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PV resident, granddaughter co-author book about beloved Camelback Mountain

Posted 2/5/20

The public is invited to share in a local grandmother and granddaughter’s book launching event on Monday, Feb. 17 at the Desert Botanical Garden, which will benefit the Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust.

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PV resident, granddaughter co-author book about beloved Camelback Mountain

Posted
Camelback Mountain was a huge part of my childhood, and when my grandma offered me the opportunity to write with her, it seemed perfect.
– Estelle Miriam Cohen

The public is invited to share in a local grandmother and granddaughter’s book launching event on Monday, Feb. 17 at the Desert Botanical Garden, which will benefit the Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust.

The children’s book, “The Story of Camelback Mountain,” is written by Paradise Valley resident, Pam Hait, and her teen granddaughter, Estelle Miriam Cohen.

“Yes, I will be at the book launching, and I am very excited,” said Essi, 15, who attends Miss Porter’s School, which is a private college preparatory school for girls in Farmington, Connecticut.

“Estelle will be reading the book at 10 and noon,” says Ms. Hait, 76, of Stone Canyon Press publishing company.

In addition to the granddaughter, who helped write the story “in a couple of hours,” Ms. Hait credited those from the community including her neighbors and the book’s illustrator, Sebastian Millon, for helping with the project.

And, as much as Ms. Hait, who has a writing background, wants to talk about the book, she says she has to save some tidbits for the book launch so people can come to hear about the narrative that began as an “embellished story” told to her grandkids.

Ms. Hait, a Paradise Valley resident of Stone Canyon since 1973 is pleased to have authored a book with her granddaughter, Essi, who was born in Los Angeles, California with a twin brother, Marcel.

“Camelback Mountain was a huge part of my childhood, and when my grandma offered me the opportunity to write with her, it seemed perfect,” said Essi, who wants to help the environment through books and literature and travel the world.

“We spent time writing, contacting illustrators and reviewing art. I would describe the book as fun, colorful, and warm.”

Before the book launch, Ms. Hait answered questions for the Independent.

What made you want to write a book?

I have written a dozen books, all non-fiction and had always wanted to write a children’s story. I had told my grandchildren Estelle and Marcel, this story about Camelback Mountain which I had made up. A neighbor in Stone Canyon heard it and suggested this would make a great children’s book. Another neighbor, Julie Pace, suggested that I contact Sebastien Millon who is the amazing artist.

How long did it take to write and what was involved?

Estelle is a very talented writer. We sat down together and wrote it in an evening. She’d heard the story for many years, but we embellished it together and made it a book.

How did you decide on being a co-author with your granddaughter, where does she live and how old is she?

I thought it would be much more fun to write it with my granddaughter who is both an excellent writer and a conservationist (as I am). She was 14 when she wrote it with me. She’s visited me many times and loves the Arizona desert and I thought that she would have great ideas, which she did.


What is the book about?

The book is the story of how Camelback Mountain came to be. It stars a princess who is given a baby camel by her great grandfather. She calls her camel Sonora. The princess is told that she will take it on a very special journey and she does. Along the way, the camel falls in a hole and she cannot free him and must figure out how to save Sonora.

Why do you want all the proceeds to benefit the Paradise Valley Mountain Preserve Trust?

The late Senator Barry Goldwater led a citizen initiative to save Camelback Mountain; but here we are, so many years later, and again it’s threatened by development.

I am a long time board member of the Grand Canyon Trust and an ardent conservationist and when the opportunity came to use all proceeds from this book to save not only Camelback but all the mountains surrounding Paradise Valley, I jumped at the chance to teach children to honor nature and focus attention on our need to save our mountains.