Another cover unveiling…and just wait till you see this one!! It’s AMAZING!!
Zowie!!! What an awesome cover!!! Kids are definitely going to be picking up this book from the shelf!
Here’s a little bit from author Ritu Anand who stopped by to share what inspired her to write this book.
ME: Welcome, Ritu! Thank you for making time to visit Picture Books Help Kids Soar!
RITU: Thank you, Vivian. I’m so grateful to be able to share the cover of this very important book.
By burning Punjabi qaidas (books) during the mutiny of 1857 in India, British colonizers suppressed the Punjabi language and works of Sikh scholars – who were greater in number in Punjab, than anywhere else in the world, according to British linguist G.W. Leitner. Colonizers were attempting to “cleanse” the Punjabi race. Their wrongs subjugated the cultural heritage of Punjabis for centuries and we still feel its adverse effects today.
But some seeds linger, until they are germinated. A seed had to have been planted within me while I was still in my mother’s womb. It ached not to know my own language. So my inner voice made me seek tools, artfully summon help and learn the language of my heart, the Punjabi language. Like a monarch that feels compelled to undertake an arduous journey, I traversed the path and reached the finish line.
I AM MY LANGUAGE is a picture book about a seven-year-old teaching herself her own language and inspiring her friend to do the same. It is my earnest desire for young boys and girls to undertake their journeys sooner rather than later in life and sing and dance to their own language, whether Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, or another.
ME: Thank you so much for writing this important book, dear Ritu!
And here’s a little bit about Ritu:
As a little girl, Ritu wrote on walls, furniture, old books, and new ones too. A total menace, her Mom bought her a slate and chalk – to write and erase, write, and erase, write and erase. A logophile attracted to the sound and musicality of words, she always read aloud (with expressions), no matter the length of the book. And still does. A reader by habit, if words appear before her eyes, she gobbles them.
Little did she know this adoration with words would one day lead to the formation of an idea of her own book. As a writer who writes everyday, presently, Ritu is working on two picture books and a women’s historical fiction novel.
Ritu leads an active life with her husband – hiking, golfing, meeting people and just ‘being’. You can reach her through her website or through social media.
www.facebook.com/ritu.anand.357284
www.linkedin.com/in/rituzastoryteller/
www.instagram.com/rituwrites4kids/
www.twitter.com/rituwrites4kids
We don’t have Pre-Order links for this book yet, dear friends. But please keep your eyes and ears on the lookout for it. It launches from Pathbinder Publishing in Spring 2024.
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VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 