My Collection
The
Hidden Claw
(forthcoming)
The Hidden Claw follows a young girl named Kay who has big feelings, “she has happy feelings and funny feelings. But she also has sad feelings and mad feelings too. Sometimes it was hard to know which feeling would come next” (Walton, pp. 5-7). When Kay has an explosive morning at school one day aimed towards her best friend, it is Kay’s dad who realizes that his wife must now take the time to address her own lack of compassion or else their daughter may never be able to. In this story, both Kay’s emotional outburst toward her friend and her mom’s dismissive attitude towards Kay represent their own “hidden claws.”
​
What I hope to accomplish with this children’s book is first, an introduction to the idea that nuclear disarmament is everyone’s problem to solve, and second, that when sad and angry feelings go unchecked, they can cause, in some cases, extreme harm to oneself and others. I also believe that it is the role of adults to transform themselves in order to positively affect the way in which a child forms or grows. The Hidden Claw offers children, and the people who read to them, a way to recognize and work to identify and rip out their “hidden claws” as well as affirmation that when this process starts with the adults in our society, the “hidden claw” growing in a child’s life has no place to hide.
Little Global
Citizens
(forthcoming)
Little Global Citizens introduces simple lessons from Ikeda and 23 of his friends from their various fields of expertise from all around the world. While highlighting the life’s work of each figure, Little Global Citizens teaches the multiple ways that each of us can contribute to a more peaceful world where everyday people are the protagonists: “Anwarul teaches that together we can build a culture of peace and nonviolence” (Walton, p. 21), “Rosa teaches that freedom, equality, justice and prosperity are possible for all people” (Walton, p. 15), “Daisaku teaches that upholding the dignity of life is the key to lasting peace and human happiness” (Walton, p. 5), and “Bharati teaches that your heart can be tied to multiple cultures at once” (Walton, p. 23).
​
What I hope to accomplish with this children’s book is first, an introduction to the concept of dialogue, second, an introduction to people around the world who are working towards a more peaceful co-existence whose names and life’s work might have previously been unheard of, and third, to highlight what Ikeda and his interlocutors have to teach us about being global citizens based on their own life experiences. Little Global Citizens offers children, and the people who read to them, a way to view dialogue as a path to global citizenship and teaches that being a global citizen means to act each day with the entire world in mind.
Grandpa's
Glasses
(forthcoming)
Grandpa’s Glasses follows a young boy named Avery who would rather spend time riding his bike than learn how to read. Because of this, Avery’s mom is nervous that her son will not continue into the next grade and feels defeated. Fortunately for Avery and his mom, grandpa has a big idea that eventually help’s Avery develop a love of reading by using Toda’s method of guiding learning and repetition, “I knew that if Avery could find the words that were true for him, he would naturally come to read by using repetition” (Walton, p. 35).
What I hope to accomplish with this children’s book is first, an introduction to the idea that all children can learn to read, regardless of how much they may be struggling, and second, that when memorization is encouraged with words that a child can relate to first, then other words, sentences and ultimately other print media can be comprehended.