I recently had the pleasure of meeting, live and in person, the infamous and city-renowned Kate Hall from Richmond Mom. If you use twitter, you can also follow her @richmondmom. Her tweets often make me spew water out of my nose or snort loudly in public, both good things (if not slightly painful). Kate’s my hero, and I really fell in love with her after we carpooled to an SMC event and she sat down in my car with a purple Solo cup full of red wine. The woman can rock it! She also understands completely that just because you own a website doesn’t mean you’re rolling in the cash. We both work hard, and understood immediately the challenges of being both mothers and business owners. It’s not all that glamorous, but the good thing is, I get to meet women like Kate because of my job.
Kate is also my hero because she’s a published author. And she wrote an amazing book for children entitled Richmond Rocks. In a nutshell: Richmond Rocks is a brief glimpse into the amazing history that Richmond holds for its little learners. Three Richmond, VA kids discover Richmond’s past by journeying through some of its many historical landmarks and sights, with the help of their mom. On this fabulous journey, they learn that Richmond really does rock!
As a non-native to this area, one of the things that struck me my first year of living in Richmond was how saturated with history the streetcorners and cobblestones are. My kids are growing up in a historical environment, but are clueless because we mostly hang in the sterilized green-grassed lawns of a suburb. There ain’t nothin’ historical about the Starbucks on the corner, or the strip malls. Head 15 minutes east and slightly south and you’re surrounded by history. Kate recognized the story idea would be an excellent way to introduce the 4-8 demographic about their hometown.
One of the things I loved best about the book is that it is all Richmond, 100% through and through. The author and editor, the illustrator, the photography, and the publisher: all local. It’s awesome. I’m super proud of Kate, and encourage you Richmonders (Richmondites? Monders? RichmondPeeps?) to purchase the book. Or at least go to her site and send her a message of love and support. She deserves it.
