COMING SOON

FROM THE AUTHOR: KRISTY WHILDEN

It's September!!! Do you know what that means?!?!

Happy Deaf Culture/Awareness month!

I've been keeping a secret...A big secret...

We all know who my hero is (say it with me) LAURENT CLERC!

We all know who my inspiration is (you got this) ALICE COGSWELL!

I am so excited to share that I have been diligently working on this beautiful book Alice's Colorful New World.

Alice Cogswell was the 9 year old little girl who was the catalyst to Deaf Education in America. Laurent Clerc is the brilliant French teacher who, alongside the Rev. Thomas Gallaudet, founded schools for the Deaf across America with the help of Mason Cogswell (Alice's father) and his investor friends. The first permanent school for the Deaf American School for the Deaf was founded in Hartford Connecticut in 1817 where Alice was the first student enrolled.

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Alice's Colorful New World not only is a story about early Deaf History- told in a fun way, but it's also interactive and your child will learn ASL alongside of Alice taught by America's favorite Teacher of the Deaf, the amazing Laurent Clerc! Not only that, there will be QR codes where the readers will see Alice and Laurent come alive and teach them signs through video.

Alice's Colorful New World is the first book in a series that will teach children (and parents!) Deaf History, Deaf Culture, and basic American Sign Language.

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Alice's Colorful New World (the first book in the series) will focus on early American Deaf History and the first two lessons are Colors and the Alphabet. The Colors represent Alice's New World...The Deaf World. When she meets Laurent Clerc, her world opens up and turns to color through the endless possibilities of sign language.

I am blessed beyond measure to have the support of the American School for the Deaf and the Alice Cogswell Heritage House (ASD's history museum). This book has been on my heart since the moment I heard Alice's name from my brilliant Teacher of the Deaf Celeste Bonfanti at Rowan College at Burlington County.

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I am also excited to have the support of Laurent Clerc's family-his 4x great grandson Laurent Clerc Holt and his 3x great granddaughter Kathy Harms. Lars Clerc is writing the forward in my book.

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I made a promise to Alice Cogswell and Laurent Clerc at their grave that I will do everything in my power to make sure their names are not forgotten. So much so that for every book sold I pledge $1 donation to the American School for the Deaf for their new Deaf History museum. Right now the Cogswell Heritage House's climate is not conducive to hold all of their incredible archives nor is it big enough. They plan to move it to another building that has been planned to be renovated to become the new museum.

I have a massive goal to sell 1 million books. I've already donated myself $800 so we only have 999,200 to go

Oh! One more thing! I also have made Alice Cogswell plush dolls that will also be for sale when the book comes out! (pictures soon!

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With this you will be FIRST to know when the book and dolls are released and will have 24 hours to purchase before they are released to the public. There will be a limited amount of the first dolls

If you are not interested in a book or the dolls but would still like to make a donation please private message me or send VENMO @Kristy-Whilden and I will make sure it gets to Jean Merritt Linderman and Brad Mosley at the Cogswell Heritage House in honor of the museum. WE CAN ALL DO BIG THINGS!

you all,

Kristy

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