A new children’s storybook from PNG
14 May 2021
CAROLINE EVARI
When I Grow Up by Caroline Evari, illustrated by Clarisa Alu. Independently published, May 2021. Paperback, 24 pages. ISBN-13: 979-8740768373. Available here from Amazon Australia $17.14 (shipped)
PORT MORESBY - My new children’s story book, ‘When I Grow Up’, has just been published and is available.
The book is a Papua New Guinean collaboration between me, artist Clarisa Alu and poet Bradley Gewa.
It’s my first independently published children’s story book with the assistance of both a Papua New Guinean artist and publisher.
Zechariah, Sylvia, Rodriquez, Sheila, Kevin, Kathleen, Nehemiah and Tracey are eight children who dream of the wonderful careers they want to have when they grow up.
The book is inspired by traditional art and every character represents a province of Papua New Guinea. It is suitable for early learners up to Grade 4.
The book teaches children to dream big and helps them understand that, regardless of gender or ethnicity, they can achieve anything they wish for.
My collection of 32 children’s story books is available on Amazon through this link.
https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=caroline+evari&i=stripbooks&qid=1620874102&ref=sr_pg_1
Among the titles are:
Let’s go up to the mountain
Are you ready to help with the mumu today?
Jack and his rugby ball
Old Mulga and the pawpaw tree
Delilah the photographer
Vanua gets ready for Independence Day
Mellam at church
Fred’s trip to the market
Zach and his toy truck
Let’s make tapa
Zuki the crocodile
Paul and bubu Tau’s Christmas tree
It’s Belinda’s birthday party
Mona and the barbeque
Mikai and the firecrackers
Buy this book, 'When I Grow Up', and grow to comprehend the potential of PNG writers.
By the way, this is an endorsement not only of this latest from Caroline Evari, not only of each and every of her thirty-two (that is 32) books, but of the author and the wealth she bestows on PNG as a society and its hopes for its future, by engaging with PNG children.
Rare and wondrous talent, at writing, at reaching, at winning rapport. Blink and you will have missed it. In your lifetime you may learn of few (much less meet) more worthy for you to acknowledge and support if it is that you want to be involved in fostering optimal potential in PNG’s young folk.
Reach you can by facilitating author Caroline Evari as she ventures to schools (elementary, primary and secondary) bringing presence of person to enliven young minds to the power of language in its written forms. In case you missed my point, facilitating author Caroline Evari is a distinct step up to equipping young minds with the ability to succeed.
Imagine that Caroline Evari (among other PNG writers) can be accessed via a writers’ website (for example, see: http://www.grassskirtproject.org/about-us.html). Can this come to be?
Imagine beyond Moresby and provinces Central and Oro that young folk can get to see and hear a writer with ‘reach’, with visual and vocal skills and accomplishment.
As much as author Caroline Evari is set upon helping young PNG folk to “dream big”, this call is for you and all reader responders to take to support of Caroline Evari as a writer with real reach.
Posted by: Lindsay F Bond | 17 May 2021 at 11:07 AM
To all those prospective authors in PNG. This month, PNG Attitude has posted three authors: Shane Baiva; the young mobile phone author Gerard Ivalaoa; and now Caroline Evari.
It is not an impossible task. With self publishing anything is possible so I hope these examples will be an impetus for us to get out there and explore how to get the stories out.
Again the call for the recording of our traditions is still current. Please do that before our keepers of stories disappear.
Once you have a collection of stories you can publish like a few of us are doing and as Shane has shown, even a six- page book is good for reading.
Congratulations to Caroline and her collaborative team of poet Bradley Gewa and artist Clarissa Alu on another superb publication and also the same to Gerard and Shane for their publications.
Posted by: Baka Bina | 14 May 2021 at 03:11 PM
I've been following Caroline's children's books for a while now and am amazed at how she keeps up the quality.
Like Daniel says, they should be in all the elementary schools in PNG. That's where the seed is planted that makes for lifelong readers.
Posted by: Philip Fitzpatrick | 14 May 2021 at 09:21 AM
Congratulations Caroline. I have a signed copy of one of your storybooks. Easy and clearly written for children, the type of books that should be in every elementary school in the country. Keep writing more.
_________
Caroline is a wonderful example of the enterprise and creativity I have always associated with PNG. It's an important reason why I do what I do. The lazy corruption that seeks the easy way out is not Melanesian. It is no more than rancid opportunism. Every PNG school, university and institution should have books by PNG authors like Caroline. It is a betrayal of Melanesian culture and values that these wonderful, energetic and enterprising writers are so wilfully overlooked - KJ
Posted by: Daniel Kumbon | 14 May 2021 at 06:30 AM