Ms. Monalisa DeGross believes in introducing children to the power of the written word. She acts on her belief as an author, a playwright, and as a manager in a public library.

As an author, Ms. DeGross has written two books for children: Donavan's Word Jar and Granddaddy's Street Songs. In Donavan's Word Jar, a youngster is faced with a dilemma when his word jar fills up, and finds a solution by helping others. In Granddaddy's Street Songs, a grandfather describes to his grandson his days as a street vendor from a horse-drown wagon. Her third book for children, Donavan and Heritage Day, will be published in fall 2006 by HarperCollins. In this book, a youngster learns to accept and understand his uncle's impairment. Ms. DeGross states, "In all of my children's books, I write about young people and their impact on their community."

For one of her plays, A Relative Stranger, she won a local contest and was broadcast on local television during Black History Month.

When Ms. DeGross is not writing books or plays, she works in the Office of School and Student Services of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Maryland as the Project Manager for the Family Reading Circles. The program brings youngsters and their parents together in the library to enhance their family reading. Ms. DeGross also conducts reading workshops for grandparents (who are also caretakers) of students in elementary grades and middle schools. The workshops help grandparents to aid their youngsters in their reading and homework research.

Ms. DeGross is a native of Baltimore, the mother of Donavan and Nikki, and the grandmother of Shondrea and Annalisa.

She will be the author-in-residence at Church Avenue Merchants Block Association (CAMBA) in East Flatbush, Brooklyn from May 10 to May 12. Ms. DeGross will meet with kindergartners and first and second graders at CAMBA's After-school program.