A 5-year-old Eastridge girl was the inspiration for the main character in the latest book by Portland children’s author Alicia English.
Mahalia Matthews was able to share the story with her classmates at Joyful Learning Cubs Educare on Friday May 31, when Ms English read Mahalia the Rainbow Princess.
The book is dedicated to Mahalia and all little girls on the Cape Flats and beyond, who have “brave hearts and even bigger dreams”.
Other titles published by The Olive Exchange founder and publisher Ms English are Shanté and the Whale and I Miss Daddy, which was co-written with Ms English’s 10-year-old son Matthew, 10, in 2021 and translated into Afrikaans, Ek Mis My Pappa, in 2022.
Shanté and the Whale is illustrated by Nativ Solaris, of Eastridge, and Oz Martian, of London Village, while Jay Rabie, of Mossel Bay, illustrated Mahalia the Rainbow Princess and I Miss Daddy.
The publishing of the last two books was funded by the Whitaker Peace and Development Initiative (WPDI) Women’s Livelihood Programme, which Ms English graduated from last year.
Her business was one of 42 grant recipients. She used the R50 000, which is paid out quarterly, as seed funding, and she attends monthly mentor sessions with the WPDI.
The mother of three boys is completing her Humanitarian MBA and Doctor of Business Administration online with the Roxbourg Institute of Social Entrepreneurship in Switzerland.
Ms English wants to inspire children to be confident and encourage parents to live their dreams.
“Stop putting it off for when you are big, when you have money, when the kids are grown or when you are settled,” she says. “It is not impossible to do it. Surround yourself with people who support you in your dreams.
“I am grateful for my boys, parents, siblings, friends, mentors and peers who have supported my vision and efforts to change how we see ourselves and our place in the world.”
Ms English’s books are on sale to the public from R40. Email info@oliverexchange.co.za for more information or to buy a copy.
