Can one act of kindness help save an entire nation? When Quatie Ross, wife of Cherokee Chief John Ross, saw a shivering child on the Trail of Tears, she didn’t know the answer. What she did know was that she had to help, no matter the cost.

A BLANKET IN THE SNOW: QUATIE ROSS AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS is a picture book biography for children ages 5 and up about one brave woman’s selfless act of compassion. The Trail of Tears saw over half of the 15,000 Cherokee people die from harsh conditions, disease and starvation. The story of Quatie Ross fighting to save her family then sacrificing herself so another child could live brings Cherokee history to life for today’s child. I am Cherokee, so Quatie’s journey resonates deeply. The more I learned about her struggles and her bravery, the more I wanted to share her story.

I’m an SCBWI PAL member, and my second and third nonfiction picture books, DESTINATION SPACE- THE APOLLO MISSIONS and DESTINATION SPACE- THE SPACE SHUTTLE MISSIONS, released in January. My first nonfiction title, ALL ABOUT SOCIAL NETWORKING, released in January 2017. My story, THE CHRISTMAS CANDLES was in the December 2017 issue of Highlights Magazine, and I have two short stories with Amazon Rapids. My picture book manuscripts, CUPINE’S PERFECT DANCE PARTNER and O POSSUM’S PREDICAMENT, won HONORABLE MENTIONS in the 85^th and 86th Annual Writer’s Digest Contests for Children’s/ YA, and my picture book, DANCING GRANNIES, was a finalist in the 2014 Katherine Paterson Prize for Young Adult and Children’s Writing at Hunger Mountain. I have a picture book app with HMH/MeeGenius, and my work has also appeared in Boy’s Quest and Bumples Children’s Magazine. I’m a veteran English and theater teacher, wife and mother of three, and I live and write in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

I hope you enjoy A BLANKET IN THE SNOW, QUATIE ROSS AND THE TRAIL OF TEARS. Thank you so much for your consideration!

Safe and warm in her home in the Appalachian Mountains, Quatie Ross rose from her bed and stirred the coals from last night’s fire. The sun would be up soon and her six children would need breakfast. She stood at the window of her farm house, listening for morning songs—birds singing, leaves rustling,