PARIS — The Oxford County Educators Association-Retired (OCEA-R) has announced this year’s choice of a book to be distributed this fall to all the libraries in the county that have a children’s collection. The selection is “It Only Takes One Friend” by Robin Taylor-Chiarello.
It is the second time OCEA-R’s selection committee has chosen a book by this author. Previously chosen was her book, “Limbo, From African Slave to Honored Grave,” which is about the life of a slave who lived in Fryeburg.
Taylor-Chiarello graduated from Finch College and Harvard Graduate School of Design. She pursued a career as a primary school art and art history teacher and has designed many healthcare environments.
Among her many endeavors was a time as president of United Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey. She has won a number of awards for her children’s books, including from the Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and New York book festivals. She also was a winner at the 2014 Book Festival in Paris. Taylor-Chiarello has won Mom’s Choice Awards for her books.
Taylor-Chiarello attended a recent meeting of OCEA-R, explained her work and read from some of her books.
This year’s pick is a story about a young bison who is chosen to replace a “retiring elder” at a bison ranch. He is anxious about being uprooted from his friends and familiar surroundings, struggling with the journey to his new home, and trying to make friends.