Ten years ago, at the age of 54, Alberta Dunn’s lifelong dream finally came true. She published her first book.
Now, with three children’s books to her name, Dunn has reached another milestone. This month, she learned the St. Charles Parish Library added all three of her books to its shelves.
“I’m glad because now the kids can check it out instead of parents having to buy them,” Dunn said. “That’s pretty much my whole goal anyway – to just get kids to read.”
Dunn spent 20 years working in St. Charles Parish Schools, with the last 10 as a library technical assistant at Norco Elementary. It was in the library that her childhood dream of being an author was reignited.
“I thought, I need to put one of my books on the shelf,” Dunn said. “I was always writing. As a kid, that was my outlet.”
Dunn’s first two books, “Little Red Meets the Three Little Pigs” (2015) and “Little Red Meets Goldilocks” (2017), are a series that puts a new spin on classic fairy tales. The illustrator of her second book is Sharika Mahdi, the Talented Art teacher at Albert Cammon and R.K. Smith middle schools. Dunn’s books are on the shelves at Norco Elementary.
The series is set in the woods of Luling, a place that reminded Dunn of the early years she spent in the parish. In 1999, Dunn moved to the parish from San Diego with her husband and three children. The family was relocated for her husband’s job with Shell.
“It was nothing but woods when we lived in the Lakewood Apartments,” Dunn said. “There was only the library and the Shell gas station.”
The woods reminded Dunn of the fairytales she read as a little kid. A native of Covington, Kentucky, Dunn was the youngest of eight children. With her siblings all at least six years older, writing was her primary outlet and entertainment. Her teachers encouraged her. She wrote the eighth-grade school play and was featured in the local newspaper as a great reader.
Her parents and siblings were also supportive. Her father, a garbage collector, found her a typewriter when she was eight, and her mother later upgraded her to an electric one.
“They were very supportive of my writing because that was one of the things that I could do well,” Dunn said.
The move to Louisiana was a culture shock, Dunn said. But the culture also became inspiration. The characters in her “Little Red” series have a Louisiana dialect. They also rap and sing to add an interactive element to the books. It was also important to Dunn, who has biracial grandchildren, to include African American and biracial characters.
“They didn’t have a lot of characters like me growing up,” Dunn said. “So, I wanted to make my own. I love the fact that kids relate to my book. That’s my motivation. I want them to read. I want them to connect with the characters. And I want them to enjoy reading. That’s really my main thing.”
Dunn’s most recent book, “Grandma’s Hands,” (2021) is a picture book that follows a boy’s relationship with his grandmother, a story inspired by her own grandsons. The book is short and rhyming, and it carries a message about family and overcoming challenges.
Looking back, Dunn said her son and her sister motivated her to pursue her dreams.
“I remember my son telling me, ‘Well, when are you going to write your book?’” Dunn said. “And I said, ‘Well, you know what? I think I will.’”
When her sister was diagnosed with cancer, Dunn, who was in her 50s at the time, turned to writing as a distraction and an outlet.
“I wanted to have something published because she was also a mentor,” Dunn said. “I wanted to make sure I had a book written so that she would know, and my son would know, that you can accomplish things as a kid that you wanted to do. That was really my goal to accomplish my dreams.”
Dunn’s books are available to purchase on Amazon. She will hold book reading Sept. 13 at 1:30 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library. She also has plans for her next book.
