Meet our Author, Ree Gillett
Ree Gillett Valencia, Spain ree@ferndaletales.com (34) 606 087 587"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall."
— Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Ree
has worked with children for over
20 years in Spain. She has taught 1st and 2nd grade children and is now the
Preschool Coordinator at the American School of Valencia. She and her family live near the Mediterranean Sea, just at the foot of a range of small mountains called the Sierra Calderona. You can find her on the weekends walking along the sea or up in the hills.
When she was little she lived in New England, right in the middle of the woods. There were all kinds of little animals in the woods and when she found one that was hurt she’d bring it home to take care of it. Her mother wasn’t too happy with these surprise visits, but she helped by taking baby opossums, little squirrels and rabbits to the vet to help make them better.
Once Ree and her cousin, Terry, trained the chickadees, little black and white birds, to come sit on their hands to eat seeds. One day a little chipmunk scurried right up to Ree and sat on her big toe! That was a very exciting moment because she had to be very still and try not to breathe so she wouldn’t scare the chipmunk away!
The main character of Ferndale Tales, Freddy Frog, has been Ree’s assistant in her class for years and years. They are old friends and sometimes it seems that Freddy Frog is going to take over the class. Finally, Ree decided to write a story about the puppet and her first story is Freddy Frog and the Lost Kite.