Dara Sanders Dokas

Dara Dokas is the author of three books for children. Her most recent
picture book, Muriel's Red Sweater, was published in February
2009 from Dutton Children's Books. Her first picture book,
Remembering Mama, was published in 2002. And her easy reader,
Saving Shadow, came out with Picture Window Books in 2009.

Dara is a former English and drama teacher with an MA in Education.
Dara loves doing school visits and presenting writing workshops for
adults. In addition, Dara is a bookseller and children's book buyer
at Micawber's Books, an award-winning, independent bookstore in St.
Paul. Dara lives in St. Paul with her husband, daughter, and several pets.

Muriel's Red Sweater
illustrated by Bernadette Pons
Dutton Children's Books, 2009
ages 3 to 8, ISBN 978-0525479628

Muriel the duck pulls on her favorite red sweater and hurries all over town to deliver invitations to her birthday party. She’s so busy she never notices the funny things happening around her...like the fact that her sweater is shrinking...and what’s that trailing after her? By the time she returns home, her sweater has disappeared, and all her friends have found good uses for nice bright red yarn!

Luckily, the daffy duck’s friends arrive just in time with the perfect gift! This deliciously illustrated charmer will entrance sharp-eyed young readers with clever details and fun, tongue-in-cheek humor.

Saving Shadow
illustrated by Evelyne Duverne
Picture Window Books, 2009
ages 5 to 7, ISBN 978-1404852372

Taylor discovers a limping cat under her porch and names her Shadow. Taylor knows that Shadow needs some special care so she and her mother take Shadow to the vet. Shadow is getting better, but where is her home?

Remembering Mama

Remembering Mama
illustrated by Angela L. Chostner
Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 2002
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-8066-4352-6

A young girl expresses emotions connected to her loss and uses memories of her mother to work through her grief. Some of the memories are hers, others are stories people tell her about her mother. Some of the stories are sweet, others are funny, but all of them help her recognize that it not only helps to remember mama, but to talk about her feelings with her dad.