BENJAMIN AND HIS FRIENDS
Children's Author
R.G. de Rouen is an award-winning children's book author inspiring kids to love reading, explore the natural world, and care for animals, while also providing fun activities & educational resources for parents & teachers.
R.G. de Rouen
“For as long as I can remember,
books took me in my imagination to faraway places. My wish is that my characters and stories will do the same.” — R.G.
Award-Winning Books for your Classroom and Home
I am very proud and honored that my books have received several awards and found their way into many classrooms, libraries and homes! It is especially rewarding to hear how much kids enjoyed reading them!
The inspiration for Books For Benjamin (Book 1) came during a visit to the Library of Congress. Learning about Thomas Jefferson's contributions and his love for books inspired me to create Benjamin, a bookworm character.
For educators: I believe this picture book to be perfect for classrooms, libraries, and homes, as it encourages early literacy, a growth mindset, and the joy of discovery. It also introduces young readers to an essential topic in today’s digital world—copyright—helping children understand the importance of respecting books and creative work.
Fun sidenote: My school's librarian used the book to not only encourage library use, but also to introduce the topic of copyright and plagiarism!
In No Books For Benjamin (Book 2) Benjamin is faced with a challenge when a sickness called the "Purple Dots," closes down libraries. Will Benjamin and his friends succeed in getting books in the hands of kids again?
The seeds of this book stem from the experience of educators from around the world during the COVID pandemic. All of a sudden libraries, as we knew them, were shuttered which included school libraries. However, undaunted librarians came up with ideas of how to get books into the hands of kids again. In my particular school, it was called, "Click and Collect." Parents would order books online through the library system and the librarian would select the books, sanitize them and place them in a bag for each parent to drive by and pick them up.
For educators: Working as a team when faced with challenges is a valuable lesson for children. In this story each of the characters brings in their very own strength and contributes to finding solutions. And so can your kids in the classroom!
Herds dotted the landscape like spots on a leopard. Daphne dreamed of being among them...
WILD AND FREE!
While living in Kenya, my wife and I loved going on safaris, especially watching elephant families gather at waterholes. Seeing the playful babies was heartwarming, but learning about young elephants orphaned by poachers was heartbreaking.
When I heard about Daphne Sheldrick, who devoted her life to rescuing these orphans, I knew I had to visit. At the orphanage, I met a little elephant named Imenti. He playfully grabbed my arm (like a teething baby) and led me around. His keepers were thrilled; just the day before, he’d been so sick they feared losing him. That moment showed he had found the will to live.
Inspired by this experience, and noticing a lack of children’s books on the subject, I wrote a picture book to share Daphne’s story.
For educators: Mother to Elephants highlights a simple but powerful message for young readers: with love and determination, anything is possible. Daphne’s persistence led her to develop the first successful formula for raising orphaned elephant calves.
