Calling on My Sisters

I recently fulfilled a lifelong dream of writing a children’s book series — the ’ittle Bear books, illustrated by my sister, Katy Wills — thanks to my Northwestern connections. 

Katy and I knew we would need help to produce this book series, having built careers in technology and project management. So I reached out to one of my Alpha Gamma Delta sorority sisters, Valerie Banks Amster ’94, ’95 MS, who had self-published a book through her publishing company, Horse Tales. Val referred me to another sorority sister, graphic designer Jennifer Royall Anderson ’93. I also sought out Jennifer Burke ’96, a technology and marketing coach, who I had previously worked with. Together, we launched our first book, ’ittle Bear: The Adventures Begin, in April 2023. The book introduces ’ittle Bear, a stuffed animal who travels the world in a Big Person’s suitcase and goes out on adventures while the Big Person works. 

This project is a strong example of what a high-performing team can do. While I developed the idea (inspired by the stuffed bear I brought along on my own global travels), I am not a detail-oriented person. I needed the critical feedback that Val offered. My sister is fabulous at bringing ’ittle Bear to life visually but is less experienced with book design — that’s what Jen Anderson brings to the table. The books are so much better because of our team’s unique knowledge, strengths and interests, many of which were developed at Northwestern.  

We have since launched two more ’ittle Bear books, set in France and Ireland, as well as translations in Spanish, Arabic and Swedish. The books are free to educators and public libraries as part of our mission to increase cultural education.  

Sarah Wills Carlsson ’96 lives in Rochester, Ind.