Rachna Gilmore
Rachna was born in New Delhi, India. She received her Bachelors in Biology from the King's University in London, England. After completing her Bachelors, she realized that she was not into sciences and went on to complete her Bachelor’s of Education from the University of Prince Edward Island. She now resides in Ottawa with her husband and two children
1) Her all time favorite books are Anne of Green Gables and Little Women. Mrs. Chaubal (her teacher in India) read these books to her as a child and was later inspired by the characters in these two (Anne and Jo) and started her writing journey.
2) Her first book published was My Mother is Weird in 1988, which actually was sparked up from a conversation she had with her daughter early in the morning. The conversation ended with her daughter referring to her Rachna as being weird and that is when the book started.
3) Rachna has written several other picture books, early readers, middle grade and youth and adult fiction since then. On Average, each of her books have been nominated for atleast one award in Canada.
4) Infact, she has also won the Governor General Award for The Screaming Kind of Day in 1999. The book is centered around the disability theme and is a great read.
5) Rachna has also published an adult fiction book that came out in 1991 and was called Of Customs and Excise. This collection of stories was about women whose lives are woven together in a clash of cultures, class and race. This book had also been Short-listed in 1993 by the Ottawa-Carleton Book Award and by the Commonwealth Book Awards, Canada and Caribbean region.
6) Rachna not only writes for different readers but also covers different topics throughout her book. Some of her dominant themes are related to culture, family relationships and social skills. Skills such as friendship, respect and forgiveness are seen in her book called A Friend like Zilla.
Now you ask why should I introduce her to my class??
7) The reason I would introduce Rachna to any grade of children in any school in any province in Canada is mainly because she introduces a diverse variety of issues through her books. Issues such as
8) Some of the dominant themes in her books have been culture, social skills such as respect & friendship, family relationships and disabilities.
8) Another reason why you should include her to your students is because she writes multicultural literature helps students understand other cultures and traditions (inter-cultural) that will potentially trigger positive interest and enrich their knowledge of multiculturalism.
And..if you want to know more about her..check this out.
9) if you are ever in Ottawa, attend one of her readings and writing workshops where she shares her love for children's literature.
10) Visit Rachnagilmore.ca for more information about the author, her books, awards and lesson plan ideas while using her books