The prospect of writing for children was at first daunting, hence I naturally procrastinated it time and time again until a series of personal events made me begin to take the idea very seriously. And I’m glad I did.
‘The Man Who Thought Little of Himself’ and “When Everyone Sings’ were written in December 2018. I can’t forget the moment because it was a bitter winter in Northern Cyprus and my shared apartment was always damp from lack of indoor heating.
I allowed the manuscripts for these two children’s books to lie fallow for a few months and then I met Alaba Onajin on Twitter. He had illustrated El-Nathan John’s ‘On Ajayi Crowther Street’. It was his attention to detail that captured my interest. We talked briefly about the illustrations needed for my children’s books and almost immediately he went to work on it. He very much understood my needs; that I had written for the African child, so that they may see characters just like themselves in the books, and that I had intentionally set the stories in historical Africa for the sake of bringing the reader into contact with what rural and traditional African societies looked like.
Alaba Onajin did a most satisfactory work, illustrating my children’s books. I was happy, filled with a heightened sense of accomplishment. My manuscripts were ready for print, but then there was a hint of doubt gnawing at a corner of my heart. What if the books do not make any impact?
In March 2020, I was in Nigeria. I printed copies of ‘The man Who Thought Little Of Himself’ and ‘When Everyone Sings’ but almost immediately, the coronavirus pandemic forced Nigeria to go on lockdown. There wasn’t much anyone could do. In June, the lockdown did ease up somewhat, but airports were still shut and inter-state travel was still not permitted. Schools were still shut too and children could not go to school. It was a moment of anxiety for me, and I could feel the same from almost everywhere my attention turned to.
A whole week passed in this state and then an idea struck me after I stumbled upon Douglas Ibekwe’s social media post, promoting his children’s book. Since schools in Nigeria were shut down, I thought, this would mean that children are in need, more than usual, of reading materials to occupy their minds.
I reached out to Douglas and told him how his post had inspired me and how I intended to apply the same strategy for my own children’s books.
I went to work immediately. The next two days saw me reaching out to contacts on social media, soliciting that they sponsor a random child in Nigeria to get a copy each of my children’s books. The responses I got exceeded my expectations; I mean, it was a global lockdown and people all over the world were out of jobs yet they believed that my cause to have a child in Nigeria have a copy of my children’s books was a noble one worth identifying with. Due to the lockdown, I could not reach out to children outside of Port-Harcourt, and even at that, I could not exceed beyond two small vicinities within the state.
I still get requests from children and parents asking to know when I will be releasing another children’s book. Children walk up to me on the streets with this same question, and I have given them assurances that I will release another soon. I intend to keep this promise.
Writing for children is a pleasant experience which I am enjoying and I hope to enjoy in the long term. I learned a lot along the way, and I am still learning. It has been a good run with ‘The Man Who Thought Little Of Himself’ and ‘When Everyone Sings’. Apparently, I will be making reprints in no distant time, and that should be when we are certain of no impediments to movement and promotional activities.