Primary School and Lower School students were in for a treat on Monday, Sept. 30, with a visit from one of their favorite children's authors, Carmen Agra Deedy! Ms. Deedy is a longtime friend of Holy Innocents' and mother of Lauren Deedy '04. A Cuban refugee raised in Decatur, many of Ms. Deedy's stories draw from her experiences with both Hispanic and Southern culture. HIES was honored to host Ms. Deedy as a part of our ongoing celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month. 

During Monday's visit, Ms. Deedy spoke to three groups of students in Kindergarten through fifth-grade, selecting each story to suit the age group and tweaking her storytelling methods in real-time to better engage the minds of her young audience. 

"Technology can tell stories, AI can make stories. But there's a difference: a machine knows stories, but a true storyteller knows us," Ms. Deedy said. 

Ms. Deedy's storytelling sessions are always full of silly voices, physical movements and crowd participation – something our young Golden Bears have come to look forward to each time she returns to campus. She's a passionate advocate for the power of oral storytelling tradition. 

"When we hear a story, and when we are all listening to the same narrative, our minds sync, and that neural syncing creates community and empathy. Children need fairytales and folktales and myths and legends to remind us of our own humanity."

Ms. Deedy is the author of sixteen children's books, including The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day and 14 Cows for America, a New York Times Bestseller. Several of her books are published in Spanish as well as English. She hosts the four-time Emmy-winning children’s program, Love That Book!. Ms. Deedy is also an accomplished lecturer, having been a guest speaker for the Library of Congress, Columbia University, the TED and TEDx Conference and the Kennedy Center, among other distinguished venues. An editor and lifelong advocate for libraries, she previously served on the Advisory Board of the Smithsonian Libraries and Archives.