Arts & Entertainment

Local Resident Pens Eco-Friendly Children Books

Theodora Klein-Carroll's latest is 'Tippy and the Runaway Cloud.'

If you're a fan of children's literature, Theodora Klein-Carroll's latest eco-friendly selection might grab your attention during your next trip to the bookstore.

We recently talked to the South Tampa resident about her career as an author and what made her decide to make her books eco-friendly.

Patch: What are the names of the books in the series?
Klein-Carroll: Tippy The Raindrop and Tippy and the Runaway Cloud.

Patch: What is your writing background?
Klein-Carroll: I am one of 11 children, and I always have been around children. I have always been very creative in both drawing and creating stories through childhood and young adulthood. I took a writing children's book literary class and felt this was what I really wanted to to do with my life. That is when Tippy the Raindrop was born.

I wrote Tippy and illustrated it in 1997-98. Tippy finally went live September of 2012. It has been a long journey, but now I really understand what my first book is about: perseverance. Now, I am following my dream.

Patch: What's the inspiration for the latest book?
Klein-Carroll:  I grew up on a family farm in North Dakota, where our community main industry was growing crops and managing livestock, plus growing gardens for canning and pickling. Taking care of our gardens and farms was our livelihood so rain was really important to us. Nothing can exist without rain in our lives and Tippy came from the value impressed upon me while growing up.

Patch: What influenced the decision to make the books eco-friendly?
Klein-Carroll:  Eco-friendly was influenced naturally to me through my upbringing. Being raised on a farm taught me that rain affects everything on our planet and our day to day living; eating and drinking. It is necessary for growing and the cycle of life. Keeping our water supply clean and safe ensures that we, people, will be kept safe and thriving.

Patch: What do you hope kids get out of reading your books?
Klein-Carroll: Each book has a valuable life lesson message and also expresses the importance of rain in our lives. I want the to plant seeds of knowledge while they enjoy reading about the Tippy's adventures.

PatchAre they available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc? At local libraries?
Klein-Carroll: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com. I have spoken to Barnes & Noble on Kennedy and Dale Mabry to carry both books, and I am working on other avenues to carry my books.


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