We were honored to welcome Rajani LaRocca, an award-winning author and physician, as our 2024 Diversity Guest Author. Through engaging presentations, storytelling, and hands-on science activities, Rajani inspired students across all divisions to explore reading, writing, and scientific curiosity. Her visit fostered meaningful connections across our community, celebrating diversity and a love of learning.
Huge thank you to the Middle School Director of Studies, Kasey Short, for not only discovering Rajani as our guest author this year but also for all her coordination, facilitation, and guidance of the educational programming.
By: Kasey Short
On October 23 and 24, 2024, we welcomed the award-winning author and practicing physician Rajani LaRocca as our 2024 Diversity Guest Author. Born in Bangalore, India, raised in Kentucky, and now living near Boston, Rajani is a Harvard Medical School Graduate whose published work encompasses picture books, poetry, and middle grade novels. Her books range in topic and include realistic fiction that reflects her culture, fantasy that explores real-world topics through magic, and nonfiction books that bring science to life. During her two-day visit, Rajani engaged with faculty and students in division-wide presentations, small group sessions, and meals. She held three large group presentations and engaged in four small group settings during her time at Country Day. Her visit left students inspired to read, write, investigate, and explore while also encouraging them to reflect and make connections to our world. Her talent, imagination, and expertise connected students across divisions and inspired a sense of community and belonging.
LaRocca's visit to the Lower School was a unique learning opportunity. She shared her picture books and her experiences in India, emphasizing the wisdom we can gain from our elders for our early childhood students in JK- 1st grade. With our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade students, she delved into her interest in biology and how it inspired her nonfiction picture books. Her ability to explain complex science in a way that engaged our young learners was truly inspiring and intellectually stimulating.
In anticipation of her visit, Middle School students and faculty engaged with her work through intentional advisory lessons, Language Arts curriculum, and summer reading of her book, Sona and the Golden Beasts. These shared experiences increased excitement leading up to LaRocca's visit and allowed her to give our students a more meaningful and complex presentation. She shared how her own life inspired her fictional stories and made connections between the fantasy world she created and our world today.
In one interactive and fun presentation, LaRocca even conducted an experiment with 5th and 6th grade students where they extracted banana DNA in connection with her nonfiction picture book about DNA, The Secret Code Inside You.
Thank you to the Middle School South Asian Affinity Group and the International Parents Board for hosting lunches for esteemed our Diversity Guest Author. They provided a meaningful opportunity to enjoy a meal, have casual conversations, ask questions, and even get some autographs!
Rajani LaRocca Books
Picture Books
- Masala Chai, Fast and Slow
- Your One and Only Heart
- Summer Is for Cousins
- I'll Go and Come Back
- The Secret Code Inside You
- Where Three Oceans Meet
- Bracelet's for Bina's Brothers
- Seven Golden Rings
- A Vaccine is Like a Memory
Chapter Books
- Sona and the Golden Beasts
- The Secret of Dragon Gems
- Mirror to Mirror
- Red, White, and Whole
- Much Ado About Baseball
- Midsummer's Mayhem