My name is Carol Franks-Randall, and I have spent over 35 years as a teacher, special education administrator, elementary principal, School Superintendent and college professor in New York. During that time I worked with and taught children across the learning continuum. My husband Robert and I have four children between us and have six grandchildren. We relocated to Maryland’s Eastern Shore and I’ve continued my love for books and literacy development as a community volunteer.  I am an avid reader and like to surround myself with books, books and more books.

During my very active professional and personal life, I always had a particular love for picture books. Over the years I have amassed a rather large collection and aspired to write one someday. I always enjoyed read-alouds and took every opportunity to read to young children as a parent, grandparent and educator. When I was an Elementary Principal, I started a Principal’s Book Club so my students and I could have a chance to talk about books.

After retirement, I began writing Jamal and Me, which was inspired by experiences I had during my professional life. I think that children’s literature, particularly picture books can be used to illustrate and illuminate social/emotional issues that plague our schools and greater community. My hope is that Jamal and Me will serve to remind its readers that moving children out of their learning environment the minute they “step out of line” may not be the answer. Admittedly there are behaviors that are unsafe and demand dramatic action, but those are rare. Throughout my experience, I have learned that more often than not, solutions to behavioral issues can be found when the adults work collaboratively and place the focus on the student. I hope that Jamal and Me demonstrates that message for its young readers as well as for the adults who read it aloud.

My Books

I started my journey as an author in 2017, realizing a lifelong dream of mine by writing stories for children who are tackling some of the tougher aspects of growing up. Each of my books feature children who experience milestone moments and navigate them successfully thanks to the kindness and tools for emotional growth provided by their educators, parents, and classmates.

My Author Bio

Very often schools or conference organizers want to learn a little bit about my career before I became a children’s book author, so I here is a short synopsis of my working career.

I began my journey as a special education teacher, and became a Special Education Administrator, Elementary Principal and School Superintendent, all in New York. I have a BA from the City College of NY in Speech Pathology and Audiology. My MA (Teacher of the Deaf and Hearing Impaired), and EdD (Organization and Leadership) are from Teachers College, Columbia University. While working as a Principal and as a Superintendent, I always tried to have direct contact with students and formed book clubs with elementary aged students. In addition to my Superintendent duties, I created and hosted a local access cable television show, Spotlight on Elmsford Schools.

After retirement in 2008, I relocated to Maryland and continue to work in  New York, Washington DC, and Maryland as an educational consultant, workshop presenter, college professor and community volunteer. In November 2017, I published my first children’s book, Jamal and Me. In June 2018, my second book, Playground Heroes was published, and my third book, Talking Buddies was published in May, 2019.  I conduct author visits in elementary schools, libraries and children’s hospitals. I have designed and conducted professional development workshops and conference presentations for teachers, library-media specialists and fellow authors, and hold book signing events at independent bookstores. In September 2020, I conducted a virtual author visit for undergraduate/graduate students for Pace University’s School of Education. The session was about how to use my books to help students create personal narratives and enhance writing skills. A video of that event can be found here. 

I have recently established a YouTube channel which showcases read-alouds of my books, and I’m happy to announce that I have been interviewed on the radio and by local newspapers in my area. I also write a monthly column for the Bay Times/Record Observer newspaper entitled “Dr. Toughlove’s Book Club”.  I have produced a podcast series entitled, “Dr. Toughlove’s Book Club”.

I distribute an E-Newsletter several times a year with news about my activities, and information about my podcasts and newspaper articles. Click here to join my Browns Corner Press E-Newsletter Community.

Please contact me if you are interested in an author visit, professional development workshop, interview/podcast, speaking engagement or college presentation using this contact link. I look forward to hearing from you.

Fun Things About Carol

I thought before I come to your school you might want to know a few things about me. Here goes:

1. I LOVE spending time with family. I have a large family and love spending time with my husband, my four kids, their spouses and their children. I have 6 grandchildren and they all call me “Nana”.

2. I love to READ! I bet this one is no surprise! I read fiction and non-fiction. I love picture books best! I am part of a wonderful book club and when I was a Principal, I started a Principal’s Book Club for 3rd and 4th grade students. We ate lunch together once a month and talked about books we were reading.

3. I love WRITING!  I wish I could say that I began writing for pleasure when I was young, but that isn’t so. I became captivated by writing as an adult, particularly after I retired. I do love writing children’s books!

4. I am an amateur  photographer. I am not a particularly skilled photographer, but I do like to use photos to make books, calendars, mugs, place-mats, bookmarks, notepads, bags and anything else I can think of.

5. I adore plants. I have over 100 plants in my house. I am particularly fond of growing orchids and African violets.

6. I have been bitten by the travel bug.  My husband and I love to travel and try to take at least 3 trips a year. It is great to go to different places and see famous sights, eat different food, and sometimes hear different languages.

7. I think that volunteering in my community is really important.  I enjoy volunteering in my community and hopefully can contribute to making it a better place for all of us.

8. I am addicted to baking.  I particularly like baking cookies, but I love baking bread as well.

9. I have been crocheting for over 50 years! Thanks to my sister, I learned to crochet in 1970, and I haven’t stopped. I love making baby blankets best, but I have also made full sized Afghans, scarves, coasters and stuffed animals. I love to use my yarn scraps to make granny squares.

10. I love watching tennis and NBA basketball.  I am not particularly athletic, but I do love to watch people who are. My favorite sports are tennis and NBA basketball, and I wear my Washington Wizards gear proudly. I do enjoy cycling on my recumbent quadracycle with my husband.

11. I am a newspaper columnist and a podcaster. I write a column entitled “Dr. Toughlove’s Book Club” for the Bay Times/Record Observer, located in Queen Anne’s County, MD. I have recently produced my first podcast, also entitled “Dr. Toughlove’s Book Club”.

12. I am a tea lover! I collect teapots and love nothing better than that first cup of brewed tea in the morning. I enjoy black teas best, but I also like green tea, white tea and herbal tea. I hope to blend tea someday, and perhaps take an English tea tour.

I hope when I visit your school, we can talk about things we have in common – and BOOKS!!!!

Jamal and Me, Playground Heroes and Talking Buddies are now available on amazon.com.

I’d love to hear from you! Whether you have questions about my work or wish to schedule an author visit or interview, please don’t hesitate to reach out.