I'm an Author!!

Today’s blog pictures are particularly exciting for me... yesterday I picked up 1000 copies of a children’s book I have been working on the past year... I’m a published author!! :) Bakary and The Dolphin in a joint effort between myself, some students in nearby villages and a local artist Njogu Touray.

You may remember that I have been working with WWF on a marine education project that I have been lucky enough to have free reign over. Having my own project is completely new to me and has been quite intimidating but also great experience and lots of fun. Last summer I did a few marine education workshops with students in Kartong and Brufut (2 coastal villages) Upper Basic (middle) Schools. The students were great and I think we all had a good time but I was surprised at how little they knew about the ocean that they live right next to. I figured that writing a book for younger students would be a great way to get kids to start thinking about the ocean at a young age and getting excited about what is out there – much more than the fish that the fishermen bring in. So Njogu and I ran a series of lectures, drama and art classes with the Kartong and Brufut Students. Using art and drama was a good way to engage the students in what they were learning and it is much more fun than listening to me rattle on about the web of life.  Needless to say the drawings they did in class turned out beautifully and I have used them to illustrate the children’s book that will now be given out to the majority of lower basic schools around the country and submitted to the curriculum department to become an official supplementary reading material... YAY! 

The story is about a young Gambian boy who steals his dad’s fishing boat to explore the “mysterious” ocean. When a big storm comes and tips Bakary out of the boat he is saved by a dolphin who guides him back to shore. On the way home Bakary meets and learns about all the wonderful creatures that live under the ocean.   Here are a couple of photos of illustrations from the book, (I can't work out why they won't upload the right way up or how to rotate in blogger sorry!)