Dede Rittman
GRADY GETS GLASSES
About the Book
GRADY GETS GLASSES is for children 2-8 years old, with or without glasses, who like rhymes, fun illustrations, and bunnies. Grady is a rabbit – with glasses – who thinks that wearing glasses makes a person (or a rabbit) extra-special.. Written in verse with beautiful watercolor illustrations by Lauren Givens Wood, Grady explains both near and farsighted, as well as the importance of the care of and wearing of glasses! All kids love the rabbit and the rhymes; Grady helps all kids to understand glasses in simple terms. Dede has trademarked Grady with glasses and the plush Grady bunny (for ages 5 and up) is now available for purchase. Dede is also working to have the Grady T-shirt and argyle vest, the red nightshirt and blue nightcap, and other “Grady” items on the market in the near future. Grady is going to have many more adventures with his glasses! Stay tuned – the next book will explain WHY Grady got glasses – in GRADY GETS GLASSES – THE PREQUEL. The third book will include Grady and his glasses-wearing friends- a dog, a cat, and a bear- playing mini-golf! Buyers have a choice of ordering just the author-signed book; the Book/coloring book/ poster/sticker package; or the deluxe Grady Gets Glasses Gift package- which includes the author-signed book, coloring book, 11X17 poster, 10 2×2” Grady stickers, the bookmark, and the plush flexible plush toy Grady (for ages 5 and up). Please hover your mouse over the PURCHASE button at the top of the page to see these options. Thanks for visiting us! Be sure to check out our fun photo page- including Dede and Grady with Jason Day, the #1 golfer in the world, and Pittsburgh Penguin Nick Bonino. Their kids LOVE Grady! |
 @dederittman
Dede Rittman, the author of GRADY GETS GLASSES, got glasses when she was just 4 years old. Her first glasses were pink, and Dede never forgot the how those pretty pink glasses changed her view of the world from a large blur of fuzziness to a beautiful world of crisp colors and shapes.
Dede was a high school English and Theater teacher for 37 years. She loved school, and would have taught for 40 years, but her beloved husband, Scott, was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, so Dede retired in June of 2011 to care for him. Sadly, Scott died in May of 2012. Because Dede missed the classroom and helping students, she decided to write and publish her first book, STUDENT TEACHING: THE INSIDE SCOOP FROM A MASTER TEACHER. (www.dederittman.com ) Since the book’s debut in September of 2014, Dede has been enjoying numerous speaking engagements at colleges and universities, and presenting online webinars for educators, interviewing on various radio shows, and even co-hosting a radio show for education. Dede always wanted to write a children’s book, but she never wanted to write just a silly story for children. Instead, she wanted her book to help children with problems, and to help children understand a part of their world just a little bit better. So, Dede invented Grady – a rabbit with glasses. For 11 years, Dede and Scott had a pet bunny named Binky Rittman, so it was only natural that the main character in her book would be a bunny. Binky was actually a birthday gift to Dede from two of her English classes! Because Dede adored her students and always called them her “bunnies,” two of her wonderful classes bought her the best pet, Binky Rittman, so she could have a real bunny. Binky Rittman was litter-box trained and came when called. She knew words, rode in Dede’s convertible, and sometimes even slept in bed with Scott and Dede. Dede hopes that Grady becomes a friend to the reader the way her characters in her favorite books became friends to her. Dede has great hopes for GRADY GETS GLASSES to be ultra-successful! She would like to establish a GRADY GETS GLASSES FOUNDATION that would help to buy glasses for children who cannot afford them. The Illustrator – LAUREN GIVENS WOOD Lauren Givens Wood first met Dede Rittman on the day she was born! Lauren’s parents, David and Donna Givens, are teacher friends and former colleagues who taught in the same school with Dede. In fact, sometimes the entire Givens family would “bunny sit” Binky Rittman when Scott and Dede went on vacation! Lauren showed an extraordinary talent as an artist from a very young age, and she followed her dream to become an artist at Carnegie Mellon University. Dede is so thrilled to be working with her former student and her “Bunny Lauren.” Lauren and Alex Wood are the proud parents of Bailey, a darling 1 year old. Lauren is the founder of LOVELYLITTLEWORKS, the home of custom children’s art. Please visit her at www.lovelylittleworks.com |