Betsy Coffeen

Kathryn interviews Author Betsy Coffeen.Cate, a curious and compassionate butterfly, is jostled out of a daydream and finds herself face-to-face with a fuzzy stranger who buzzes away before the two have a chance to chat. When Cate notices that the flower petals are missing from her garden, she begins to wonder if the bumblebee is stealing the petals! She soon finds out that this mysterious and somewhat frightening bumblebee is not a thief at all but rather a kind-hearted creature who needs the petals to feed his family. She learns that the flower- hopping 'bandit' pollinates the plants to help them grow stronger and more beautiful, highlighting for young children how our world and everything in it is interconnected. Betsy Coffeen holds a MA in psychology from ASU and was honored with the Childhelp Helping Hand Award for her decades of dedication to philanthropy.Kathryn also interviews Author Debbie Chein Morris.Debbie and Judy are twins—but Judy was born with cerebral palsy, and Debbie was not. Despite the severity of Judy's brain damage, her parents chose to keep her at home with her three siblings well into adulthood. Her care was augmented by a succession of home attendants—until her doctor told Debbie that Judy's care at home was wanting and she would not survive without nursing home care. Debbie Chein Morris tells of the emotional trauma she experienced when she was forced to place her sister—a sister unable to sit, stand, use a bathroom or make her needs met- in a new and strange environment. This is a memoir of love, grief and guilt and ultimately acceptance. Debbie has masters degrees from Queens College, Hofstra University and Bank Street College of Education.