Additional information
by Donna Earnhardt (Author), Andrea Castellani (Illustrator)
Frank follows the motto, "Honesty is the best policy." He tells the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Frank never lies to his schoolmates, he always tells the truth to adults, and he's always honest with police officers. The balancing act of finding tact, that fine line between telling the truth and telling too much truth, is the main theme of this story, and it's very funny-- although not necessarily to his friend Dotti whose freckles remind Frank of the Big Dipper, or to the teacher who hears that her breath smells like onions, or to the principal who is told that his toupee looks like a weasel. No one is quite as impressed with Frank's honesty as he thinks they should be. He is sweet and straightforward, and, well, very frank, but with everyone annoyed at him, Frank is now honestly unhappy. He decides to visit his confidante and pal, Grandpa Ernest, who has a history of frankness himself. With a few lessons from Grandpa, Frank begins to understand that the truth is important, but so is not being hurtful. With amusing characters and expressive artwork, this story tells the powerful message of finding the good in everything-- a lesson that sends compassion and understanding to take the place of rudeness in the complex concept of truth.
Author Biography
When Donna isn't homeschooling or battling the laundry, she's writing children's stories, poetry, songs, and mysteries. You might find her fishing the Pee Dee River, hiking in the mountains with her family, or visiting her hometown of Cordova, NC. She lives in Concord, NC, and Being Frank is her first book. Andrea (pronounced An-dray-a) is a founding member as well as animator, director, and concept artist for Cartobaleno Animation Studio. He has won numerous awards for his animation and directorial talents at the Flashtoons Festival (2003), Visioni Animate Festival (2004), Valsusa Film Festival, Ionio Film Festival, Arcipelago Film Festival (2005), Ceccano Film Festival and Cinematografare21 Film Festival (2006). His art has been exhibited at the Davico Art Gallery in Torino (2011) and at the Mitreo Art Gallery in Rome (2011-12). Being Frank is his 5th children's book.
