Join Arusha, Mosi, Tumpe and their Maasai friends as they set out on a counting journey through the grasslands of Tanzania. Along the way, the children encounter all sorts of animals including elephants, lions and monkeys, while counting from one to ten in both English and Swahili. The lively, rhyming text is accompanied by an illustrated guide to counting in Swahili, a map, notes about each of the animals, and interesting facts about Tanzania and the Maasai people.
In creating my picture books, I have combined my love of children's literature with my love of traveling to fascinating places. I hope through my series with Barefoot Books to introduce young readers to people and cultures that might be unfamiliar to them.
I also love 18th century history and enjoyed finding real people who plied the trades I wrote about in my Colonial series. One of the men, a miller named Isaac Keeler, had lived in my Connecticut town and when I wrote the story, I was living in a Keeler house a short distance from the mill.
I have four children and five grandsons, one step-granddaughter and one step- grandson, none of whom live close enough to suit me. I now live in Virginia with my husband, Bill, and my golden retriever, May.
