HELP SAVE THE EARTH
- one young reader at a time. Buy one for your child and one for a friend or teacher!
Yolanda Kondonassis is founder and director of Earth at Heart, a non-profit organization devoted to increasing earth awareness through the arts. Passionate about writing, earth conservation, and music, she is a Grammy-nominated classical harpist with a love for kids and the desire to share both the power of knowledge and the inspiration for change. She is on the faculties of Oberlin College and The Cleveland Institute of Music and lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her daughter and husband.
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Our House Is Round is donated to environmental organizations.
A Tricorda Publication
Printed in the USA using recycled paper content.
Daphne Knox received her Bachelor’s Degree in Illustration from The Cleveland Institute of Art. She has always had a passion for children’s illustration and loves creating hand-made art that reflects her interest in vivid color and fine detail. Her most recent project was Beautiful Butterflies, for Faber-Castel and Creativity for Kids. She currently enjoys living and working in San Francisco, California.
Yolanda
Kondonassis
Daphne
Knox
From the Author
As the mother of a 7-year-old, I am thrilled that so much earth-friendly information is now available to kids. It has become very cool to be green. However, when I ask my daughter and her friends why they think it is important to take care of the environment, their answers tell me that they do not really understand the reasons for their efforts or exactly how their actions can create change. That’s why I wrote this book.
I believe that true motivation always stems from understanding and that kids are fully able to grasp many of the larger issues surrounding the challenges we face in the quest to preserve our planet. Our House Is Round grew out of my wish to increase the depth of children’s comprehension and ownership of earth issues and to do it in a colorful, positive way that encourages thought, maturity, and problem-solving discussion.
I also felt it was important to describe our environmental challenges alongside beautiful, hand-created illustrations with a decidedly human touch. While so many of the solutions in our future depend on science, advanced technology, and determined leadership, the power of art and humanity can often inspire action in ways that mere facts cannot.
Imagine a world where everyone understands that protecting the earth is not a choice but a necessity. We’re not there yet but we’re getting closer, and our kids will have to lead the way.
-Yolanda Kondonassis
© Yolanda Kondonassis/Tricorda | Designer: Cover to Cover Design