Pre-order Mariah's Maracas Today
Donation protected
Mariah's Maracas
by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman and illustrated by Hook E. Free
In 2008, my daughter Khari was four years-old and loved picture books. She had begun reading before I could catch a breath, and I was eager to quench her thirst for reading by buying as many books as I could. As a writer, the thought occurred to me that it would be really cool to begin writing books for my little girl, featuring her as a character.
That year, I did just that, writing the first book, "Mariah's Maracas", in less than a day. The book featured Khari as a classmate of the titular character. I decided that the book would be the first in a series of books that would each feature a student in Ms. Rio's fourth grade class.
Life events over the next ten years halted the book project, pushing it further to the back burner. I had begun writing plays and my plays started to take center stage in my creative life, leaving me with little time to finish publishing my children's book. In 2014, I had found an illustrator and was ready to begin the publishing journey. But, tragedy struck my family that year, as I lost my mother, and, again, the project stalled.
This year, I am excited to announce that my book "Mariah's Maracas" will be available for sale this year, debuting at the upcoming event "Kwanzaa in August Festival" taking place in Washington, DC. You can pre-order the book when you contribute $15 or more to this campaign for the book. Your contribution allows me to purchase maracas that I would like to distribute to children when I begin touring to promote the book this year. Your contribution also allows me to donate books along the tour to special children and families who could benefit from free reading materials.
Thank you in advance!
ABOUT THE STORY
"Mariah's Maracas" is a 32-page illustrated children's book about a little girl named Mariah. Mariah is excited about her school day because she gets to choose her band instrument for Ms. Rio's music time portion of class. She loves the drum, but, she learns about the maracas and has a change of heart.
This story explains how it is ok to change your mind and like different things at the same time. Children will also learn about cultural significance of certain instruments in different parts of the world. Ms. Rio's fourth grade class is a multi-cultural mix of children who are descendants of people throughout the African diaspora. In each book of the series, children will learn about a different instrument that is played in different countries throughout the African diaspora. This book focuses on the maraca and its significance to people in Trinidad and Brazil.
PERKS WHEN YOU CONTRIBUTE
$1-$14 When you make a donation of this amount, you will receive a "thank you" through the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media pages of Liberated Muse (the publishing entity), Khadijah Moon, and The Creative Midwife.
$15-$20 When you make a donation of this amount, you receive a signed copy of the book and a social media "thank you".
$50-$100 When you make a donation of this amount, you receive two books and you become a sponsor of the Kwanzaa in August (KIA) festival taking place August 3-5. You will be listed on the website at KwanzaaInAugust.org as a sponsor.
by Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman and illustrated by Hook E. Free
In 2008, my daughter Khari was four years-old and loved picture books. She had begun reading before I could catch a breath, and I was eager to quench her thirst for reading by buying as many books as I could. As a writer, the thought occurred to me that it would be really cool to begin writing books for my little girl, featuring her as a character.
That year, I did just that, writing the first book, "Mariah's Maracas", in less than a day. The book featured Khari as a classmate of the titular character. I decided that the book would be the first in a series of books that would each feature a student in Ms. Rio's fourth grade class.
Life events over the next ten years halted the book project, pushing it further to the back burner. I had begun writing plays and my plays started to take center stage in my creative life, leaving me with little time to finish publishing my children's book. In 2014, I had found an illustrator and was ready to begin the publishing journey. But, tragedy struck my family that year, as I lost my mother, and, again, the project stalled.
This year, I am excited to announce that my book "Mariah's Maracas" will be available for sale this year, debuting at the upcoming event "Kwanzaa in August Festival" taking place in Washington, DC. You can pre-order the book when you contribute $15 or more to this campaign for the book. Your contribution allows me to purchase maracas that I would like to distribute to children when I begin touring to promote the book this year. Your contribution also allows me to donate books along the tour to special children and families who could benefit from free reading materials.
Thank you in advance!
ABOUT THE STORY
"Mariah's Maracas" is a 32-page illustrated children's book about a little girl named Mariah. Mariah is excited about her school day because she gets to choose her band instrument for Ms. Rio's music time portion of class. She loves the drum, but, she learns about the maracas and has a change of heart.
This story explains how it is ok to change your mind and like different things at the same time. Children will also learn about cultural significance of certain instruments in different parts of the world. Ms. Rio's fourth grade class is a multi-cultural mix of children who are descendants of people throughout the African diaspora. In each book of the series, children will learn about a different instrument that is played in different countries throughout the African diaspora. This book focuses on the maraca and its significance to people in Trinidad and Brazil.
PERKS WHEN YOU CONTRIBUTE
$1-$14 When you make a donation of this amount, you will receive a "thank you" through the Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social media pages of Liberated Muse (the publishing entity), Khadijah Moon, and The Creative Midwife.
$15-$20 When you make a donation of this amount, you receive a signed copy of the book and a social media "thank you".
$50-$100 When you make a donation of this amount, you receive two books and you become a sponsor of the Kwanzaa in August (KIA) festival taking place August 3-5. You will be listed on the website at KwanzaaInAugust.org as a sponsor.
Organizer
Khadijah Z. Ali-Coleman
Organizer
Ft. Washington, MD
