The first book that I wrote was actually The Turtle's Cracked Shell. I happened to be reading a book when I just thought to myself, you know, why not create these stories for my children. But animation is a completely different beast altogether. But why did you decide to focus that on doing in a book? You could have retold them in a different way or come up with different stories? What is it about these stories that you care about so much?Īda-Ari: Before putting pen to paper, I was also thinking that it would be great to actually animate some of these stories, or in general just have more representation of black characters, and the different animated series that my children watched. I guess growing up in Nigeria, you heard those stories.

I think that absolutely comes through with people. Joanna: I know a lot of people listening want to write books for children because of their own children. They really need the pictures to go along with the stories for it to make sense. They were so young that I felt they needed a picture book version of the story, just for retention, like that age of infancy and toddlerhood. I realized quickly that there was no way that I could share these stories with my young children if I didn't tell them myself. When I started reading to them, I wanted them to also have some of the stories that I grew up on. I moved here back in 1996, as a teenager with my family, and fast forward to now I have a parent with two young children.

Tell us a bit more about you, and how you got into writing in the first place.Īda-Ari: I am a Nigerian immigrant to the United States. Joanna: This is such an interesting topic. Joanna: Ada-Ari is the author of books for children, including The Spider's Thin Legs, and The Turtle's Cracked Shell, as well as language learning books for African languages. Header image generated by Joanna Penn with DALL-E2.

Turning a book idea into a much bigger vision for a creative business with a mission.

What keeps us going when the going gets tough.

Marketing books for children in schools and stores.Working with a printer and distributor vs.Finding an illustrator outside the usual freelance platforms.Creating books for children as a connection to African cultural heritage.Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. You can also subscribe to the Kobo Writing Life podcast for interviews with successful indie authors.Īda-Ari is the author of books for children, including The Spider's Thin Legs, and The Turtle's Cracked Shell, as well as language learning books for African languages. This podcast is sponsored by Kobo Writing Life, which helps authors self-publish and reach readers in global markets through the Kobo eco-system.

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