Elizabeth Turnbull was born and raised in Haiti where she grew up surrounded by the sights and sounds brought to life in her Haitian children’s stories. As a young child she would spend hours snuggled in the laps of her parents and older brothers while they would read a story to her. One of her greatest joys was learning to read and having the power to unleash the stories for herself.
Elizabeth went on to study Spanish and Journalism at Wake Forest University and receive her MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies from Florida International University. Today, she is the Senior Editor for Light Messages Publishing. She is the bestselling author of three children’s books about Haiti: Janjak and Freda Go to the Citadel, Janjak and Freda Go to the Iron Market and Good Night Goat/Bonnwit Kabrit. Her biography of Wallace Turnbull's lifelong ministry in rural Haiti, Say to This Mountain, won an IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award gold medal. Elizabeth lives on a budding farm in Hillsborough, NC, with her family.
Connect with her online at torchflamebooks.com/elizabeth-turnbull. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @ejturnbull.
Cousins Janjak and Freda travel with their godmother to visit one of Haiti's most famous national treasures: the Citadel. On their big adventure, they make a new friend who shows them everyone can use a helping hand. As they tour the famous fortress, they learn important lessons about encouragement and sharing.
This story is told in such a way that the characters, scenery, and plot will be meaningful to both English-speaking children and Creole-speaking children. Rather than a literal translation, the Creole text has been rewritten by Wally Turnbull to provide the most authentic experience for Creole speakers.
Readers looking for positive, uplifting stories about Haiti's culture and land will appreciate the Janjak and Freda stories. Haiti's scenery bursts through in vibrant color, and the bilingual text will keep children engaged while learning words in a new language.
Winner of the Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal, Say to These Mountains tells the true story of Wallace Turnbull, one of Haiti’s pioneers in development and missions. Over the course of 70 years, his work changed countless lives and influenced national policy in both Haiti and the United States. For his work, he was decorated with the National Order of Honor and Merit, Haiti’s highest honor.
As told by Wallace’s granddaughter, this eloquent biography takes the reader on a journey through the life of a complex man and his adopted country, painting a picture of grace and mercy vastly different from the often-grim stories shared about the island nation and her people.
Photographs of Wallace Turnbull
Awards, Reviews, and Coverage
"Say to These Mountains is an essential tool for insight to Haiti's history, landscape, and people." –Rebecca Brewster Stevenson, bestselling author of Healing Maddie Brees
“How many children, how many elderly, how many generations were touched—how many survived—because of the work the Pastor has done?” –President Michel Martelly of Haiti during the bestowing of the Order of Honor and Merit to Wallace Turnbull
“Wallace and Eleanor invited me into their home up on the mountain and in that evening explained to me what it takes to survive and even to thrive in Haiti…. I heard their words, but I also saw it in them.” –Wes Stafford, former President and CEO of Compassion International
In this first book of the bilingual Janjak and Freda series, cousins Janjak and Freda go with their godmother on an exciting adventure to Haiti's famous Iron Market. While there, they make many new friends, taste new fruits, and show the value of helping others when a runaway goat causes havoc in the market.
The colorful text and beautiful illustrations will leave children dreaming up their own adventures. This story is told in such a way that the characters, scenery, and plot will be meaningful to both English speaking children and Creole speaking children.
Rather than a literal translation, the Creole text has been rewritten by Wally Turnbull to provide the most authentic experience for Creole speakers. A Creole pronunciation guide at the back and a page of history about the Iron Market are useful supplements for parents and teachers seeking to broaden their children's world view.
From the author: In writing the Janjak & Freda series my goal was to provide a children's book about the joys, discoveries, and adventures that can come with being a child in Haiti. The majority of the very few children's books about Haiti tackle serious, difficult social issues such as abandonment, street children, and violence. While Haitian children do in many ways experience a harsher childhood than their neighbors to the north, they also feel the same childlike joys of discovery, adventure, and new experiences. They, too, have the special innocence of childhood that radiates from within.
In Janjak & Freda, I strive to share the joys, innocence, and lessons of childhood through the lens of a Haitian child. The book is bilingual so that Haitian children can also share in the stories of Janjak & Freda who are, after all, just like them.
Awards, Reviews, and Coverage
Bonnwit Kabrit is a lovely bicultural bedtime story for young children everywhere.
- Midwest Book Review
Foreword Reviews INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award Finalist
In this delightful, rhyming bedtime story, children journey across Haiti, saying goodnight to scenes the nation's children would know from their daily lives.
From the calico cat to the pink flowers of the bouganvillea to the sweet goat nestled beneath the starry sky, children will embark on an exciting bedtime journey as one by one they say, bonnwit. Words of Haitian Creole are sprinkled throughout the text to expand children's vocabulary and introduce them to a new language. A helpful pronunciation guide at the back teaches readers how to say the words aloud.
Awards, Reviews, and Coverage
"This appealingly modest effort is well worth acquiring." –Kirkus Reviews
