The former children ’s laureate , Michael Rosen has endorsed Cosmic Cats on his Facebook and Twitter accounts . Feel the force of fifty children’s voices. Recognise the bravery of turning an empty page into a living story and celebrate how art and story-telling brings together young people who live continents apart.
Cosmic Cats is live on Amazon Kindle now.
The anthology contains stories by 24 children from Mumias school in west Kenya & 24 from St Swithun’s Primary School in my village of Kennington in Oxfordshire. Cosmic Cats celebrates the collaboration between the two communities to create the first community library in the west Kenya district in Musanda next to the Nasio Trust’s Health Centre.
Cosmic Cats will be its first book so the children will know they belong there. We’re launching it with a zoom connecting the schools for World Book Day. African born illustrator, Korky Paul, designed it for me and I’ve paid the publishing costs so the sales will go to https://www.thenasiotrust.org/towards the library.
I was privileged to interview Michael, when I wrote for The Oxford Times. I cast him away on Oxtopia so his story is in Oxford Castaways 2. Click here to read Michael’s story written by me. Michael Rosen
I also quoted him in a chapter about saving libraries on Food of Love Cooking up a Life across Gender Class and Race – my memoir endorsed by journalist Yasmin Alibhai Brown, Professor of History Rana Mitter and the poet, Sudeep Sen.
Michael Rosen, the famous children’s author, was the curator of stories at the Story Museum when I cast him away on Oxtopia. He told me that the evidence from everywhere in the world is that children who read for pleasure, do well academically. They find a lifelong friend in books. My story is evidence of the role they play in social mobility for kids whose parents can’t afford to buy books.
I wouldn’t have passed my 11+ and enjoyed the life I’ve had without access to Luton Central Library. That’s why I’m passionate about libraries and so are Michael and Korky! The role of libraries in upward mobility is much under estimated #worldbookday #libraries