Randy the Grape Gets a Suntan, is a story written to teach children that it is all right to look different, as experienced through the adventure of an animated grape named Randy Concord. Randy enjoys playing at the beach with the other grape children in the town of Grapesville. One afternoon at the beach, Randy awakes from a nap, to find himself alone and looking quite different from his family and friends. This story teaches children how grapes become raisins, while in a subtle way, reminds us that it all right to look different. 

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About the Author:

Janis Steel wrote this animated children’s story in 1978, as a creative writing assignment for her 7th grade English class. The assignment directive was to write a children’s book to teach children how something changes - in this story, how a grape becomes a raisin. Originally titled, Randy the Grape, this story was tucked away in Janis’ “memory box” (a box of childhood memoirs collected by her mother, to be passed on when Janis became an adult). Years later the story was re-discovered by Janis’ husband John, who encouraged her to publish the story. The story maintains simple, colorful, animated characters, similar to the original book, with a minor change to the story line which reminds us, that it is all right to look different in this wonderfully diverse world in which we live. This is Janis Steel’s first children’s book. Ms. Steel is currently working on her second children’s book, which will feature a cameo appearance by the Steels’ Labrador, Simba. The Steels reside in the Chicago land area. Approx. 30 pages (includes illustrations).