Interview with debut writer Ronni Diamondstein about JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED (Sky Pony Press, illustrated by Bats Langley)

spent her life surrounded by books and immersed on this planet of kids’s literature. As a college library media specialist and instructor of gifted and gifted college students in the US and overseas, Ronni nurtured her college students’ creativity by sharing her love of studying with them. Ronni is a graduate of Syracuse College. Ronni served on the Board of the Chappaqua Kids’s Guide Pageant and is a Previous President of the Chappaqua Library Board of Trustees. Jackie and the Books She Cherished is her image ebook! Ronni lives in Chappaqua, New York along with her toy poodle, Maggie Mae.

You may be taught extra about Ronni on her web site, Instagram, Put up, Thread, Bluesky, or the location previously often known as Twitter. Additionally see Inside Chappaqua Journal,

Written by Ronni Diamondstein
Illustrated by Bats Langley
Writer: Sky Pony Press
Publication Date:

Extra information on right here

You may order the ebook wherever you purchase books. Signed, personalised books may be preordered at Ronni’s native unbiased bookstore, The Village Bookstore.

A pleasant new story about Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. On this inspirational celebration of studying, readers are launched to an unbiased and assured Jackie and the thought of how books guided her life. The insightful story paints the portrait of a kid captivated by studying and a love of literature and writing—from 5‑yr‑outdated Jackie studying Chekhov tales to a seasoned and assured Jackie at her desk as an editor within the final 20 years of her life. Jackie by no means wrote a memoir however revealed herself within the practically 100 books she introduced into print. 


JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED was a labor of affection. I had been researching Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for practically 30 years, plus having recognized who she was and admiring her since I used to be a toddler. When she handed away in 1994, at first I needed to write down a novel, then my good friend Margot Datz, who illustrated Carly Simon’s image books and labored with Jackie because the editor, steered I write for kids. 

It took years however I ultimately got here up with the appropriate angle to inform Jackie’s story.  It was one thing that I had in frequent with Jackie: a love of literature. I noticed a thread of how this love of the written phrase influenced Jackie’s life and strung this collectively within the narrative.  The unique JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVEDmanuscript was for much longer and in collaboration with my editor Nicole Frail the additional materials was included into my writer’s observe, again matter and I created a timeline. 

I used to be very fortunate to be concerned within the illustration course of from a say within the alternative of the illustrator, Bats Langley, to collaborating with him on the artwork. I’ve fairly an in depth assortment of books about Jackie and the Kennedys with nice pictures that I shared with him. For instance, the horse statue on the quilt is rather like the statue she had on her piano in her New York residence. It was a fabulous collaboration! Sooner or later he requested what Jackie’s favourite birthday cake was. In fact, I had a ebook referred to as COOKING WITH MADAM in my assortment so I might ship him photos of Jackie’s birthday cake that you simply’ll discover in our ebook! And I even had a say within the endpaper design! I really like quotes and had lots of Jackie’s quotes about books that I needed included within the ebook so I steered we use them on the endpapers. And I additionally knew her private Smythson stationery was powder blue, in order that was the colour we selected for the endpapers.

I like that I’m introducing a brand new era to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a exceptional one that was amongst different issues a captivating First Woman of the US. The opposite piece to that is that it’s about how necessary studying and books have been to her and the way they will form somebody’s life. Though it’s written for ages 4-8, I consider older kids and adults will respect the story. I hope it evokes younger readers to write down and need to learn extra. Jackie as soon as mentioned, “There are a lot of methods to enlarge your little one’s world. Love of books is one of the best of all.”  It’s one thing I spent my complete profession doing as a college library media specialist. 

I spoke about this to Mary Boone lately. My reply is solely two phrases: !

Learn heaps and plenty of books! I used to be lucky to have spent my life studying kids’s books, beginning with my job in school within the kids’s room of a  library to turning into a instructor and faculty librarian.  

And write! Be part of writing teams, take writing workshops, discover a writing group. Write each day, even it’s your buying record or in your journal.

One other suggestion I’ve is to learn like a author. Discover mentor texts and analyze how they’re constructed and why they’re profitable.

And skim your writing aloud!

is my debut ebook! 

 I’m very excited in regards to the official launch of JACKIE AND THE BOOKS SHE LOVED on Thursday,

And I used to be honored to be requested by the Nationwide First Women Library in Canton, Ohio to do the on Thursday,

On Saturday,

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Additionally see different Interviews with Guide Creators and Recommendation For Younger Writers And Illustrators.