Lily Pedro Among the Youngest Published Authors in the World
Lake County, CA - Seven-year-old Lily Pedro, a first-grade student at Lower Lake Elementary School, just published her first book, My Hunt for the Perfect Pet.
Pedro was only six years old when the COVID-19 online schooling mandate forced students to learn from home. During this time, Pedro asked her grandmother, Tammara Cappellano, for help with a story she was writing to share with her class. When Cappellano read her granddaughter’s story, she believed it had the potential to do more than just engage Pedro’s classmates. Cappellano thought it was worth publishing-and that a published work by one so young could inspire children everywhere “to do anything or become whatever they choose if they try.”
Cappellano helped her granddaughter with some of the technical elements of writing a book, such as spelling, typesetting, and illustration, and sent the draft off to a publisher for her review. The publisher liked the story and encouraged Cappellano to self-publish, so she did.
When Pedro’s school learned of her accomplishment, Lower Lake Elementary Principal Tara Bianchi put Pedro’s name on the list of students to be recognized at the school’s upcoming monthly awards ceremony this February.
My Hunt for the Perfect Pet has been on the market since November via Google, Amazon, EBay, and Kindle, as well as in bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, making Pedro the youngest published female author in the world since Dorothy Straight in 1958, according to Cappellano.
Konocti Unified Superintendent Becky Salato said, “I’m so proud of Lily. When families and schools work together to support our students, it’s amazing what students can achieve.”
Cappellano praised Lower Lake Elementary School and credited Pedro’s teacher with encouraging her to write. “It says a lot about our educational quality, dedicated staff, and administrators who really work hard to educate and enhance our children’s abilities,” she said.
She continued, “I believe that when a parent sets their child up for success, the child will believe in themselves, and this can lead to a great future.”
