Jenna in Peru

Jenna & Mia are currently visiting UNICEF programs in Peru and blogging for Unicef from the field.

World AIDS Day, California

Jenna reads prayer cards on a wall in World Vision's travelling show for AIDS education


Purple ribbons and photographs of children living with HIV/AIDS are part of the youth summit's interactive education on AIDS


A participant at the youth summit on AIDS in California


World AIDS Day in Orange County, California

Colorado

I can finally declare my favorite bookstore in the nation. Located in historic LODO in Denver, Colorado, this unique independent bookstore has charm, comfort and efficiency, plus a giant tree house affect that makes roaming it's antiquated wooden shelves absolutely wonderful. In a chestnut-brown room filled with portraits of past author's visits, we sat among a pleasant and attentive audience to share Ana's Story.

Saludos,
Mia

Ten-year-old best friends and Denver natives


Staff recommendations located throughout the book shelves


Jenna with a plack of Ana's Story made by a local artist in Colorado


An evening event with Sam Wellers Bookstore and 15 inches of white, fluffy snow in Salt Lake City Friday.

Ohio

About 570 students, grades 7-12, joined us at Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati Tuesday. The event took place in the school’s beautiful Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel. Afterwards, we went to a lovely U.S. Fund for UNICEF fundraiser at the home of Mercer and Lindsay Reynolds, followed by a bookstore event at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.

Jenna speaking at Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati.


Wednesday morning we drove 45 minutes to Dayton--a college and industrial town within the Miami Valley region of Ohio. First stop, Fox 19 Morning News for a live televised interview. Next, we were met by MTV News correspondent, John Norris, and crew at Kettering Fairmont High School. MTV followed the day's events–including the evening event at Books and Company. The segment will run within the next few weeks, so tune in to see a day in the life of Ana's Story book tour!

MTV at the Kettering Fairmont High School event


Kettering Fairmont High RTF students


Books and Company Bookstore event


Baby on the loose at Books and Company (for a few seconds, anyway).


Books and Company Bookstore event


Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

Pennsylvania

We made our way to Pennsylvania Monday morning, starting off at Council Rock High School North in Newtown. Along the road we have seen many schools participate in AIDS awareness projects in connection with the book and our visit. Here, the auditorium was lined with posters hand-crafted by students regarding HIV/AIDS. This is great as the more we educate ourselves, the more we can educate others and break the cycle of this growing epidemic.

HIV/AIDS Awareness posters created by Council Rock students


Much to our great surprise, we entered the school and there stood our wonderful and brilliant publishers--Kate Jackson, Editor-In-Chief of Children’s books, and Toni Markiet, Editor for Ana's Story. They came from New York to support the project and see how truly remarkable the book tour--with its school and bookstore visits--has been.

Jenna, Susan Whitson and Kate Jackson (from left to right), along with Council Rock High School students, back stage before the presentation


In the evening, we all set off to Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills for a Barnes & Nobles event.

Jenna (with Kate Jackson, Toni Markiet and Susan Whitson) carting pre-signed books to the auditorium for the Barnes & Nobles Fairless Hills evening event


Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are home for the holidays and back on tour Monday, November 26. Stay tuned for details covering the last leg of the tour--and THANK YOU for partaking in Ana's Story!

Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

Mia at the Jacksonville, FL Museum of Modern Art

Florida

From Tuesday, November 6 through Thursday, November 8 we were in Miami for the International Book Fair, visited three different high schools (two in Miami and one in Tampa), and worked with two great book stores: Books-A-Million and Barnes & Nobles in Gainesville. We are now on our way North to Jacksonville and then North Carolina.







Stay tuned for more photos and details...

Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

New Orleans, LA

The halls of KIPP Believe College Prep in New Orleans radiate with the rhythm and soul of the city. Purple and green beads dangle from a paper maché tree with words like "love" and "compassion" in bold presented on every branch.

As we walked through the school's interior, we stopped in for a spontaneous performance of jive and song done by one of the math classes. What reigned clear throughout the visit was the matching enthusiasm by both teachers and students--the math teacher was adorably charismatic and participated with loud claps and stomps to the beat of the dance.

In the cafeteria we met with about 125 students for a reading and later engaged in an excellent discussion regarding the themes of the book. It was inspiring to be present among such passionate leaders and students!

Before the evening Octavia Bookstore event we meandered through the historic French Quarter to capture more of the essence of New Orleans. The street names are scribed on Spanish style tile and live music can be found on practically every street in the district. New Orleans was alive and vibrant for our less than 24 hours visit.

Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

A KIPP Academy 7th grader reads along with Jenna during her reading


Hallway decorations on the upper level of the KIPP Academy


The KIPP Academy, New Orleans


Students preform a spontaneous thematic jive routine


Students wait in line to return to class after having their books signed

Texas Book Festival

The book tour placed us back home in Austin over the weekend for the annual Texas Book Festival. The festival was established in 1995 by Jenna’s mother, First Lady Laura Bush, to promote Texas authors and to strengthen literacy in the state.

The Texas State Capitol in Austin


Over 200 authors from across the nation participated in the event. Jenna was introduced by her former University of Texas professor, Don Graham, inside the historic pink limestone walls of the Capitol. The reading and video was followed by a book signing in a tent outside the capitol grounds.

Austinites watching the bat show along the Congress Avenue Bridge


I lingered about the festival after our signing was over—the cool autumn grass was occupied by families having picnics and individuals engaged in their new signed books. The beautiful autumn weather lent its way to a perfectly wonderful event and many happy faces.

The star lined iron gate surrounds what is the largest state capitol in the USA




Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

Birmingham, Alabama

We arrived in Birmingham in the evening and headed directly through the tree-lined streets of the seemingly tranquil Southern city to Books-A-Million for an event. There began the familiar routine of pre-signing books, an interview with FOX, a reading, and finally the book signing.

The next day's event took place at Hoover High School--in what appeared to be the largest school event thus far. The mayor closed the reading by presenting Jenna with a key to the city.



Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

Halloween

Feliz dia de la Bruja ja ja! That's what we said last year trick-or-treating as Mother Earth and Izzy Stardust in Panama. This Halloween, we were met by an enthusiastic student body at Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles. Most of the students were dressed up for the occasion. The auditorium where the event took place was decorated with spiders, posters and lines of Trick-Or-Treat for UNICEF orange boxes along the stage.

Eagle Rock High School students dressed up for Halloween




The event began in a discussion with 100 Key Club members regarding Ana's Story. Then, about 1,000 students took part in the video and reading.

Jenna speaks with 100 Key Club members at Eagle Rock High School


We closed the day's events with a fundraiser luncheon for U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Los Angeles, CA

We have been driving through Orange County for the past three days--Los Angeles to Burbank, Laguna Beach, Irvine, Pasadena and so on--avoiding the devastating wild fires that struck the state just about a week ago.



Ana’s Story should not only inspire readers to educate themselves about the myths and facts about HIV/AIDS and abuse, but it should also encourage people to get involved in their own communities, to lend a hand.



We hope that in speaking here in California we have motivated people to get involved in helping those who have lost their homes in the fires--to donate clothing and food or to volunteer for such organizations as the Red Cross. Especially in the case of natural disasters, through small efforts from each of us a united America can make a big difference for those in need.

Saludos,
Mia and Jenna

Here are a few organizations where you can donate your money or time:

American Red Cross: Cash donations can be made through www.redcross.org or through a local Red Cross chapter. Volunteers also are needed. Information on shelter locations can be found on Red Cross websites for Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire. Donations of clothing can be made at Goodwill locations.
Information: (800) REDCROSS or (800) 257-7575 for Spanish speakers.

Governor's Office of Emergency Services: Businesses wishing to donate large quantities of goods for distribution to fire victims can call (800) 750-2858 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Pacific time. Individuals wanting to donate items or volunteer to help with local disaster response efforts should contact the Red Cross or go to the governor's California Volunteers website at www.californiavolunteers.org.

The Los Angeles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Cash donations are needed to support efforts to provide emergency shelter for animals displaced by the fires. Contributions can be made through www.spcala.com or by calling (888) SPCALA1. Food supplies also are needed.

Los Angeles Times Family Fund and KTLA Charities Fire Relief Campaign: 100% of all donation plus match funds will be granted to organizations supporting disaster response and recovery in Southern California. Official site.

New Leash on Life: The animal rescue group needs help caring for evacuated pets at its Newhall facility. The group can be contacted at (661) 255-0097.

Salvation Army: Cash contributions can be made through its website www.salvationarmy-socal.org or by calling (800) SALARMY.

United Health Group: Southern Californians coping with the emotional consequences of the fires can call a counseling hotline at (866) 342-6892. The free service provided by the insurance company will be available around the clock for as long as needed.

Houston, TX area

There was some wonderful energy in the auditorium at Klein Forest High School Friday morning. Before Jenna appeared on stage to speak, the principal asked all the teachers in the room to stand in recognition of their excellent work. Students clapped and cheered with great enthusiasm. Jenna was met with parallel appreciation during the event.

After a lovely U.S. Fund for UNICEF fundraiser event at the Farb residence, we drove to Conroe, Texas.

Hastings Bookstore event at Peet Junior High in Conroe.


There is something magical about the Texas countryside at dusk, with it's flat planes and varying shades of green from the dry hay to the lush dark hued leaves dangling from the trees. Living in Manhattan, I must admit it shocked me to see a man on horseback on the side of the highway in Conroe. Jenna and I saw a lot of this in Latin America--namely Panama, Paraguay, and Argentina--but I had forgotten how common it is to see this in our home state.

Saludos!
Mia and Jenna

Austin, TX

Austin welcomed us home with great big arms.

First stop was Saint Andrews Episcopal Middle School where Jenna attended 7th and 8th grade. We were so impressed by the intelligent questions many of the students asked after Jenna spoke of the kids we met in Latin America. And, of course, she was able to thank some of her old teachers for inspiring her to love to write from such a young age.



Next, I must mention Whole Foods here--the beautiful, exquisite grocery Mecca that we love dearly--and on a tight schedule, we managed to swing by the market's first location (a larger space, but yes, we are very proud) for a kombucha tea and snack before heading to the next event at O. Henry Middle School. Here, a room full of 8th graders took part in Ana's journey and had their books signed after. We just so happened to be there on the school's "twin day" which we found quite fitting as Jenna is a twin.



Finally, the day closed at Book People independent book store where we were met by the Austin community, friends, family, and even our old running coach, Gilbert, who we had many inspiring runs with before graduating from college. Thanks to everyone who came out!

The Woodlands, Texas next...

Saludos!
Mia and Jenna

College Station, TX

President George H.W. Bush announced Jenna at the presidential library in College Station, Texas. Jenna’s call-to-action speech was followed by a book signing and then a drive south to the home of the Alamo in San Antonio.

Alpharetta, Georgia

Thirty minutes from Atlanta is Alpharetta, Georgia. We made two stops here today, the first being Alpharetta High School where 500 9th-12th graders welcomed Ana's Story in their school's auditorium.

Jenna giving a presentation at Alpharetta High School and the sunrise in Atlanta, Georgia


Maria and Alexa at Alpharetta High School


In the evening, books were signed at Barnes & Noble.

Jenna (left) speaking with the crowd (right) at Barnes & Noble Alpharetta




Just about an hour of signatures later, we returned to the city--down Peach Tree street(yes)--to rest up for another great day in Georgia!

Saludos!
Mia and Jenna

Politics & Prose Bookstore

On the border of Maryland and Washington D.C. stands Politics and Prose independent bookstore. Today, 170 school children and a handful of locals came to listen to Ana's Story. In this cozy space amongst wooden shelves complete with books, we shared the inspiring tale of Ana and were truly inspired by the questions and feedback from the readers.



Saludos!
Mia and Jenna

SEED School, Washington D.C.

Students at the Seed School charter school in Washington D.C. visit with Jenna while she signs their copies of Ana's Story.


Sierra, 11th grade

Jenna on The Early Show

Harry Smith speaks with Jenna Bush about Ana's Story: A Journey Of Hope:

Second stop: New York City

Jenna presented Ana's Story Monday morning to a compassionate Ann Curry on the Today Show.

On set at the Today Show in New York City


Jenna and Ann Curry on set


Watching Jenna's interview on the outdoor screens


After having jump started the day with Ana's strong messages to a nation wide audience, we celebrated with a UNICEF event at the UN. Friends and family, our inspiring co-workers from UNICEF in Latin America, the book publishers and many more joined together under one roof to pay tribute to Ana and celebrate the book. The energy in the room was phenomenal—as if each person, at the same time, withdrew from any personal burdens and instead felt uplifted and inspired by the true journey of hope that Ana so courageously shared with us!

Saludos!
Mia and Jenna