Ten years ago, Karin Lefrac worked at IDG Books in Foster City. Today she’s still in the book publishing businesses – but as an author instead.
Last Sunday Lefrac visited in the Hillsdale Shopping Center to kick off her California tour to promote her new children’s book, “A Quest for Good Manners,” which hit the shelves on June 1.
The book is about a princess and a dragon whose manners are so bad they are kicked out of the palace. They strike out, eventually learning why good manners are important.
“There was a need for something fun, a manners book that wasn’t just about what not to do,” the author explained.
Lefranc said she hopes her characters and story help children learn while still having fun. She said boys and girls have equally enjoyed the book.
“Look at the cool dragon,” said one boy named Michael, who was in the group to which Lefranc was reading.
Lefranc now lives in Connecticut with her husband and four children. She is an etiquette teacher and runs a family resource center where even children’s yoga classes are offered.
She encourages parents to pretend to be other people – other than the parents – when teaching their children manners, according to Marissa DeCuir, Lefranc’s publicist.
The book launched the month of Father’s Day, and Lefranc said that makes it a great time to teach and learn: “What a wonderful gift to a father for a child to say ‘thank you’ to him.”
She reminded parents, though, that every child will still have his or her less polite moments.
“Even if you’re a real princess in Europe, you’re still going to have tantrums,” Lefranc said. “It is hard for parents, but studies do show that if children are taught gratitude, they are happier, more focused and more self-confident in the end.”
The new author expects to have another book out by fall of 2012, about a leaf that cannot let go.
She is doing readings, signing books, and giving parents and children tips in Massachusets, Connecticut, California and North Carolina. Lefranc will be in the Bay Area for a few more days, making the following nearby stops:
- San Bruno at , Tuesday, June 21 at 11 a.m.
- San Carlos at The Reading Bug, Wednesday, June 22 at 4 p.m.
- Menlo Park at , Wednesday, June 22 at 5:30 p.m.
- Gilroy at , Friday, June 24 at 11 a.m.
“A Quest for Good Manners” is sold for $17 and can be bought directly from its website, on Amazon, or in stores.
(UPDATE: Click for a video of Lefranc reading from her book on Tuesday in San Bruno.)
