About ME
Keela R. L. Lupton is a storyteller, storymaker, and adventurer who loves helping kids explore their own stories through words, movement, and imagination. She grew up in Colorado, where summers were spent picking raspberries in her grandma’s garden, sipping minty lemonade, and listening to the incredible storytellers in her great-grandfather’s little shoe shop. Those days were full of tinkering, making, laughing, and imagining—and they gave her a love for people, stories, and all the little moments that make life magical. Now, she travels the world with her husband Bryan and their two children, discovering new places, cultures, and stories everywhere they go.
Keela’s favorite storytime buddies are her children—and their adopted “real-life fairy,” Annabelle, who sneaks into the sweets cabinet and sprinkles magic wherever she goes. At home (or wherever they happen to be that day!), you’ll find them having kitchen dance parties, playing games, baking (and tasting!) treats, swimming, and telling stories. Through her books, classrooms, and workshops, Keela invites kids to playfully explore their creativity, find their voice, and celebrate the stories that make them uniquely themselves.
- When I was a little girl, I didn't always see kids who looked like me in books, but authors like Virginia Hamilton, Beverly Cleary, Faith Ringgold, and Allen Say, and Roald Dahl helped me imagine bigger worlds--and now I get to write stories that help all kinds of kids see themselves too.
- Things I LOVE: When my kids make up wild stories at the dinner table--especially ones with exploding cupcakes, heroic pigeons, and mysterious portals behind the fridge.
- Things I DO NOT LOVE: When my socks disappear in the laundry. I'm convinced there's a sock-eating monster living in my washing machine...and it's always hungry.
Little bits about me
- A real-life fairy named Annabelle moved in with us after my kids were born. She sneaks into cupboards, steals the occasional cookie, and sprinkles magic all over storytime—so you never know what might happen next!
- I once tried to teach my pet goldfish how to high-five. It didn’t work, but I swear it winked at me once.
- I have a secret talent for making up silly songs about absolutely anything—including broccoli, socks, and space llamas.
- I can balance exactly three pencils on my nose at the same time. It’s not useful, but it’s impressive… sometimes.
- I once tried to build a spaceship out of cardboard and tape to fly to the moon. It didn’t work, but I made excellent moon-shaped cookies afterward.
- I firmly believe every story is better if you add glitter. Even math homework.
- I sometimes talk to trees to get story ideas. They are excellent listeners, but they rarely respond.
- I tried to invent a new holiday called “Nap-and-Ice-Cream Day.” It didn’t catch on, but I still celebrate it anyway.
- I love all living things… mostly. But hummingbirds? They zoom around so fast and look at me like they know all my secrets, and it kind of freaks me out!