Caring for Clover is a semi-fictional story, based on actual events, about a young, brown girl named, Neenah. Neenah loves animals of all kinds, and wants to be a Veterinarian one day. When Clover came into her life, like any typical twelve-year old, Neenah hopped into action and wanted to do everything she could to protect and save her new, frightened little friend.
Caring for Clover takes us on a journey of love, determination, and hope through the eyes of a young girl who wants to share her gift of compassion for animals. An act of kindness that expresses her love, care and empathy for the baby rabbit she discovered, hidden safely behind the tall grass, in a back-yard flower pot.
Focused on creating awareness around the need for more black veterinarians, Caring for Clover, told though the eyes of a young brown girl who loves animals, is a book designed to encourage young children of color to consider veterinary medicine one day.
Born in Minnesota, Linda grew up in North Minneapolis with her seven siblings. Her father was a neighborhood barber and her mother worked at one of the local restaurants. During her formative years, a time of no cell phones, smart TVs, or computers, reading and writing became her favorite pastime activities, and helped encourage her active
imagination. Married right out of high school, Linda raised three children while attending community college and operating an in-home childcare program focused on early literacy, and diversity and inclusion. She began writing children's stories, songs, and rhythmic rhymes to support her program curriculum. Currently, Linda lives in South Minneapolis with her family.
At 7 years old, Neenah realized she loved animals. She believes animals are kind and have a special way of knowing when you feel down. When pets show how much they love you, it can brighten your day! Neenah believes pets deserve a lot of respect and care. This is the reason she wants to become a veterinarian one day. She believes that if she can
help make pets feel better, it will help their owners be happy and create a better world for everyone!
From her art studio with lots of tall windows, Joanna paints portraits of amazing human beings and has a freelance illustration and design business. She is grateful for the invaluable mentorship of nationally known portrait painters Bonita Roberts and Myron Sahlberg, who are teaching her how to create poetry with brushes. Joanna lives in South Minneapolis with her husband Pete, their two kids, and a very large goldendoodle named Rubi.
