Chelsea Clinton brings new book to local students
The picture book lets young readers meet a dozen endangered species — including rhinoceroses, polar bears, tigers, pandas and giraffes — whose numbers have dwindled because of poaching, climate change and destruction of their habitat.
“I have always cared about endangered species, and I was so grateful that I kept hearing from kids your age and a little older and younger how much they cared about endangered species, too,” Clinton said during a 30-minute session with the first- through third-graders. “The idea came from wanting to have a book that could help to inform and empower young readers and also a book that I wish I had when I was your age.”
Clinton recommended students talk to their families about not buying ivory or believing myths about the medicinal qualities of rhino
horns or tiger bones. She even encouraged them to talk to elected officials about changing laws to protect endangered animals. “Most of these animals, if we don’t change what we’re doing, will disappear by the time you’re my age,” she said. “That’s not that long.”
One endangered animal that leaves her optimistic, however, is the Blue Whale, which ends the book.
“They were almost hunted to extinction before I was born, and then the world decided that isn’t what we wanted to have happen,” she said. “I end with Blue Whales because we know that even though we are losing ground with other animals, they can be saved.”
If any kids in the audience had been well versed in politics, they would have found some irony when Clinton — the daughter for two Democratic Party stalwarts, former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who ran twice for president — told them that her favorite animal is the elephant.
“I have loved elephants my whole life,” she told the students. “I love elephants because they have emotions similar to (the way) we do. They feel love, they feel friendship, they feel compassion, and grief.”
Clinton, 39, has written four previous books for children since 2015, including “She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World” and “Start Now! You Can Make
a Difference.” She and Gianna Marino, the book’s illustrator, were scheduled to appear with another group of students Wednesday night at the San Jose Woman’s Club.
“I started writing picture books when I became a parent,” said Clinton, who has a son and daughter and said she is expecting a third child. “I just thought about the books I wanted to share with my kids and when I couldn’t find them I decided to write them.”
DCP STUDENTS JOIN MICHELLE OBAMA >> College Signing Day on Wednesday is an important time for high school seniors everywhere, but it was even more special for 18 members of Downtown College Prep’s Class of 2019 who joined former First Lady Michelle Obama for an event at UCLA. College choices for the students, the first in their families to attend college, include University of California schools, California State University campuses and Santa Clara University.
“These students reflect a diverse set of college decisions and stories that are representative of our entire class,” said Edgar Chavez, DCP’s director of college success, who accompanied the students on the trip with Alumni Success Counselor Dulce Grant. Downtown College Prep announced that 84 seniors — about 60 percent — at its two San Jose campuses have been admitted to four-year schools.
BELL GRAD’S LATEST STAR TURN >> It has been a very good week for Alex Brightman, a 2005 Bellarmine
College Prep grad who received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor for the title role in “Beetlejuice,” the musical. Critics have raved about Brightman’s performance in the show, which opened on Broadway last week and is based on the 1988 movie starring Michael Keaton. It’s the second Best Actor bid for Brightman, a Saratoga native, who also was nominated in 2016 for “School of Rock.”
NEIGHBORHOOD GEMS AND CUTTING-EDGE HOMES >> The Willow Glen Lifestyles Home Tour returns Saturday and Sunday, showcasing five houses in the historic San Jose neighborhood for the 37th year. One stop along the selfguided tour includes a beautiful garden, where visitors can mingle, taste wine and enjoy bites from a food truck. Tickets are $40 in advance at www. willowglenhometour.com and benefit the San Jose Day Nursey, the 103-yearold downtown childcare center. Last year’s event raised $60,000 for the nursery.
Another house tour on Saturday is aimed at architects and design enthusiasts looking for the cutting edge in residential living. The Silicon Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects will showcase four Peninsula homes designed by local architects built in 2017 or 2018 that emphasize sustainability and innovation. Non-AIA members can purchase tickets online for $79 at aiasiliconvalley.org.