“Lyrical and lovely, Neema’s Reason to Smile reminds us that education is the greatest gift we can give a child, and that with enough love and determination, dreams sometimes do come true. Moving, important, and inspiring.”  —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal Winning Children’s Author

“With vivid, flowing prose and wonderfully vibrant characters, Neema’s Reason to Smile takes on a complicated topic—girls overcoming global obstacles to education—yet delivers a poignant example of how dreams can be realized through community. Although this tale is set in Kenya, it represents stories that unfold in real life in more than 50 countries around the world where school is not free.” —Tanya Lee Stone, author of Girl Rising: Changing the World One Girl at a Time, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work—Youth / Teens; Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction

“You will never know the potential of any child, youth, and adult until that person is given an opportunity to acquire education. When you don’t educate the people, you’re crippling them; you are not giving them ways to fend for themselves. Neema’s Reason to Smile reinforces how education creates conscious awakening for peace to happen in ourselves and around us.”  —Emmanuel Jal, Peace activist, musician, former child soldier, actor, and entrepreneur

“A wonderful story that captures the dreams and hopes of a young Kenyan girl wanting to be more!”  –Eric Walters, author and founder of Creation of Hope, an orphanage in the Mbooni region in Kenya

About the Author:

Patricia Newman’s award-winning books show kids how their actions can ripple around the world. With titles such as Neema’s Reason to Smile; Zoo Scientists to the Rescue; Sea Otter Heroes; and Plastic, Ahoy!, she hopes to empower kids to think about the adults they’d like to become.