About The Author

My name is Eddie Rutledge. I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I've been a resident of Wisconsin all of my life. Ever since I can remember I've always had opportunities to travel to different cities as a child with relatives. Travel has been a generational event in my family. I never thought about writing about these adventures until a close relative said "why not turn all of these trips into a book". Amani is my little cousin who has traveled to many states and a few countries at such a young age. I thought it would be exciting to share her experiences with readers and that's how "Amani's World" was created.

I started my career in Children's Education in 1998, and still remain involved with writing stories, music, and continuous learning. My experience as a bass guitarist, drummer, and keyboardist, has helped me develop a creative literacy program which incorporates storytelling, music and movement. Amani's adventures are brought to life children as children sing and dance along to funky tunes from my current cd,"Funtimes".

When Amani's World was created, I envisioned a book series that I would be able to introduce to children everywhere. I also knew that I enjoyed seeing a child's face light up when music is incorporated into a story time format with live instruments. From that vision, I developed, "The Amani's World Children's Educational Program". The Amani's World Children's Educational Program is designed for children primarily in Head Start, Kindergarten and Elementary programs (K-3 through 6th grade). We have recently adjusted our program to add focus on older ages. Click on the Author Visits Tab page for more details.

Each workshop component of the Amani's World Children's Educational Program can be contracted individually, or as a workshop group if a location so wishes.

I would like to thank Dr. Adrienne Mitchell, Psy.D, for her assistance with consulting on this project. Nelson Diaz, Illustrator, who constructed the original sketches from my vision. Thank you to Matt Zumbo for joining the team and creating an awesome cd design for "FunTimes", along with my second book project:"Amani and Friends go to New York City". A big thank you goes to my Mom for encouraging me to not give up on my vision. Thank you to all of my family and friends for their continued support.