The same way life turned upside down for many people in the past 2 years, life changed a whole lot for me in 2021. But during the hard growth work , I chose to look at the upside. I now firmly believe that everything really does happen for a reason and a good one at that. There is a happy ending out there, always. Things constantly change. It is up to you to make life one you are happy to live.
Publishing my first book was one of the good things that came out of an absurd and tumultuous 2021. Louisa the Whale: a book for you and your kids to enjoy.
WHO IS LOUISA THE WHALE?
Louisa is a whale who is the only one of her kind in the Meditteranean sea. She feels different and alone because of her size. The other fish in the Mediterranean do not make her feel included, they stick to their values and beliefs and marginalize her always. Her only friend is a giraffe, Jimmy. He lives in a zoo nearby and visits the shore every afternoon, where he and Louisa talk about life and bond over tea. When Jimmy finds that Louisa is leading a lonely life, he decides to help. The story ends with Louisa moving to the zoo and living a wonderful life with different animal friends – a diverse community that accepts her for who she is.
how to talk to kids about inclusion & diversity
I always look for books to explain things to my daughter and talk about important subjects. When she’s going through something, I use books to talk about it. Like me, parents (and grandparents/carers/sitters), can use Louisa the Whale to discuss important subjects in our society today. Mainly, it is about Inclusion, Diversity, Community, making things happen, and finding solutions to every problem. An added bonus is the cute and attaching characters.
In the story, Louisa lives a solitary life. Her highlight of the day is to have tea with Jimmy the giraffe on the shore. You can use this to show your kids that it is okay to feel alone in the place where you are supposed to belong and feel more like yourself with people who are different and come from a different place. The subject of inclusion can also be tackled, and how it is important to be kind and not marginalize people because they are different (the same way the other fish families did with Louisa). Also, it would be good to point out how all the different animals of the zoo (that look nothing like each other), joined hands to help Louisa and bring her to their community with love and acceptance.
There are so many ways to read and use this story. I will be sharing more as time goes by.
You can buy the book on Amazon, or on the publisher’s website: Austin Macauley, using a special discount code: AUTHOR1121
