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by Theresa Danna (Author)
The Lucky Baby: A Scottish New Year's Story describes the annual first footer tradition through a story based on real-life events of the first baby born in Scotland in 1939: world-renown artist and musician Ralph "Rabindra" Danks. In this heartwarming book, we see Baby Ralph's life celebrated by his Glasgow neighbors and even by the Queen! As a baby, his mother takes him door-to-door to nearby homes on New Year's morning so he will be the first person to visit his friends that year, thus bringing them good luck. Readers see how a baby brings joy to a community simply by being born. The Lucky Baby also incorporates tributes to other entertainers who called Glasgow home: actor Craig Ferguson and singers Donovan and Lulu.
This book serves both as an educational story for children to learn about a unique Scottish cultural tradition and as a tribute to the life of Ralph Danks, whose band shared stages with The Beatles in Europe in the early 1960s. He moved to the United States in the 1970s, where he became known as the Red Dot Artist because of the red dot he included in his pen-and-ink illustrations of animals, representing the divinity residing in all living things. Then in the 1990s, he moved to Japan, where he became known as the Heartist because of the unique heart shapes he drew in his artwork of fanciful characters, representing the Japanese concept of maemuki, which translates to "looking forward with positivity." Although he died from cancer in Tokyo in January 2020, his art continues to be exhibited in Japan.
Author Theresa Danna crossed paths with the real Ralph, then known as Rabindra, during the 1980s in Los Angeles, where they shared their interest in 1960s pop music, as well as spiritual connections such as the Vedanta Temple in Hollywood. Theresa has earned a master's degree in professional writing and bachelor's degree in journalism. She read many children's books to her son in his toddler and preschool years, including stories about holidays around the world. She chose the Comic Sans font for The Lucky Baby because of its high ratings in readability and retention for young readers and readers with dyslexia.
