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Greg Mortenson and His Daughter Amira Attend UN World Refugee Day 

Bestselling author Greg Mortenson and daughter Amira attended the United Nations World Refugee Day yesterday in Washington, D.C. While there, Amira hit it off with Angelina Jolie, actress and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, who is seen here holding a copy of the young reader’s edition of Three Cups of Tea, which features a Q&A with Amira.

The United Nations General Assembly designated June 20 as World Refugee Day to recognize and celebrate the contribution of refugees throughout the world. Since then, World Refugee Day has become an annual commemoration marked by a variety of events in over a hundred countries. This year’s World Refugee Day theme is “Real People, Real Needs”. From June 18-20 the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will commemorate World Refugee Day for the ninth consecutive year in Washington, DC, in order to draw the public’s attention to the millions of refugees world-wide who are forced to flee their homes.
 

Dolly Parton Kicks Off Dollywood’s 2009 KidsFest with Llama Llama author Anna Dewdney

Singer, songwriter, actress, and G. P. Putnam’s Sons author Dolly Parton kicked off Dollywood’s 2009 KidsFest in Pigeon Forge, TN with the debut of a new musical based on the New York Times bestselling Llama Llama books by Anna Dewdney. The popular and beloved books Llama Llama Red Pajama and Llama Llama Mad at Mama made their Dollywood theatrical debut before an audience of ambassadors of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program, which puts books in the hands of children in communities worldwide.

Dolly, wearing red pajamas (pictured here), introduced Anna and the show, and also performed a song she had written entitled “I’m Here,” for the final musical number with the cast. She then read from her new book, I Am A Rainbow (G.P. Putnam’s Sons). Anna did four signings of the Llama Llama books following each full-house production of the show. Performed by the Penguin Players at the park, the show will run throughout the summer at Dollywood.

Coverage of the event and of I Am a Rainbow has run in USA Today, Redbook, The Tennessean, Knoxville News-Sentinel, “The Today Show,” and the Associated Press. 

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