Though her own childhood fondness
for bright, breezy books is what spurred her on to being an avid reader, the
desire to embrace her place in a cherished chain of memories is what inspired
Janet Clement to write a children's picture book. Influenced by her maternal
grandmother's stories of her childhood journey to the United States through
Ellis Island, Janet learned the customs and traditions of Judaism. With her
grandmother, an observant Orthodox Jew from Eastern Europe, on one side of the
chain, and her American-born children on the other side, Clement wants to pass
on the enjoyment of reading and her love for Judaism.
Her love of children is evident in
her work. She is a provider consultant for center-based childcare and offers
technical assistance and training to sites serving children from infancy through
elementary school for before- and after-school care. She also assesses programs
for quality assurance and offers training and presentations at the local,
regional, and state levels for early childhood educators. Her Jewish roots are
reflected in her work as the early childhood director at Temple Ahavat Shalom in
Palm Harbor, Florida, and as the program director of senior and adult
programming at Kent Jewish Community Center in Clearwater, Florida.
Family is paramount to Clement, who
enjoys scrapbooking and researching her family tree. Lucky family and friends
sometime receive hand-made greeting cards personally designed by Clement. Born
in Washington, D.C., Clement has lived in the Bronx, Miami, and the Los Angeles
area. She now resides in Clearwater, Florida.
Albert G. Rodriguez's schooling at
the High School of Art and Design and City College of New York, both in New
York, New York, gave him the background his talent needed to flourish. Although
he has dabbled in the insurance business, his design talent was first expressed
as a contractor. Like Clement, Rodriguez has also worked at Temple Ahavat Shalom
in Palm Harbor, Florida, and has worked at Pinellas Country Jewish Day School as
their facility operations manger since 1997. |