Names of Note: Modesto-area authors write of kid superheroes and early Peace Corps
The latest books from Modesto-area authors include one urging kids to be kind-hearted superheroes and another recounting his Peace Corps work in south Asia.
Also on the children’s literature front: Middle school students in Hughson recorded themselves reading books for even younger kids.
“I AM a Superhero” was written by Jeannette Paxia and illustrated by Barbara Alvarado, both of Modesto. It urges children to emulate Marvel and DC characters in ways that help people in need.
“I want to empower kids,” Paxia said in a news release. “I was bullied as a child, which really motivated me as an adult to raise awareness about this topic and prevent the violence and damage that bullying inevitably creates.”
Paxia is a nurse, certified health coach and certified Success Principles trainer. She also wrote “Our Home” and contributed to “Women Who Rise” and “Life Lessons in Success.” More information is at www.paxhealthcoaching.com.
Alvarado owns The Dragonfly Art for Life, a working studio for children and adults on J Street. It has Zoom classes for now due to COVID-19.
“I AM a Superhero” can be purchased through Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Sonora resident recounts Peace Corps
Carl Murry of Sonora wrote “The G-K Project,” about his work on an irrigation project on the Ganges and Kobadak rivers from 1962 to 1964. He was part of the brand new Peace Corps when he served in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
“The author’s misconceptions, naivety, expectations and precious cultural exchanges lead to a greater awareness of himself and the world in which he lives,” said the book summary on Amazon.com. It can be purchased there or at the Mountain Bookshop in East Sonora.
The author grew up in the Denair area, where his family still farms, and went on to be an agriculture teacher and school counselor. His employers included Sonora and Summerville high schools and Curtis Creek Elementary School in Tuolumne County.
Murry also was a crop advisor on a World Bank project in Thailand from 1967 to 1970 and an associate director for the Peace Corps in Swaziland from 1978 to 1981.
And finally ...
Students at Ross Middle School created a video library of themselves reading aloud books for younger children. It was a pandemic-inspired project of the California Junior Scholarship Federation chapter.
The books include popular titles such as “Green Eggs and Ham,” “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” They are on the Hughson Unified School District website, hughsonschools.org.
School guidance counselor Jameelah Cordano came up with the idea. “Because of COVID and the lockdown and all the craziness, we had to get creative,” she said in a news release.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
