Drummond Elementary ISS supervisor Adrienne Draper has written and published several children’s books. Her latest title, “Rona, Rona, GO AWAY!” was released in June. It’s a story that gives the reader a snapshot of how an 8-year-old boy and his family adjusted to the rapid changes in their community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Kids were getting excited about spring break and having this extra week off of school,” Draper said. “The book focuses on the highs and lows of what happened next and makes the Coronavirus something kids can understand.”
She now has five books available, some of which were co-authored by her sister, Aja Owens. All of their books focus on an assortment of character education lessons.
“We focus on community service, empathy, compassion and kindness,” she said.
Their careers took off after creating a curriculum for Risen Publishing Camp 4 Kids. Draper, who has a Masters in Fine Arts in Writing, and her sister taught campers how to write and self-publish their own books.
“It was so crazy because at the time, we weren’t even published authors,” Draper said. “We just published 15 kids, and I thought, ‘If I’m helping other people do something, I have to do it, too.’ That’s when I published my first book, ‘Missy’s Mouthing Off.’”
Draper has been featured by several media outlets highlighting her work and her books can be found in Pattonville libraries.