LIFESTYLE - WITHIN the space of year Durban, author Shareez Bagaria has released her second children’s book aimed at helping little ones in their development.
Born and raised in Chatsworth and now residing in Hillcrest, the mother of two’s works are inspired by her five-year-old daughter, Luna.
In the recently launched book, Luna Learns about Consent, Bagaria said the book explored concepts for young children. These include physical boundaries and the power of “no”, listening to your gut instinct, and the element of trust with an adult if a child felt that these boundaries have been crossed.
“My five-year-old daughter had an incident where she did not want to ride in a vehicle with familiar friends. When questioned at a later stage, she mentioned that there was someone in the car that she did not know, and she did not feel right or comfortable being there. It made me realise that children often have a good or bad feeling about people or situations, and as parents, we need to respect their autonomy.
“The book is targeted at age groups 3-7-year-olds. I hope that it stimulates deeper conversations around the power of ’no’ for children, and for parents, I hope that they learn to listen to their children's gut instinct even more.”
In her previous book, Luna Learns about Viruses - inspired by the Covid-19 pandemic and aimed at helping children wrap their minds around this - Bagaria opted to tell the story in rhyme.
“This book is written in a similar rhyming style as with the previous book. Luna Learns about viruses had exceeded my expectations from a sales and exposure point of view. Many schools purchased the book, and many corporates also bought bulk copies for donations to schools. I received positive feedback from both parents and teachers.”
A true family and kid-friendly affair, the books are illustrated by Bagaria’s niece, Gianna Naidoo.
“Gianna has illustrated this book as well. She is a naturally-talented artist. She is also taking art as an extra subject at Westville Girls’ High. She is currently in Grade 10. The images are bright and bold so that it captures the young reader's attention.”
Bagaria is currently working on a few books.
“I’m really enjoying this creative experience with this series of books for young learners. I am looking at writing on topics like inclusion and diversity, bullying and resilience in children, as well as stories about the homeless in Durban.”
* Copies of Luna Learns about Consent are available from www.madeindurban.co.za
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