FigueroaBrittany is a mom of three, two daughters and a son, and has been a fifth grade reading and writing teacher for over 13 years. She is a self taught artist and has been drawing since she was young, and while she never had formal training or followed hr passion for art further than her sketchbook, she never gave up her love of learning how to draw, paint and create. Additionally, throughout her childhood, Brittany was always writing fictional stories, crafting poetry, and enjoyed reading. She ultimately landed a role as a reading and writing teacher, and has been sharing her passion for reading and the writing process with her students ever since. Throughout her life she's always wanted to write and illustrate her own picture book so when the inspiration came to create and craft Gerald's story, she never looked back. Gerald's story is inspired by her observations and experiences with upper elementary students and emotional intelligence learning over the years. Brittany wanted to create a story that children could not only learn from, but could see themselves in as well. Whether they have felt excluded or different, been a friend or a bystander, or even someone who wasn't always kind, everyone can find their place in this story. While the story was originally intended for upper elementary and lower middle school students, Brittany wanted the most basic feelings associated with exclusion and the theme of kindness to be apparent to children of all ages. Through this story, she hopes that children will understand that our differences are what make us special, and hopefully we can learn to accept and appreciate the differences we see in others. Read More Read Less