Darlene Friedman
Dear Kids, Parents and Teachers,
Star of the Week: A Story of Love, Adoption, and Brownies with Sprinkles is my first book for children. It will be released this spring (2009). 
I was thrilled to work on Star of the Week in collaboration with my wonderfully talented husband, Roger Roth. We live near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with our daughter, Eden, and our two dogs, Dobo (an Airedale Terrier), and Drizzle (a Miniature Schnauzer).
For many, many years, I have worked for an organization called Soroptimist. We help make the world better for women and girls. That’s a tall order because women and girls (including those right here in the United States) face a lot of challenges. In particular, women and girls suffer more from poverty and discrimination.
Caring about girls is one of the things that led Roger and me to decide on adopting from China. We knew that conditions for girls there, as in many parts of the world, are not ideal. So, about 10 years ago Roger and I traveled to the other side of the earth to be united with our incredible daughter. Raising her is a wonderful adventure, and the best part of our lives.
Lots of great books have been written about adoption, and adoption from China in particular. We own most of them, and they have been very helpful and comforting to our family. We noticed, though, that these books don’t talk much about the experience outside the home. Roger and I got the idea for Star of the Week as a way of reaching out to all kids who feel they’re a little different from everyone else. We hope it inspires kids to feel good about and celebrate their differences, especially in a school setting.
My favorites. What are yours?
Our dogs, Dobo and Drizzle
| Color | Pink! |
| Food | Watermelon (it's pink!) |
| Illustrator | Roger Roth |
| Dogs | Dobo and Drizzle (of course) |
| People | Roger and Eden (of course) |
| People from history | Helen Keller, Mahatma Gandhi, Anne Frank |
| School Subject | English |
| Sound | My daughter's voice |
| Place | The shore |
| Animal movie | "Born Free" |
| Children's Books | Charlotte’s Web A Bargain for Frances No, David! The Sign Painter’s Dream Fishing for Methuselah |
Email me at 
. I’d be delighted to hear from you!