Welcome To ARIMAX, INC.

As far back as Shari Donahue can remember, she has admired the knowledge, wisdom, and insights of her father, Leon Leigh Faden. Within weeks after his sudden passing in 1990, she was inspired to write The Zebra-Striped Whale with the Polka-Dot Tail featuring her daughters, Maxime and Ariele. Though the entire verse emerged in just a few days, it has taken Shari almost a decade to complete the artistic renderings depicting her poetic journey. Prior to this time, she was unaware that she had the skills of a writer or an artist.

With the use of fabric, paper, cellophane, paint, clay, and any other materials she could find, Shari's collage illustrations burst with bold dimension and vivid texture. Never having been formally trained in art, she has labored, lovingly, over each and every art piece for almost ten years until finally completed. Older daughter, Maxime, helped by creating the initial scrolled lettering for each text page; younger daughter, Ariele, helped too by creating the colorful spiral tissue collage located at the beginning and end of the fanciful book.

During the process of completing this tribute to her family, Shari Faden Donahue has founded her own publishing company, Arimax, Inc., named for her children, Maxime and Ariele, and has written several popular titles including Celebrate Hanukkah with Me (1998), My Favorite Family Haggadah (third printing, 1977) and Philly's Favorites Recipe Collection (1992). She has a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and Master of Business Administration from Drexel University. Born and raised in Philadelphia, she currently resides in New Hope, Pennsylvania with her husband and their two favorite main characters.

A visiting in-school author/Illustrator, Shari Faden Donahue is available for book signings, workshops, and collage demonstrations. In a language which children can understand, her exciting presentations include a challenging lesson in the search for inner peace and quest for wisdom. With a message that is both motivational and inspirational, Shari encourages children and their parents to wholeheartedly believe that anytime is possible in life... with focus, hard work, the willingness to never give up - even when times are tough, the passion to discover one's own unique talents, and the desire to use these special gifts to touch lives of others.