Kindergarten at 60 by Dian Seidel PUBLISH DATE!

Teaching kindergarten in Thailand wasn't the job Dian Seidel had in mind when, at age sixty and craving adventure, she convinced her husband that they should try working abroad. But coping with rambunctious children, sweltering heat, and Covid-19 turned out to be the challenge she needed. Struggling to understand Thai culture, their school, and their marriage, could she learn Thailand's essential lesson: mai pen rai, don't worry, keep cool?

Part travel memoir and part second act story, KINDERGARTEN AT 60 is a retirement tale like none other. With gentle humor and polished prose, Seidel explores universal themes via the adventures of everyday life. Job-hunting retirees confront age restrictions. A couple navigates 24/7 togetherness for the first time in their lives.

Kindergarten a

t 6

Before her unexpected "second act" teaching kindergarten in Thailand, Dian Seidel was a climate scientist at NOAA. Her research contributed to the 2007 Nobel Peace Prizewinning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in the Washington, DC, area, where she teaches English as a second language and Iyengar yoga.

Her writing has appeared in Passager, Anak Sastra, Lucky Jefferson, Pen in Hand, The New

York Times, and Bethesda Magazine. She loves crossword puzzles, book clubs, open ocean swimming, and the heart of a ripe watermelon on an August afternoon.

Dian Seidel

Professionals accustomed to working with adults are overwhelmed, and charmed, by a passel of two-, three-, and four-year-olds. An introvert struggles to forge cross-cultural and cross-generational friendships. Americans face the challenges of the five-tone Thai language and five-alarm Thai chilies.

Seidel's heartwarming story offers a unique perspective on contemporary Thailand and introduces readers to an unforgettable cast of characters at Pathum Thani Prep. Join the journey, meet the kids, and experience

KINDERGARTEN AT 60.

Author: Dian Seidel ○ Publisher: Apprentice House Press ○ Release date: June 20, 2023 ○ Format: Hardcover,

Paperback, eBook ○ ISBN: 978-1-62720-446-0 Paperback, 978-1-62720-447-7 Ebook ○ Price: $18.99

paperback, $6.49 eBook ○ Pages: 285 ○ Distribution: Ingram ○ Genre: Memoir

Publicity Contact: Emily Keough, emily@mindbuckmedia.com

Credit Photographer Derek Parks

Praise For Kindergarten at 60

"This delightful and inspiring work recounts an important and forever altering time in the

author's life."

—The BookLife Prize

"Dian Seidel turned the page on an eminent career in climate science to embark on a completely

different pursuit: teaching English to children in Thailand. There is a wisdom and warmth here in

discovering adventure at an age when that word has departed most people’s vocabularies. They

say learning a language stretches the mind. What happens when that is combined with

immersion in a completely different culture on the other side of the world? Seidel presents her

adventure in a series of vignettes, seeing big picture issues through the lens of a kindergarten

classroom. She emerges from her trial with strength and grace and gentleness."

—David Goodrich, author of A Hole in the Wind:

A Climate Scientist's Bicycle Journey Across the United States

"Former climate scientist Dian Seidel chronicles her revelations as she and her husband Steve

teach kindergarten in Thailand. While realizing that life past 60 is full of adventures, they try to

embrace the Thai philosophy of mai pen rai, or relax and enjoy what life brings. This well-written

travelogue will appeal particularly to people looking forward to the next chapter of their lives."

—Blythe Grossberg, Psy.D., author of I Left My Homework in the Hamptons

"Kindergarten at 60 is a beautifully written memoir with the perfect touch of humor. It is a joy to

join Dian Seidel on her five-month assignment teaching children in Pathum Thani, a place far

from home. Simultaneously teacher and student, she learns valuable lessons about herself from

her young Thai students. The heart of Kindergarten at 60 is an endearing love story of a retired

couple enjoying the adventure together. Thank you, Teacher Dian for taking us on this journey.

Khop khun kha."

—Michelle Paris, author of New Normal

"Dian Seidel gives us a delightful glimpse into Thailand and its culture, reminding us that we can

find adventure in post-retirement years. Her memoir brings to life the commonalities of children

around the world and the struggles of teachers everywhere."

—Sarah Birnbach, author of A Daughter's Kaddish:

My Year of Grief, Devotion, and Healing

"When it’s time to retire from a structured life, what do you do? In Dian Seidel’s book,

Kindergarten at 60, she invites you to join her and her husband in their voyage into the unknown

language, culture, history and social values of Thailand. Kindergarten at 60 is an interesting mix of

the challenges and adventure they find along with the heartwarming discovery of the children

and fellow international teachers they bond with during their stay."

—Tom Crowley, author Mercy’s Heroes and Bangkok Gamble

"A heartwarming, informative and inspiring memoir about our ability to learn at any age through

our willingness to serve and open our hearts to the new and unexpected."

—Nina Wise, performance artist

"A charming tale of a second act and self-discovery in a far-off tropical clime. Dian Seidel did

what the rest of us only talk about."

—John Burgess, author of Angkor’s Temples in the Modern Era:

War, Pride, and Tourist Dollars