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Rona Arato, Writer

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First Name
Rona
Last Name
Arato
Organization
Writer
Province or Territory
Ontario
Craft
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Rona Rimler Arato
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Rona E Arato
 

Professional information

Bio
Rona Arato is an award-winning author of over 20 children’s books. Her book, "The Last Train , a Holocaust Story" recounts her late husband Paul’s experiences during the Holocaust and the twist of fate that reunited him, 65 years later, with his liberators. It won numerous awards including the Norma Fleck Award as the best Canadian children’s non-fiction book of 2014. Her book, The Ship to Nowhere, is about the Exodus 1947, the ship that helped launch the State of Israel, has been designated as a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Older Children by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Her latest book, "Nothing Could Stop Her, the Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber" is a Junior Literary Guild Selection for 2023. Rona is a frequent speaker at schools, organizations and

Rona’s articles have appeared in Canada, the United States, and England. She has worked as a public relations consultant and conducted business-writing seminars, and taught creative writing for the Toronto Board of Education. From 1994-1998, she interviewed Holocaust survivors for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation.

Rona is a frequent speaker at schools and community organizations.
Available For
School visits, virtual visits
Writing workshops
Readings
Panel discussions
Training on teaching the Holocaust
School Visits
My books focus on human rights issues.
I have PowerPoint presentations to go with each book.
"The Last Train" is a powerful story of a young boy's journey through the Holocaust and the miraculous rescue that saved his life. My presentation includes photos from the Hudson Falls reunion and the memorial service in 2022 in Farlesleben, Germany, at the site of the train's liberation.

"Working for Freedom, the Story of Josiah Henson" is an excellent presentation for Black History Month.

"Nothing Could Stop Her, the Courageous Life of Ruth Gruber" is about an amazing woman who broke barriers, long before the women's movement.
Publications
Books
KarBen Publishing, Minneapolis, MN
"Nothing Could Stop Her, the Courageous Life of Ruth Grubeer, 2023, 117 pages
Crabtree Publishing
St. Catherines, Ontario
• Fossils, Clues to Ancient Life, 32 pages, 2004
• World of Water, 32 pages, 2004
• Protists, a World of their Own, 48 pages, 2010
• Fukushima, Nuclear Disaster, 32 pages, 2013

Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Thornhill, Ontario
• Ice Cream Town, 204 pages, 2007
• Sammy and the Headless Horseman, 225 pages,2016
James Lorrimer Publishers
• Righting Canada’s Wrongs: AntiSemitism and the M.S. St. Louis, 88 pages, 2020

Napoleon Press
North York, Ontario
• Working for Freedom, the Story of Josiah Henson, 71 pages, 2009

Maple Tree Press
Toronto, Ontario
• Courage and Compassion, Ten Canadians Who Made a Difference 95 pages,
2008
• On a Canadian Day, 95 pages, 2008
• On a Medieval Day, 95 pages, 2009
• On an American Day, 95 pages, 2010,
Owlkids
Toronto, Ontario
• The Last Train, a Holocaust Story, 142 pages, 2013
Second Story Press
Toronto, Ontario
• The Ship to Nowhere, on Board the Exodus, October 2016
Tundra Books
Toronto, Ontario
• Design It! 2010, 71 pages
• Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium, 188 pages, 2011
Performances and Exhibitions
Presentations, including PowerPoint on:
"The Last Train, a Holocaust Story"
"Working for Freedom, the Story of Josiah Henson"
"Righting Canada's Wrongs, Anti-Semitism and the St. Louis"
"The Ship to Nowhere, on Board the Exodus"
Awards
"Nothing Could Stop Her"
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
The Ship to Nowhere
• Sydney Taylor Book Award –Notable title in the YA category
The Last Train, a Holocaust Story
• The Diamond Willow Award 2016
• Short listed for the Golden Oak Award 2016
• The Red Cedar Award 2015
• The Rocky Mountain Book Award 2015
• The Red Maple Award 2015
• Diamond Willow Nominee 2015
• The Norma Fleck Award 2014
• Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) Best Books 2013

Courage and Compassion, Ten Canadians Who Made a Difference
• Winner Golden Oak Award 2011
• Silver Birch finalist 2010

Design It!
• Resource Link best books 2010

Mrs. Kaputnik’s Pool Hall and Matzo Ball Emporium
• PJ OurWay selection October 2014
• ForWord Book Reviews – Finalist best juvenile fiction 2010

Working for Freedom, the Story of Josiah Henson
• CCBC Best Books 2010

Ice Cream Town
• CLA long list for best book of 2008
• CCBC Best books of 2008
• Finalist Triple Crown Awards
Other Memberships
The Writers' Union of Canada
The Canadian Chidren's Book Centre