“I’m the children’s book author of DLee’s World preschool learning books, which are based on my childhood and experiences as an educator. Throughout my life, there have been a few things that inspired me to write my book series. Most importantly was the fact that I struggled with literacy until about the age of nine. My father noticed I had an issue with reading and comprehension and sat me down night after night with the determination for me not to follow in his footsteps of educational hardships. As early as I could remember, I showed a disinterest in books, always saying, “Books are boring!” However shortly after learning how to read, I found books to be an enjoyable learning tool and past time. With that in mind, once I became a teacher and noticed that I did not always have the books I needed or wanted to teach a particular objective, I decided to write my own…

Every night I analyzed my classroom experiences and my own childhood for inspiration on how to make DLee a learning tool and fun read for children. I thought back to all the times I played outside with my older brother and friends in front of our Brooklyn apartment complex running around, playing hopscotch, freeze tag, jump rope along with other outdoor games. A key element in DLee’s World is exploration. Although DLee is three years old, she enjoys learning and exploring. In one of my stories, DLee’s Outdoor Countdown, DLee goes outside and explores her backyard. She uses her magnifying glass and begins hunting for all the animals and insects in her surroundings. This was an especially fun story to write because I was able to think back to times when I was in the park or playing in my own backyard. I burrowed through my memory bank to help me decide which types of insects and animals I wanted to include.

As children and adults, we must remember that exploring is vital to learning new things about others and ourselves. Whether we are in a place we have been many times before or traveling to a new place around the world, the element of exploration helps us to learn, analyze and grow. Therefore, my hopes are that through my stories, I can encourage children at an early age to read, explore and most importantly gain valuable knowledge that will help propel their lives forward…”

– Diana Lee Santamaria // @dleesworld

066/100 of #100DaysofConfessions Instagram Project