Josie and the Giant Tree
Donation protected
My name is Christina Ukachukwu and I am a new author. Thank you for taking the time to learn about my story, Josie and the Giant Tree! My hope is that my story will inspire children (and adults) to follow their dreams, and to never stop believing in your dream because you never know, your dream may surprise you. I need your help to get my story out there!
It has always been my dream to become an author. I have been writing as early as I can remember. I consider myself a storyteller. Last year, I wrote a story for a children's book in the notes on my phone about a little girl who dreams big and learns to have confidence in herself. I thought it was a pretty cool story but never gave it much more thought. A couple of months ago, I picked that same story back up and haven’t stopped working since.
About Josie and the Giant Tree
Josie and the Giant Tree is centered around a little girl who has big dreams. One day, at the end of summer, Josie is looking for something BIG to do. At first she is worried that she is too little to do important things, but soon Josie finds a project that will take all of her big heart to complete. Josie learns important lessons with the help of some very special seeds that only require sunshine, water, and for Josie to believe! My story follows Josie as she learns what it truly means to believe in herself.
This story is important
I am african american, although Nigerian American is a better description. Growing up, there were not many books where the characters looked like me and even as a child, I noticed that. For a long time I kept imagining myself being like the characters in the book but something did not feel right.
As I work with children in different capacities today--a coach, a teacher, a mentor, etc., there are more books with people of color, but the gap is still big. I want to help close that gap. While this story doesn't focus on race, it is important to me that the characters look like me. I never knew when I wrote this story- it would be discovering the little black girl in me. I also did not know it would awaken the black woman in me that is a world changer. This story is important because it focuses on a little black girl following her dream to plant a tree. She faces external obstacles but ultimately- she listens to her internal dialogue. Our little black children deserve this story. Visibility Matters!
My Goals
Josie and the Giant Tree is well underway! The book has been fully drafted out and I am in the process of editing and working with an illustrator to bring my story to life.
This is where I need your help! In order to help keep expenses manageable (and the timeline shorter!) I have chosen to self-publish Josie and the Giant Tree. However, writing a book has a bunch of associated expenses--the bulk of which is the illustration! Other costs include publishing, any marketing, web design, as well other miscellaneous expenses. I have set aside a large portion of the money needed to cover these costs because I believe in the importance of investing in myself, however I still find myself turning to my community to help reach the last leg of expenses. I believe in myself--do you believe in me? If you do, please consider making a donation to support bringing Josie and the Giant Tree to life!
I will be keeping this page updated as Josie and the Giant Tree progresses!
Thank you!
Author when she needed this book.
It has always been my dream to become an author. I have been writing as early as I can remember. I consider myself a storyteller. Last year, I wrote a story for a children's book in the notes on my phone about a little girl who dreams big and learns to have confidence in herself. I thought it was a pretty cool story but never gave it much more thought. A couple of months ago, I picked that same story back up and haven’t stopped working since.
About Josie and the Giant Tree
Josie and the Giant Tree is centered around a little girl who has big dreams. One day, at the end of summer, Josie is looking for something BIG to do. At first she is worried that she is too little to do important things, but soon Josie finds a project that will take all of her big heart to complete. Josie learns important lessons with the help of some very special seeds that only require sunshine, water, and for Josie to believe! My story follows Josie as she learns what it truly means to believe in herself.
This story is important
I am african american, although Nigerian American is a better description. Growing up, there were not many books where the characters looked like me and even as a child, I noticed that. For a long time I kept imagining myself being like the characters in the book but something did not feel right.
As I work with children in different capacities today--a coach, a teacher, a mentor, etc., there are more books with people of color, but the gap is still big. I want to help close that gap. While this story doesn't focus on race, it is important to me that the characters look like me. I never knew when I wrote this story- it would be discovering the little black girl in me. I also did not know it would awaken the black woman in me that is a world changer. This story is important because it focuses on a little black girl following her dream to plant a tree. She faces external obstacles but ultimately- she listens to her internal dialogue. Our little black children deserve this story. Visibility Matters!
My Goals
Josie and the Giant Tree is well underway! The book has been fully drafted out and I am in the process of editing and working with an illustrator to bring my story to life.
This is where I need your help! In order to help keep expenses manageable (and the timeline shorter!) I have chosen to self-publish Josie and the Giant Tree. However, writing a book has a bunch of associated expenses--the bulk of which is the illustration! Other costs include publishing, any marketing, web design, as well other miscellaneous expenses. I have set aside a large portion of the money needed to cover these costs because I believe in the importance of investing in myself, however I still find myself turning to my community to help reach the last leg of expenses. I believe in myself--do you believe in me? If you do, please consider making a donation to support bringing Josie and the Giant Tree to life!
I will be keeping this page updated as Josie and the Giant Tree progresses!
Thank you!
Author when she needed this book.Organizer
Christina Ukachukwu
Organizer
Chicago, IL