Author Bio - Jennifer Welborn, M.Ed.

Author Jennifer Welborn has been involved in STEM for more than thirty years as a researcher, teacher, and contributor to science journals and textbooks. One of several awards that she has won for courses she developed was the A World of Difference Teaching Award, given by the Anti-Defamation League for the anti-bias curriculum she developed and taught to middle school students.

Jennifer thinks a good children’s story is one that is relatable, has some unexpected twists, humor, and of course, a happy ending. She hopes that young readers of Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, which is based on the STEM profession of veterinary medicine, will see a model of a professional woman working in a STEM field and a young girl pursuing her STEM interest after viewing that positive role model.

Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals was inspired by a picture of a real baby giraffe sent to Jennifer by her husband, a wildlife veterinarian. The baby giraffe had a neck bandage and was successfully treated at a veterinary medical center. This made Jennifer think about other animals who have common afflictions that children experience and became the concept for her book.

Jennifer, who has a B.S. degree in wildlife management, and an M.Ed. in science education, feels strongly about the lack of female representation in many STEM professions which is particularly true of BIPOC women. For Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, she purposefully created relatable, accessible characters to pay homage to everyday heroes. She hopes her readers see themselves in her book’s characters and are inspired to chase after their dreams.

When she isn’t writing inspiring and thought-provoking children’s books, Jennifer Welborn is a science educator and mother with many interests, including triathlon racing, sewing quilts, playing the flute and piano, and open water swimming. She lives with her family in Western Massachusetts where she enjoys going on hikes with her husband and their Italian water dog, Bari. Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals is her debut children’s book.

Illustrator Bio - Rozillia MH

Rozillia MH is passionate about art and storytelling through visual designs. For as long as she can remember, she has collected books, comics, and graphic novels. It is through her love of books and knack for learning that she developed an appreciation of different languages and cultures. This was one of her motivators to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in linguistics. She also developed a desire to see the world and has traveled to over ten countries.

Through her travels, she gained a whole new perspective of people and realized there are so many stories not being told. Unfortunately, in fictional storytelling, there is a lack of people of color. So when the opportunity arose to work on and illustrate a story of a young black girl traveling the world and helping animals, she was beyond ecstatic! Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals, her debut picture book, is her dream coming to life.

In addition to her talent and passion for illustrating, Rozillia is pursuing a career in speech and language pathology. It is through this field that she hopes to continue learning how to help children of diverse backgrounds and how to better tell their stories through books and illustrations. You can see samples of Rozillia’s illustrations: @Rozilliah.

Dr. Rosie Helps The Animals- Catalog Description

Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals by Jennifer Welborn and Rozillia MH [Long version]

A young girl chases her dreams and becomes a veterinarian in this imaginative and playfully illustrated picture book with an empowering message.

Readers will find this inventive story about animals with sore throats, stuffy noses, and allergies delightful.

Young Rosie loves watching her mom, a veterinarian, take care of all kinds of animals. She especially enjoys learning about the animals and helping them get better. When Rosie takes a rest from asking lots of questions, she finds herself in a dream where she meets an octopus, a crocodile, a giraffe, and more. One by one, Rosie uses her knowledge to help each animal. Dr. Rosie Helps the Animals is a clever and spirited debut picture book from author Jennifer Welborn and illustrator Rozillia MH.

Welborn masterfully combines playful storytelling with an educational edge through the exploits of her imaginative and appealing character Rosie. Readers will be entertained with each introduction of an animal in the story and finding out how to heal their ailment.

“Do you have to use this cactus on the puppy?” Rosie asked, eyeing a plant in the corner of the room. Mom smiled. “It’s not a cactus. It’s an aloe plant. The liquid in the leaves helps skin feel better.”

Over the course of her dream, Rosie encounters various animals who have common childhood afflictions—a giraffe with a sore throat, an elephant with a stuffy trunk, a polar bear with a fever—and uses her knowledge and skills to help them.

Rosie spotted a baby crocodile. It was drooling, and its mouth looked swollen. Rosie wondered if the crocodile might be getting more teeth, even though it already had so many. Ever so carefully, she pried open its mouth. “Poor guy. Your new teeth are making your gums sore.” Rosie remembered when her baby brother was teething. Her mom had given him something cold to chew on.

Welborn expertly weaves a story that is creative and fun while also steeped in STEM education. She was inspired by a picture from her husband, a wildlife veterinarian, of a real baby giraffe with a neck bandage. The giraffe was successfully treated at a veterinary medical center. This made her think about other animals, who have afflictions that children experience and became the concept for her book. While the story of Dr. Rosie is fictitious, it is based on and informed by real-life veterinarians.

Jennifer, a science educator with a degree in wildlife management, and Rozillia, an illustrator with a degree in linguistics, both feel strongly about the lack of female representation in many STEM professions, which they feel is particularly true of BIPOC women. For their picture book, it was important for them to create relatable, accessible characters to pay homage to everyday heroes. They hope readers see themselves in their book’s characters and are inspired to chase after their dreams.

This book is perfect for children who love animals or who are interested in veterinary medicine. It is also well-suited for parents, caregivers, teachers, and librarians looking for books on representation, diversity, empathy, adventure, and STEM careers.

[Short description]

A young girl chases her dreams and becomes a veterinarian in this imaginative and playfully illustrated picture book with an empowering message. Readers will find this inventive story about animals with sore throats, stuffy noses, and allergies delightful.