The Magical Song of Sona & Dora Book Box Opening
Ayudando Familias en Puerto Rico
Los estudiantes de quinto grado de Michelle Gruttadauria, Kristen Tohill, Eileen Campbell y Ilyssa Polirer han colaborado con el autor / ilustrador Paul Rodríguez "Rodro" para ilustrar una versión especial de La Canción Mágica de Sona y Dora.
Es un libro para niños que se trata de dos coquis (pequeñas ranas arbóreas) de Sonadora, Puerto Rico, que salen en busca de la magia que salvará sus vidas. Todos los ingresos de esta versión especial del libro serán donados para ayudar a las familias en Puerto Rico que desesperadamente necesitan equipos médicos y reparaciones en el hogar.
Helping Families in Puerto Rico
The fifth-grade students of Michelle Gruttadauria, Kristen Tohill, Eileen Campbell, and Ilyssa Polirer, have collaborated with author/illustrator Paul Rodriguez “Rodro” to illustrate a special version of
The Magical Song of Sona and Dora.
It is a children’s book about two Coquís (tiny tree frogs) from Sonadora, Puerto Rico, who go out in search of the magic that will save their lives. All proceeds from this special version of the book will be donated to assist families in Puerto Rico that are in desperate need of medical equipment and home repairs.
News and Events
As of July 2021— When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, some Puerto Rican families still recovering from Hurricane Maria saw tragedy turn to desperation. We decided to split our $1,000 donation format into $100 emergency funds. We were able to assist ten families with urgently needed money for food and medicine.
I wish to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to Zenaida Rivera and her family in Aibonito. They spent weeks searching for families in need and personally delivered the Sona and Dora donations.
Climbing the Live Oak Tree
Kids Helping Kids Community Fundraiser
100 percent of the proceeds from this project will go toward assisting families in Louisiana.
(Collaborative book, work in progress)
PROJECT UPDATE
As a result of the urgency for aid resulting from the destruction of hurricane Ida, I am reaching out to children here in New York. Their assistance will help us finish the book quicker and help us get aid to families in dire need more quickly.
Thank you to everyone who is helping with this project.
7/25/18
Author’s Note:
Climbing the Live Oak Tree was inspired by none other than the remarkable Friendship Oak. The Friendship Oak is a 500-year-old live oak tree on the Gulf Park campus of the University of Southern Mississippi in Long Beach just a frisbees toss from the Gulf of Mexico. While volunteering to help rebuild homes after hurricane Katrina, I stumbled across what was left of this magnificent tree after the storm. Upon learning the legend of how it bestowed lifelong friendship to those who shared its shade I was moved to write this story. It is an effort to make sure that this glorious tree's message
of friendship will never be forgotten.
As it turns out the tree didn’t need my help. It miraculously recovered through its own fortitude. It has since suffered some damage, but it continues to be the astounding example of resilience and survival that inspired this story of hope and appreciation for all life.
This special version of the book is the result of an ongoing collaboration between myself and children from communities along the coast of southern Louisiana whose homes are highly venerable to hurricanes and other environmental disasters.
They are graciously sharing their time and talents to illustrate my story. The result will be a charming book of resilience, survival, and appreciation for all life. It will also remind us to be properly prepared for hurricanes and other natural disasters. The book will be available on Amazon and in various locations within the Houma community such as the Ground Pat'i. All proceeds from the book’s sales will go toward supporting families and children in the participating communities.
With Love and Compassion,
Paul Rodriguez
LOVE TO DRAW!?!
Please, join our illustrator team!
If you love to draw and are between the ages of 7 and 13, you could have your artwork included in the children’s book, Climbing the Live Oak Tree.
To become a member of our team, check out the demo book at the top of this page. You will see pages with pictures that have already been finished and pages with just text and the word AVAILABLE in a green box.
Read the text on the AVAILABLE pages.
Find one that you would like to draw a picture of. (One page per artist, please.) Check out the Character Sheet above to see what the main characters look like. You don’t have to draw them perfectly. Just do your best and make sure you use the same colors so that the readers can understand the story.
Send me an email with your page choice. As soon as I get your email, I will put a “Page in Progress” note on your page to let others know that it is taken. When you finish, your page will be added to the book and I will notify you when the book is done. All illustrators (that’s you) will receive a free copy of the book.
Thank you in advance for helping to raise money to assist children and families in your community who suffer from natural disasters. And —congratulations on having your artwork published in this amazing children’s book.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The proceeds from this fundraising project are available to all and any members of participating communities along the coast of Louisiana regardless of race, color, religion, or any other human distinction. Anyone can ask for assistance or recommend someone whom they believe can use assistance. Recipients will be chosen based on urgency and need.
To ask for assistance or recommend assistance, please contact:
The project is part of the Project Learn La-Terre community outreach program directed by Natalie Bergeron. The original story Climbing the Live Oak Tree and the book community fundraiser concept were created by Paul Rodriguez of Rodro Books and Education in cooperation with Project Learn La-Terre.
The Sumatran Orangutan is critically endangered! That means it is very close to extinction. Sadly, it is not alone. There are thousands of animals near extinction. The main reason is that some people think money is more important than animals. There are so many endangered species that I will never be able to write a story about each of them. So, I chose the Sumatran Orangutan to represent all of them.
In the case of the Sumatran Orangutan, the problem is Conflict Palm Oil or palm oil farmed in an environmentally and socially destructive manner. This bad palm oil is made by governments and big businesses that are corrupt and greedy. The result is that orangutans are being driven towards extinction and families that depend on the forest to survive are losing their ancestral lands. Also, forced and child labor practices are widespread.
Palm oil is very useful, and it has become a part of our everyday lives. It can be found in margarine, chocolate, baby food, lipsticks, shampoo, pastries, instant noodles, candies, and even deodorants. That is why it is very hard to stop people from making Conflict Palm Oil (the bad kind).
If you bought this book, congratulations, you have already done something to help. Part of the proceeds from this book is donated to help stop Conflict Palm Oil. If you would like to do more to help save the Sumatran Orangutan and other critically endangered species such as the Sumatran Tiger and the Sumatran Rhino, please, only buy products made with Sustainable Palm Oil (the good kind). Sustainable Palm Oil comes from sources that meet standards such as the RSPO (Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil) certification standards.
To learn more about companies and products that meet certification standards for Sustainable Palm Oil visit, RSPO.org.
“A primate and a tree should be as safe as you and me.”
– Paul Rodriguez
