Media Kit Contents
- Photos and Images - hi and low resolution
- Awards and Honors
- Author Bios - short and long
- FAQs
Photo and Design Images - High Resolution
(Click of image below for link to high resolution copy)
Awards and Honors
Carole has received grants, scholarships, and awards for her environmental activities from:
- The White House, Milleniium Green Award, Eco-Garden Habitat
- The National Endowment for the Arts
- The National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society
- The State of California Outdoor Education Program
- UC Berkeley, College of Agricultural Science, Commencement Speaker, her graduation ceremony
Bios, Author/Illustrator - short and long
Short
Carole has received grants, scholarships, and awards for environmental activities from the State of California Outdoor Education Program for initiating a class at UC Berkeley, the National Endowment for the Arts Public Education and Awareness Grant, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Audubon Society. Other environmental honors include the White House Millennium Green Award for an urban residential eco-habitat design, the Student Commencement Speaker for her undergraduate Conservation of Natural Resources degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and the recipient of an MA in Environmental Education and a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management. Carole writes and creates illustrations from her home in northern California, where she lives amongst the majestic redwoods with her husband. They are dedicated to promoting peace, harmony, and dignity among all living things.
Long
Carole is an author-illustrator with a passion for inspiring children and adults to touch and feel the earth and experience the magic of Mother Nature. Carole believes that when we feel this awe and wonder deeply in our hearts, our children will grow up and pass the appropriate legislation to heal and save our planet.
Dr. Carole Rollins' environmental activities have earned her awards and grants from state, national, and international organizations. She is honored to be a recipient of the White House Millennium Green Award for her Eco-Garden Habitat residential design; the National Endowment for the Arts, Public Education and Awareness Award; the State of California Outdoor Education Program Grant for an Environmental Education and Design class she created at UC Berkeley and taught for five years; scholarships from the Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society; and being chosen as Commencement Speaker for her College of Agricultural Science, Conservation of Natural Resources graduation ceremony at UC Berkeley.
Originally from Stockton, California, Carole earned her PhD from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, an MA in Environmental Education from the University of California at Berkeley, and an AB and BS in Conservation of Natural Resources and Architecture at the University of California at Berkeley. She spent time in New York, Switzerland, and California, pursuing a variety of entrepreneurial endeavors. She is now writing and illustrating in Northern California, amongst the redwoods and flora and fauna that provide her with breath-taking inspiration from the natural world.
Carole loves to create, whether cooking, writing, drawing, speaking, picking flowers, decorating, or sharing her creations. She loves to watch seeds grow and help struggling plants turn around and thrive. Her wonderful husband eats all her food creations, no matter how they come out. What a sweetheart!
Carole is a member of the OpEd Projects and the Author's Guild.
"We are each unique individuals, whether humans, animals, or plants. We are wonderful and glorious in our diversity and individuality, but we are also dependent on each other and interconnected. We cannot survive alone. We need each other and need to help each other to survive—as an individual, as a species, as a city, as a habitat, as a state, as an ecosystem, as a country, and as a planet. No matter what culture we come from, no matter what species we are (plant, animal, or human), we all need to work together to create a peaceful planet where we can all be friends and help each other fulfill our dreams and destinies as individuals and as a planet." Written by Carole Rollins, Ph.D.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
Why do you write stories and draw pictures for children?
I was asked to write a definition of ecology for a children's encyclopedia. So I was so excited that someone wanted to know what I thought. So, I gathered all the papers I had written on ecology and spread them all on my living room floor. Then, I started organizing, reorganizing, and eliminating until I was finally satisfied. It was in the form of a story. So I sent it off to the encyclopedia, and they wrote back that they were very "chagrined" and did not understand what a worm, a butterfly, a frog, and a little girl had to do with ecology. So I understood they wanted a very straight forward definition, which I then wrote and gave to them, and they were satisfied. But now I had a story about ecology about a little girl and her animal friends trying to find peace on earth so they could all live together and be happy. That was the beginning.
How do you get ideas for your stories?
I took a class from the Audubon Society. They got me so excited about finding nature in the urban environment. Knowing that I didn't need to wait to go on vacation to find inspiration in nature, the grass growing between the sidewalk cracks became such a source of motivation for me.
Also, guided hikes with a park ranger were extremely inspirational. One park ranger, in particular, used to tell us stories about the nature all around us, and we were mesmerized by his magical tales.
One of my goals in life is to help inspire children to feel that same magic and inspiration whenever they see plants and animals, whether in the city, country, or wilderness.
Another story came from a class I had started and taught in college where students who were going to be elementary school teachers did activities with children in local elementary schools. We would make copies of the activities each week and share them with each other. By the end of four years, I had a stack of over 500 ecology activities for children, which I self-published and sold in the local ecology store. A major educational publisher came to me and asked if I would like them to publish the activities, but I would need to get permission from each student over the last four years who wrote those activities. I was a student in college, and that completely overwhelmed me, and I could not see my way to getting permission from past students. But I made a vow that I would write my own ecology activities, and then I wouldn't have to get permission to publish them.
What do you love about writing and drawing for children?
I love watching the characters come to life each day. I get so filled with joy and happiness from writing and drawing, it is hard for me to stay in bed. I can't wait to get up as the characters dance through my head at night. I get up at 4:00 AM each day when it is so quiet and peaceful. So I have to make myself stay in bed each night, even though I am so anxious to start my day.
Do you write your stories or draw your pictures on a computer?
Yes. I write on a computer. I used to draw by hand with colored pencils, marking pens, and pastels. I used to draw on tracing paper. I would draw on the front and shade things in by drawing on the back of the tracing paper. Then I scanned those drawings into the computer and now enhance some of them digitally. New illustrations are now completely drawn digitally.
Do you have an office you work from?
I work in my home office. I have a glass desk that sits in the corner and extends out four feet on either side. It is beautiful, translucent, and inspiring. I have one window on each side of the corner where the desk is, and I can look out and see the trees and flowers in my backyard and the neighborhood. I usually have a vase of flowers on the windowsill, which inspires me and fills me with breathtaking beauty, wonder, and loveliness each moment. Then there are the cats, Spirit and Sasha, who have their places on my desk and chairs directly behind me, so I can reach back and pet them. Then the puppy dog, Natasha, has two beds under each side of my desk that she shares with the cats. Every day while I'm creating, I feel so much love, and I'm so happy to share that love with others through my work.
What would you tell a child who wants to write or draw?
Write, write, write. Draw, draw, draw. I used to write poems for my family and relatives as a child. Then I would decorate them with drawings and give them out as Christmas presents. My aunt used to take me to her art classes, which she would attend in various locations. I felt like such a grown-up. My mom took me to art classes during the summer and after school. I had a family that was very supportive. If you don't love to write or draw, there will be something else that will come along and be right for you. Be patient and keep on the lookout.