Award-Winning Children’s Author Dawn Menge to Release New Queen Vernita Book

Dawn Menge has dedicated her life to teaching, both as an educator and mother to her own children. For the past several years, that commitment has included a third career as the award-winning children’s author of the Queen Vernita series. These books instill in children, not only a love of learning, but a way to embrace the differences in themselves and others.
The world of Queen Vernita of Oceaneer is one of exciting adventures; each centered around the twelve months of the year, and with its own opportunity to learn about different types of people, places, and even universes. In the first book, Queen Vernita’s Visitors, a different fascinating friend visits Vernita each month. In Queen Vernita Visits the Blue Ice Mountains, Vernita does the travelling, embarking on a twelve-month journey around the world. Queen Vernita Meets Sir Heathy Bean the Astronomer introduces kids to our solar system. The fourth installment in the series, Queen Vernita Visits the Islands of Enchantment, is set for release at the end of October. It will take readers on another delightful journey, one in which they will learn about different types as sea life, as well as several words in Hawaiian and Japanese. But perhaps the most important aspect of Menge’s work is her inclusion of characters who face special challenges, such as blindness, cerebral palsy, and Down’s Syndrome.

In creating her characters, Menge draws from her own experiences with friends and family; and indeed, writing has become a family affair. Queen Vernita Meets Sir Heathy Bean was co-authored by Dawn’s brother, Heath Rhoades. Heath, who is pursuing a PhD in Information Technology at Capella University, will soon release his own book. This soon-to-be titled graphic novel tells the story of Boson, a disenfranchised government scientist who must save the world from the flesh-rotting effects of a science experiment gone wrong.

Most people might find being both an educator and author a lot to handle, but Dawn Menge is not most people. A veteran educator, she works with severely handicapped students for the San Bernardino Superintendant of Schools. She is also currently working toward her PhD in Curriculum and instruction at Capella University.

Menge’s books have won several awards, including the Evvy Award (2009 & 2010) and the Scooter Award 2010 A+ rating. Her work has also received honorable mention from Reviewers Choice, Readers Choice. Queen Vernita Meets Sir Heathy Bean is a Best Book Award Finalist.

To learn more about her work, visit http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/dawn.menge1

Dana Micheli is a freelance writer, editor, proofreader and journalist. She has written and edited works of fiction and nonfiction, including novels (ghostwritten), news articles, resumes, business plans, and restaurant reviews. She also researched and wrote the legal and housing sections of New York: The Complete Resident’s Guide (Explorer Publishing). Dana has a B.A. in English from Southern Connecticut University and a Juris Doctor from New York Law School. She lives in New York City.

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