Barbara Escher

Barbara Escher, Founder of Red Mitten Books, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and loved seeing her city come alive with light and sparkle and color as Christmas approached each year. She read every book she could get her hands on, including Christmas favorites like The Night Before Christmas. She must have been a bit of a scamp when she was a little girl, given the fact that she once lowered her little brother down the stairs to see if the Christmas tree had arrived! You can read the story and see a picture of two mischievous children (who might just be Barbara and her brother) on the About page of her web site.

Eventually she worked evenings and weekends to pay her way through college, and became, first, a teacher, then a marketing consultant, and finally an author. Although she began writing at a very early age, becoming an author took a while! Those long years of writing created a passion for child literacy, and a deep love for Christmas that is reflected in her work.

She never lost that childhood love for Christmas, and today she often looks back on special Christmas memories, like much loved books she received as Christmas gifts. She also remembers years she spent teaching and creating stories. First for every kid on her block. And later for a classroom and her own children. And she especially remembers how much her children loved their Advent Calendar and looked forward to it every year!

One day Barbara decided that she wanted to share a story that had been in her head for a long time. That story book became The Girl Who Found Christmas. It was important to her as she wrote the story that kids have both the traditional Christmas and the spiritual one. In her words the magic and the manger! People who visit the web site will also find a link to a free copy of a song that accompanies the story. Barbara wrote the words and music, but it's performed by a dad, and I hope that you will love it.

Today, Barbara lives in Apollo Beach, Florida with her husband and Hope, their funny Havanese dog. She still loves Christmas and delights in decorating her Christmas tree with ornaments made by her children long ago. When Barbara isn't writing, she spends time dipping her toes in the waves at the Gulf beaches and spending time with her children, grandchildren and grand pets (three dogs and two cats). In her spare time, she is working on a novel.

https://redmittenbooks.com

Barbara’s Red Mitten Books page is available on Instagram and on Facebook.