Interview with Rana DiOrio

 Today on Straight From Hel, we have Rana DiOrio, author of the What Does It Mean To Be …? series of books for children. Rana is an investor, investment banker, lawyer, and the mother of three children. She is also the founder and CEO of Little Pickle Press which is dedicated to helping parents and educators cultivate conscious, responsible little people by stimulating explorations of the meaningful topics of their generation through a variety of media, technologies, and techniques. Her latest and fourth in the series is called: What Does It Mean To Be Safe?

Little Pickle Press (LPP) creates beautiful picture books that are also environmentally friendly. Not only are the books visually appealing, though, they are also mentally appealing and provide chances for kids to read alone or with a parent.

Please welcome Rana DiOrio.

Q: Rana, your series has won awards and now, with this new book, you’re tackling a subject that all parents worry about – how to keep their kids safe, but it’s not necessarily an easy one to address with kids. How did you first approach the idea of safety for kids?

I find that children first identify with physical safety and what that means. Once I have them engaged, then we explore social, emotional, and cyber safety as well. The take-away messages of this book are two-fold: (1) listen to your inner voice and it will tell you when you are not safe (most children know what I mean by "inner voice", even very young children; if they require an explanation, I tell them it is the "2 Is"–––intuition and instinct.); and (2) if your inner voice is telling you that you are not safe, seek the help of a trustworthy adult.

 Q: In this book in your What Does It Mean To Be …? series, you explore physical, emotional, social, and cyber safety. That’s a lot to tackle for a children’s book. How were you able to write it in such a way that it would be clear yet not frightening to children – or parents, for that matter?

 I think that Sandra Salisbury's thoughtful and soft illustrations go a long way towards making the topics approachable and not frightening. The book is designed to start conversations between children and their grownups about these various types of safety and how we can all remain safe.

Q: You’re an investor, investment banker, lawyer, and the mother of three children. Plus, you’re also the founder and CEO of Little Pickle Press. When do you find time to write?

On airplanes! True story––I wrote What Does It Mean To Be Safe? during several transcontinental flights.

Thank you Rana DiOrio.

You can find out more about Little Pickle Press at their blog or website. Little Pickle Press is also on Facebook and Twitter.

You can find out more about What Does It Mean To Be Safe? at the Little Pickle Press shop. You can buy a copy there, too! Remember, Christmas is fast approaching. Plus, for joining us today for this interview, you can get free shipping and a SAFE poster made of TerraSkin, the tree-free paper, with your order. Just enter BBTSAFE at check-out.

Click here to see the book trailer for What Does It Mean To Be Safe?

I bet I’m not the only one with questions for Rana DiOrio. I hope everyone who stops by will say “hi” in the Comments Section or use that chance to ask a question of your own.