Yumi’s Universe was born from the imagination of Tess Cacciatore, an award-winning writer, director and global peace advocate. After decades of empowering youth across continents, Tess envisioned a world where children could learn values of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. The emphasis is to inspire children everywhere to grow with kindness, imagination, and peace through magical stories, music, and art from around the world. People can go to her website and explore Yumi’s Universe. (www.YumisUniverse.com)

There are currently two books out with the story written by Tess Cacciatore and illustrated by the former Disney animator Joel Christopher Payne. Keepers of the Garden of Peace is for younger peacekeepers (ages 4-8). It has Yumi traveling the world with her wise Grandmother “Obachan” as she discovers how many cultures celebrate peace, one tea ceremony at a time.

The other book, for young adults (ages 9-13), is Yumi: An Enchanted Tale of Compassion, Friendship & Peace. This travel adventure storybook takes the readers on a global exploration to meet the friends of Yumi and to explore other cultures for compassion, friendship, and peace.

Elise Cooper: What was it like working with the Disney artist Joel Christopher Payne?

Tess Cacciatore: It started with the story and the creation of the characters.  I gave Joel, the illustrator, a description of who the characters were, what their outfits were like, and where they were from. He, as a brilliant illustrator, brought them to life.  It was a collaboration where I am the author of the book, and he is the talent behind the actual art creation.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story?

TC:  Jay, a friend of mine was diagnosed in 2024 with stage 4 cancer.  In the middle of August, he posted that his friend came to his hospital room to serve a Japanese formal tea ceremony. It instantly reminded me of what a lot of little children do, putting together a tea party with their stuffed animals. In the process of writing the book Jay passed, however, his character is alive and well as Jay is the inventor of the mystical-magical orbship that the characters use to travel the world. The way that the orb-ship is fueled is by pure intention of compassion. I keep my friend alive in memory, full of respect and love.

EC: Is this a series of books?

TC:  There is the book Yumi Keepers of the Garden of Peace for younger peacekeepers (ages 4-8) and the Yumi: An Enchanted Tale of Compassion, Friendship & Peace (ages 9-13).  The second book has at least two more parts coming. A trilogy released over the next year or so. In the second book they travel to North and South America, while in the third book they travel to Europe. 

EC: What are the various locations the characters travel to?

TC: They travel from Japan to South Africa, India, China, and Australia. The characters plant “peace poles” from the GOI Peace Foundation everywhere they go, spreading the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth.”

EC: What is the role of the animal characters?

TC: Respect, harmony, purity, and tranquility represent the formal Japanese tea ceremony and the four characters of the book. Ravi, the elephant from India, represents respect; Zuri, the Giraffe from South Africa represents purity; Seren, the Panda Bear from China represents tranquility; and Holly, from Australia represents harmony. We hope through the animal characters we teach children to respect one another.

EC: What about the specific places they travel?

TC:  Just as military families have traveled a lot including going to different countries so do the characters in the story. Ravi is the character that comes from India at the Konark Sun Temple. Ravi means the sun. Zuri comes from South Africa. Long ago, there was an animal conservation project where elephants and giraffes were sent from Kenya to South Africa. Her grandmother was born in Kenya. Through her storyline readers learn about purity. Holly finally finds the courage to sing, as she stands up to sing “Mother Nature.” Davy Nathan (award-winning composer) and I co-wrote most of the songs. The theme is that Holly finds the courage to have her voice be heard. Seren is quite shy. He carries around this little stuffed brown bear like a security blanket. Through his storyline I wanted to express that no one should be made fun of for having certain quirks.

EC: Do you think these quotes can apply to what happened in Australia with the massacre at the Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration?

TC: You are referring to this quote from Holly who is from Australia and believes in harmony, “Everything in nature and in life can change in a moment.” We want to do something with Australia as well as Brown University. Everything we do and everything I have done in my career is about giving back and promoting social impact. There is another quote in the book, “Your quiet light makes the world brighter.” Hanukkah is known as the “Festival of Lights.”

EC: What is the role of the teas?

TC: We are launching in January our Garden of Peace teas that have seven different flavors, 100% organic.  Each character has their own flavor of tea. Wa, Kei, Sei, Jaku are the four names of the formal tea ceremony that represent harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. The Garden of Peace teas are a way for schools, organizations, synagogues, and churches to sell the teas as a fundraiser, while also giving back.

EC: What do you want readers to get out of the books?

TC: People need to be accepted for who they are. They need to agree to disagree at times and to be understanding of each other’s cultures. We are in the process of creating Yumi’s University K-12 curriculum. This app can be delivered to even the most remote places to bring education to children all over the world.THANK YOU!!

Beth Is Dead

Katie Bernet
Sarah Barley Books / Simon & Schuster

Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet takes the Little Women story by Louisa May Alcott and turns it on its head. Readers who loved this timely classic will be intrigued how Bernet takes Beth’s death and turns it into a murder mystery, puts the characters in the modern day, and has many twists with many people of interest. Although it is listed as a YA book, adult readers will also find it enjoyable, gripping, and riveting.

Beloved character Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day. As the suspects pile up people are wondering if the March sisters’ father could have killed Beth.  After all, he dragged the March sisters into the spotlight with his controversial bestseller about his own daughters’ lives.

The sisters’ lives have been turned upside down with all the publicity causing them to doubt and question themselves.  With Beth it goes even farther because she feels the need to prove self-worth.  In the dad’s book he has Beth die in a car accident and noted that she had to be the sister to die because Beth seems to be the one who made an imprint on the readers and the characters in the story.

This is a who done it with the sisters trying to find the killer along with the detectives who seem to have tunnel vision. The story is narrated by the four sisters, Meg, Jo, Amy, and in flashbacks by Beth. Grief and loss have the characters re-evaluating their life, their relationships with each other, and their relationship with Beth.  

For those who loved Little Women people will still be able to see the framework of the original characters, yet Bernet adds dimension to those supporting characters who did not have much page time in the original. Anyone who loved the sisters in Little Women will be riveted to their seat as they turn the pages to find out who killed Beth and why.

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Katie Bernet: I wrote a love-hate list.  On one side I wrote all the things I love and the other side on everything I hate. I pulled out a bunch of different combinations with Little Women and mystery thrillers one of those combinations. Then I remembered when I was in first grade at a sleep over my best friend’s older sister was watching a movie, Little Women. She was crying and told me, ‘Beth just died.’ This was my first impression of Little Women.

EC: What do you think Alcott’s style was and how did that play in your book?

KB: I modernized the story because I did not want it to have that old English feel to it. I wanted to explore how would these characters be in modern day. I think Jo would thrive today. In Little Women Louissa May Alcott had social issues of women’s rights with emphasis on moral lessons and personal growth. The story had spirituality and religion which I did not really keep. She liked to highlight women’s strengths, resilience, ambition, growing up, and familial bonds, which I hoped I did in this book because that is what I loved about Little Women with each sister having different forms of strength. Both books are about sisterhood and family.

EC: Why did you kill Beth?

KB: I am a huge fan of Little Women because I am one of three sisters and a huge fan of mystery thrillers. I had fun thinking about how these sisters would act in this situation having Beth killed instead of dying from illness. I thought how impactful it is to lose a sister and, in my book, I had Beth die in chapter one.

EC: Describe Meg the older sister?

KB: In both books Meg has a desire for luxury, longing for security and stability. She wants a safe and loving home. She is torn between wanting simple values and a comfortable life.  She is mother-like, protective, conscientious, and smart. The only difference between the books is that in my story she pursues wealth, not through marriage, but through schooling.  I have her going to Harvard and wanting to become a doctor.

EC:  How would you describe Jo?

KB: In both books she is resistant to romantic relationships, does not want to lose her independence, wants a close bond with her family, and is driven by wanting to be a successful writer. Jo is adventurous, daring, blunt, has a temper, impulsive, and brave.  She is a tomboy and most like her dad.

EC:  How would you describe the youngest sister, Amy?

KB: She is a very unlikable sister. She pursues artistic excellence. Amy wants to be a part of high society.  In both books she is spoiled and selfish, a rebel, and reckless.

EC: What about Beth?

KB: Kind, always wants to please, wants to become a pianist, and wants to stay close to her family. In both books she is mostly bashful, shy, quiet, cautious, timid, optimistic, selfless, and sweet. Beth is a good observer, listener, and is reserved. She sees mostly good in everyone except for a few characters in my book who become people of interest in her killing.

EC: What about Laurie, Jo’s best friend?

KB: In both books he is bashful, easy temper, brother-like to most of the girls, although not Amy, generous, witty, and can be sly.

EC: What about the dad?

KB: He shuts people out. He is ignorant, abandoned the family, seems uncaring, negative, irresponsible, and self-centered. This description fits my story but not the original Little Women. He is a character who I changed the most. In the original he left his family for altruistic reasons but something about that seemed a little selfish to me.  I took that and ran with it.

EC:  Did the mother play a role?

KB:  Yes. She is honorable, caring, and knows her daughters.  In my version she is drained out by Beth’s death. In the original version she is so strong. But I questioned that and wanted to show her vulnerability and weakness.

EC: What about Henry?

KB: He was Beth’s first boyfriend who is humble, tough, and a computer expert. This is accurate for my story because in the original he was not much of a character.

EC: What was the role of the dad’s book?

KB: He gets criticism for exploiting his daughters. He made Beth question herself, made her perfect, sensitive, and not ambitious. He writes Amy as a party-girl, someone who is jealous of the other sisters, sick of being in their shadows, melodramatic, selfish, and vain. Meg in his story is clever, caring, materialistic, and status-seeking. Jo was made to be quick-tempered, lonely, and the brave hero. He makes each of them the stereotypes they are in the original. 

EC: How does the relationship and dynamics between the sisters play into the mystery?

KB: It makes it easy for them to suspect each other. Their differences make them suspicious of one another. They can suspect and blame each other but then turn a 180 and still support and love each other. In the original version Beth dies from complications of scarlet fever, so they had time to accept the fact she was going to die, while in this story it comes as a shock.  This is why the sisters have so much anger and blame in my story.

EC: Do you think the detectives had tunnel vision?

KB: They did take the motives without having much evidence. I wanted the main detective to not really understand Jo and has a bias against her.

EC: Is Beth in the middle of everyone’s secrets?

KB: Beth is at the center of everyone’s secrets. I think her character in the original story has her more of an observer and quiet. In the original there is a quote that I am paraphrasing, “Many Beths sitting in corners waiting until people need them.” She goes unnoticed and can pick up on things others cannot.

EC: What is the point of the male boyfriends?

KB: Amy has Laurie as her first love. Jo has turned down Laurie’s desire to be more than friends.  Romance is a bother for her because she wants to concentrate on her writing career.  His absence makes her see that she cares about other things more. The point of John’s character is to show how Meg struggles to want to make something of herself, but at the same time is falling in love with John. He is a piano instructor who is not pursuing a big fancy career.  Henry helps Beth reflect on what type of character she was in her dad’s book. He is part of Beth’s rebellion.

EC: Next book?

KB: I am working on another retelling of a literary classic as a mystery thriller.

THANK YOU!!

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