Jeffers, Dawn

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Jeffers, Dawn

Personal

Children: one daughter. Education: Lakeland College, B.A. (business administration); University of Wisconsin—Green Bay, M.A. (administrative science). Hobbies and other interests: Golf, rollerblading, community theatre.

Addresses

Home—Green Bay, WI. Office—Raven Tree Press, 1400 Miller Pkwy, McHenry, IL 60050. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Writer, educator, and publisher. Employed in sales and marketing; Raven Tree Press, Green Bay, WI, managing partner. Teacher of business topics on the college level; freelance writer; does commercial voice work.

Writings

Vegetable Dreams=Sueño Verduras (bilingual picture book), illustrated by Claude Schneider, Raven Tree Press (Green Bay, WI), 2001, revised as Vegetable Dreams=Huerto soñado, 2006.

Bella Luna, (bilingual picture book), Raven Tree Press (McHenry, IL), 2001, revised, 2008.

Sidelights

Drawing on her experience in business, Dawn Jeffers was motivated to get involved with Raven Tree Press due to her interest in the problems faced by bilingual children. "I saw a need in the picture-book industry for

high-quality bilingual materials particularly in English/ Spanish," Jeffers noted on the press's Web site. "So by reviewing the market opportunities and my ability to link to the writing and art communities, Raven Tree Press focuses on this specific market niche." Among the over-twenty books produced by Jeffers since the press's inception is Vegetable Dreams=Huerto soñado, a picture book authored by the publisher herself.

Although Jeffers has never done substantial gardening herself, assisting elderly neighbors with their own gardens introduced her to the value of working close to the earth. In Vegetable Dreams=Huerto soñado she introduces Erin, a little girl whose parents are too busy to help her start a vegetable garden. Fortunately, she finds help from an elderly neighbor named Mr. Martinez, who allows Erin to tend one corner of his backyard garden. During the summer, the girl learns how to start seedlings and care for growing plants, as well as discovering the benefit of pursuing her dreams. Featuring colorful pastel paintings by Claude Schneider, Vegetable Dreams=Huerto soñado includes a Spanish text translation which School Library Journal critic Maria Otero-Boisvert praised as "adeptly done." A Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that "both English and Spanish texts are smooth and competent," while in Children's Bookwatch a critic cited Jeffers' "engaging and entertaining story line."

In addition to her work for Raven Tree Press, Jeffers writes business and promotional copy, as well as poetry

and short fiction. Active in community theatre, she also teaches business courses at colleges near her Illinois home.