Two members of Duncanville High School’s Class of 2020 who wrote a national award-winning book during their senior year just became published authors.
Diana Reyes and Kelly Gutierrez wrote and illustrated the bilingual children’s book ‘The House Kitty!’ during their senior year for a Texas Association of Future Educators competition where it placed in the top five in the state. They qualified for the national 2019 Educators Rising competition where the ‘The House Kitty’ took first place in Children's Literature Pre-K.
The book follows pampered house cat Luna on her journey from being a scaredy-cat to learning how important it is to try new things. Diana says her love for children, family and her cat, Luna were her inspiration for writing the book. Kelly illustrated the pages with colorful depictions of Luna’s adventures. They said they want the book to encourage kids to step out of their comfort zone.
The book is available now on Amazon in paperback. The e-book is available for pre-order and will begin distribution on Aug. 3, 2020.
Both Diana and Kelly earned their Educational Aide I certifications from the State of Texas while studying education in Duncanville High School’s Career and Technical Education program. They both intend to study education in college with plans to become teachers.
Kelly became interested in education because she believes knowledge is power and enjoys the idea of sharing that knowledge with her future students. Diana says she hopes to change a child's life every day.