Three Chester residents have recently published books and wanted to share that exciting information with library patrons. Chester, PA native and Cheyney University student Saayidah Carter and her mother, LeRai Carter Martin, collaborated to publish their first illustrated children’s book, If My House Had Ears.   Stetser Elementary School teacher Tonya Burns-Johnson published Diamonds in the Rough: A Personal Reflection on Raising Successful Children While Living with Limited Resources.  Both of these books are available to borrow from the J. Lewis Crozer Library.

If My House Had Ears is a fun, colorful, easy read in rhyme, about imagination and sounds of the city. The book is dedicated to the children of Chester.  The playful illustrations complement the simple, yet engaging, rhymed story, allowing young children to think about what they hear in their house and their neighborhood.  The book supports extension activities, such as listing additional sounds and finding more rhyming words.  Copies of the book can be purchased at Amazon.

Through personal examples and thoughtful principles, Burns-Johnson in Diamonds in the Rough, encourages single mothers to take specific and deliberate steps while raising their children. Using her own life and the positive and negative choices she made, the author provides readers with the opportunity to think clearly and deeply about how their own choices affect their children’s lives.  This book encourages journaling and reflection, so readers will want to have pen and paper ready or purchase a copy of the book from Amazon.