Celia Botto
Children’s Author & Special Educator
Celia is an author and educational program coordinator from New Hampshire. She is a licensed special educator with ten years of classroom experience, ranging from kindergarten to high school.
Born in the Berkshires, Celia proudly distributed her first collection of short stories to her parents, teachers and friends in the 3rd grade. Since then, she has pursued publishing opportunities beyond her kitchen table, though she continues to credit her early exposure to the arts and public education for laying the foundation to her writing. Celia resides in Manchester with her husband, dog, and their collection of vinyl records.
The Ostrich Needs a Lift is Celia’s second book. It is set to be released spring 2026.
Her first book, When Ayden Paints the Sky, was published in 2024.
She hopes her nieces, nephews, and students enjoy the adventures in the whimsical world she created for them.
When Ayden Paints the Sky
“When Ayden Paints the Sky came to me after a playdate I had with my beautiful niece, Ayden. What began as a poem turned into a story as I imagined all the wonderful ways in which my niece views the world. Ayden relies on creative outlets to express her feelings, ideas and thoughts.
I believe art has the ability to provide versatile communication and expression for everyone. This book aims to inspire creativity in children when their feelings become too overwhelming. My hope is that neurodivergent children feel represented without becoming a topic of discussion. Ayden does not exist to teach her peers a lesson. She just exists. “
-Celia Botto
What Readers Are Saying
Inspiring and Educational
“I received an advance copy of this book. As an educator, I love stories that help students understand themselves and the world better than they did before. This book does just that.
Between Botto’s carefully chosen words and Fiddy’s beautiful illustrations, children leave with an impression of a world (both internal and external) that can be interpreted and experienced through art– or their own means of expression.”
— D. Torro
An inspirational story steeped in love and kindness.
“An accomplishment of expression and art. Celia’s love for her students and the children in her life shines through in When Ayden Paints the Sky . This is a book for the families and teachers who work tirelessly to show the next generation that there is beauty in expression, color in words, and music in every child’s experience, voice or unvoiced.”
— B. Christopher
The book features the kind of lyrical, sing-song prose found in Shel Silverstein’s greatest poems
“While self-expression can be a tricky thing for any child, it’s doubly so for children whose colors can sometimes fall outside the lines on a different spectrum. Fortunately, WHEN AYDEN PAINTS THE SKY, the new book from Mascot Kids by author Celia Botto and illustrator Samantha Lane Fiddy, shows young readers that those colors are all you need to create a masterpiece of your very own.”
-A. Cook
Celia Botto, M.Ed 