi's music is our passion and Venice is our favorite city. We lived in the same square where Antonio Vivaldi's childhood home still stands. Tom played kickball with the neighborhood kids just as Antonio tried to do but could not because of his "chest constriction." Out of that book came Anna Maria's Gift, a chapter book about an orphan girl who studies violin with Vivaldi. As you can see, I love to write about the past and make it come to life for young readers.
When I married Tom, an architect and artist, we set out on a trip around the world for a year, traveling by freighter and living several weeks in a Buddhist temple. Along the way I wrote articles for newspapers and magazines which Tom illustrated, our first artistic collaboration.
But it was not until I tried writing children's books that my career began to blossom. Our first book, A Paradise Called Texas, was a Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee. The idea came from a story my father told me when I was a little girl. His grandfather left Germany in 1845 and brought his wife and young daughter, Mina, to the Texas frontier. Tom and our two sons collaborated to illustrate this book.
Many books later Tom and I are still married and living in Austin. In fact our marriage thrives on working together. We have recently published a picture book biography entitled I, Vivaldi, which received the Children's Choices Award given by the International Reading Association. Doing the research was a joy, since Vivaldi's music is our passion and Venice is our favorite city. We lived in the same square where Antonio Vivaldi's childhood home still stands. Tom played kickball with the neighborhood kids just as Antonio tried to do but could not because of his "chest constriction." Out of that book came Anna Maria's Gift, a chapter book about an orphan girl who studies violin with Vivaldi. As you can see, I love to write about the past and make it come to life for young readers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
(GTT) Gone to Texas......,
By Anne Pinedo (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Paradise Called Texas (Paperback)
GTT were the initials placed on doors all over the world to let friends and neighbors know where loved ones had gone. Mina and her family left Germany in search of a better life. Read this novel to find out how the early immigrants to the south and west lived. Mina's family faced many grave dangers and hardships once they reached Texas, as well as the tragic loss of loved ones. This story follows the family from Germany, to Galveston, and finally to New Braunfuls in Central Texas, where they will settle and hopefully find happiness. A great story to read along with social studies of early America.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed reviews,
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This review is from: A Paradise Called Texas (Paperback)
My eight year old daughter loved this book. It has excitement, adventure and we live in the area being written about. I assigned this book as a home school reading project. As a teacher, I felt the book was not well written. The characters were flat, and never developed. Still, the local history parts were interesting. The book is worth a look.
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