Donna Washington

Donna Washington was born an army brat in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She traveled all over the world with her parents. Her father would sit at the dinner table and spin wild, first-person yarns of Arthurian Legend and Greek Mythology. She thought he had actually been with Merlin and Oedipus. It was at Northwestern University that storytelling reemerged as a central part of her performance life. She has published three books.  A Pride of African Tales received rave reviews from the American Library Association (ALA) Booklist and the School Library Journal and was nominated for the Pennsylvania 2005-2006 Young Reader's Choice Award , The Story of Kwanzaa, is a wonderful primer for kids about the African-American celebration of Kwanzaa.  A Big Spooky House is a wonderful book to read aloud at Halloween. Her next book, Li'l Rabbit's Kwanzaa, will be published by HarperCollins Children's Books. Donna is a multiple award winning recording artist. She received a 2002 Parent's Choice Award for her first independent recording "Live and Learn: The Exploding Frog and Other Stories". The October 2004 edition of the ALA Booklist gave Donna's second CD, "A Little Shiver", a recommended review. It also won the 2004 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award and 2005 Storytelling World Honors. Her third CD "Fun, Foolery, and Folktales" also won the 2004 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award and a 2006 Storytelling World Honors. Her fourth CD "The Sword and The Rose" has won an iParenting Media 2005 Excellent Product Award, a 2005 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award and a 2006 Storytelling World Award. All of her CDs have won 2005 Children's Music Web Awards. Donna's fifth CD "Angels' Laughter" was released in 2006.