My name is Valentina Bondarenko. I have been a teacher and educator for many years and have international teaching experience. I want to share what my books are about and how I use them in my work with elementary school students.
Everyone can write a book. The question is whether an author writes a book to make himself rich and famous, or to help children grow, learn, and become decent citizens of the country. My books are here: https://tinyurl.com/2hm9pzrv
I am writing books for children, their parents, and families to read together, not only for entertainment but also as a guide to the skills needed to live with others: kindness, responsibility, reliability, fairness, empathy, and strong goals to move forward and overcome difficulties along the way. My books teach children to be kind and respectful.
I have been a teacher for forty-nine years, and this experience gives me the right to say I know children, their interests, and their goals. My books are written to go hand in hand with school programs and are for elementary school-age students. What are they about? They give examples of strong friendships and teach children on how to be good friends and maintain friendships. The characters in my books go on field trips together, share sandwiches, help their grandparents water their gardens and pull weeds, and play together and have fun, reading funny stories in a tent at night. The characters in my books make mistakes and correct them; they learn how to survive encounters with wild animals and how to hatch birds. My books are funny and full of adventures, but every line teaches children how to like other people and treat them with respect, and they answer the question of why puddles disappear soon after the rain.
The character in The Little Snap Dari with a Big Heart, Little Snap Dari, teaches Crow to respect those who are weaker and smaller. In My Friends Are Little People of America, the short-statured girl Heidy, the best and kindest student in the class, says, “Little needle sews a delicate fabric,” about her shortness and her dream of becoming a lawyer. Her dream has come true.
I have written and published eleven books on Amazon. Arts Archive Press in New York is the publisher. I use my books in class to support my points with the characters' words.
If you look at the illustrations in my books, they are close to those of my readers and recognizable and understandable to them, though not perfect. I am not a native English speaker, and some phrases may sound a little strange to some adults. Still, for my readers, who are elementary school children, my books are significant because I write them with my heart to help children be honest, reliable, and respectful.
I hope my books continue to support children, families, and teachers in building these values together, and that they are worth publishing in various magazines to show children what real friends and friendships are, how to keep their word, help those who are weaker and smaller, and be respectful and responsible.
You can find many answers in my books, which I have written to align with elementary school programs and help our students become decent citizens of our country. I would like your school library to have my books and to use them actively while discussing how to be a nice person in class.
https://tinyurl.com/2hm9pzrv
Sincerely,
Valentina Bondarenko, teacher and educator since 1975.
6466598676
338 West 14th Street Apt. 3C
New York, NY 10014