Cindy’s grandmother Emerita, right, with her grandfather Luis and her mother, Doris
Viola teacher pens children’s book
Suzan Clarke, The Journal News
Cindy Mauro Reisenauer’s book opens with the dedication: “For my grandmother whose love made all things possible.” The love she feels for the late Emerita Velez infuses Reisenauer’s writing and the vivid watercolor illustrations in a new hardcover children’s publication “Emerita.”
“Emerita,” inspired by Velez’s early life, starts with the narrator -an unnamed granddaughter- recounting the young Emerita’s ocean liner journey from her native Caribbean Island to her new home with her sister, Haila, and other relatives in a bustling metropolis. Emerita’s actual journey took her from Puerto Rico to New York City, but neither place is named in the book. Reisenauer said that’s because she wanted the story’s universal themes to be easily relatable to the widest possible audience of readers. The response to her book has been positive. “I guess once you touch on family, that’s something everybody connects with. Everybody’s had a grandmother,” she said. One reader said the book fostered a greater sensitivity to those who were from other parts of the world or from non-traditional families. Her words were painted just as beautifully as her illustration.”