- Michelle Ferguson-Cohen
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Michelle Ferguson-Cohen 
Born Ft. Benning, GA Occupation author, illustrator, publisher Genres Children's books Notable work(s) Daddy, You're My Hero!
booksforbrats.comMichelle Ferguson-Cohen is a children's book author, illustrator and publisher. Her father is a career military officer and Vietnam veteran. As a military brat herself, many of the picture books she develops are written for and feature military brats.
Contents
Career
Ferguson-Cohen wrote, illustrated and published the first commercially available children's books for military brats.[1] and the first children's picture books for children coping with deployment.[2][3] She has been called the "Dr. Seuss for Military Brats" in a Washington Times article that was laudatory in tone about her books' ability to help children understand about their parent's military deployments.[4]
Ferguson-Cohen established Little Redhaired Girl Publishing to publish her books as part of a series she entitled Books for Brats to encourage pride in the term "Military Brat" outside the military community. Ferguson-Cohen's goal was to create material that would appeal to all children and introduce their military family neighbors. Though self-published, her titles "Daddy, You're My Hero!" and "Mommy, You're My Hero!" have reportedly reached hundreds of thousands of youthful readers[5] through both targeted and broad based marketing. They were first published in 2001 and are in their 3rd edition.[1] The books have also been used in the classrooms as material to promote tolerance and understanding amongst peers, and distributed to both commercial and civilian outlets.[6]
Books for Brats were early to recognize and service the "suddenly military" families of the National Guard and Reserves.[7] During the first deployments of the Iraq War, Ferguson-Cohen worked with Family Readiness Groups nationwide to host readings.[8][9][10][11][12] She was able to obtain recommendations by many educational, medical and child development experts[13] suggesting that her books could be utilized to explain deployment and convey coping skills to children facing separation from a parent.[14][15][16][17][18] They are also suggested as resources for their unique content, multicultural illustrations and representations of female soldiers.[19]
Sought out by the press as an expert in the military community,[20][21][22][23] she became an advocate for military brats promoting equal representation for the military community in the media.
Prior to her career as children's author and advocate for military brats, Ferguson-Cohen was a music industry entrepreneur[24] who owned an agency based in New York and London. During her career in the entertainment industry she was involved celebrity charity events to raise funds for UK-based NGO War Child.[25] A writer and humorist, she is listed as a contributor to the Complete Idiot's Guide to Jokes.[26]
References
- ^ a b Bookcatcher Books for Brats Marks 5 Years Helping Children Cope With Deployment
- ^ Chicago Tribune, Books Help Military Brats 'Soldier' On (lack of books explaining deployment)
- ^ Fayetteville Observer
- ^ The Washington Times; Military children's story told, Books explain 'hero' parents
- ^ Eyewitness in Iraq
- ^ de:Amerikanische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur
- ^ Bookcatcher
- ^ Life Transformed
- ^ Ft. Bragg Deployment Resources
- ^ Resources for FRG Deployment
- ^ OMK Hero Packs
- ^ Yuma Deployment Readiness
- ^ Military.com
- ^ American Press Institute; Sources for Parents to Explain War
- ^ Pediatric Psychology; Resources for Military Families
- ^ Military Homeschoolers
- ^ Resources for Youth Serving Professionals Caring for Children and Adolescents with Deployed Military Parents; COL Elisabeth Stafford, MD, FAAP, FSAM Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program Director, San Antonio Military Pediatric Center
- ^ Journal for the National Association of Educating Young Children
- ^ National Military Family Association Books Recommendation
- ^ http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-22808149_ITM Experts to Discuss Children and Television War Coverage
- ^ ADVISORY/Experts Available to Discuss Topics Regarding War with Iraq | Business Wire | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ Positive Parenting
- ^ Fox News; Mother's Day Bittersweet for Military Moms
- ^ New York Book Festival
- ^ Billboard
- ^ Complete Idiot's Guide to Jokes: see index page 308
Bibliography
- Daddy, You're My Hero! (Little Redhaired Girl Publishing, 2001,) ISBN 978-0-9729264-4-7
- Mommy, You're My Hero! (Little Redhaired Girl Publishing, 2001,) ISBN 978-0-9729264-3-0
- Walk This Way, New York Magazine
External links
Categories:- Military brats
- American children's writers
- American comedy writers
- American humorists
- American illustrators
- American screenwriters
- Women screenwriters
- Living people
- New York University alumni
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