My favorite part about creating this project was going to a kindergarten class at Malcolm X Elementary School and asking kids what they want from a children's book. We did art projects together (with plenty of glitter) and got to flex our creativity muscles.
I drew inspiration from my own childhood experiences and got in touch with my inner kid to write this book. The most challenging part of this for me was actually illustrating. I used watercolor and let inspiration from other children's books guide my way.
At the end of the project, I read my book to the kindergarten students I had met before, at the start of the research. I was ecstatic when I finished and they asked me to read it to them again!
Amanda and Momo and the Banana Moon is a children's book following the adventure of a little girl and her purple pet monkey. Amanda lives in the city and has never seen a sky full of stars, but when Momo sees the banana moon, they set off for a journey to capture it.
When I met with the Kindergarten students at Malcolm X Elementary, we did some arts and crafts activities to get started. One of the main inspirations for the character Momo came from this drawing that one of my students had made.
