Page 79 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 19
P. 79

Book Review




                                                                                the book, so both of them need
                                                                                to be present when the publishers
                                                                                are selling the book. This has been
                                                                                a greater challenge in the past year
                                                                                with the restrictions around Covid
                                                                                19 and the reduction in physical
                                                                                events where the publisher-author
                                                                                duo can present the book.

                                                                                In future, they hope to enter the Af-
                                                                                rikan market, as moral based story-
                                                                                telling has always been a centerpiece
                                                                                of our culture on the continent and
                                                                                something that should not be lost.

                                                                                To contact the authors or for pur-
                                                                                chasing queries, please use:
                                                                                Email: hello@brainchildpublica-
                                                                                tions.com
                                                                                Instagram: https://www.instagram.
                                                                                com/brainchildpub/


          allowing young children to think out   of positive imagery about black
          of the box and grow up inspired to   people in the media, particularly in
          change the world for the better.   the fantasy genre, where anything is
          The Fall of Snow is their maiden   possible. They started to brainstorm
          publication and seeks to encourage   solutions for all of this and The Fall
          children and parents to explore their   of Snow was one of the resulting
          imagination and creativity together.   ideas. They wanted the story to have
          The publishers’ motto is “To change   a moral, just as Afrikan stories of
          the world, change your perception”,   old, relaying wisdom via fantasy. Ini-
          an endeavor they undertake with    tially, they had envisioned the story
          this book.                         as a cartoon, but opted to start off
                                             with a book. The pair are about to   Author: George Roberts
          Where did the idea come            release their second book, A Night
          from?                              at the Circus, which they term, ‘a
                                             modern folktale told in rhyme’.
          While George comes from a tech-
          nology background and Mark from
          an electrical background, and both   Challenges and Reception
          have a love for Afrikan history and   The Fall of Snow has been received
          culture. The original idea for the   well by children in the UK who like
          book came to them in 2007, while   the characters and enjoy the story.
          they were discussing the challenges   The book does well in the winter
          they experienced as British-born   in the UK, due in part to it being
          Ghanaians and the elements of their   the gifting season and in part the
          culture, such as language and prov-  nature of the story. The publishers
          erbs, that had been lost as a result   say that the biggest challenge in the   Author: Mark Ampaw
          of not being born on the continent.   UK market for all independent au-
          For them, this meant that they had   thors of Afrikan children’s books is
          to be intentional regarding learning   visibility to the target market. Their
          about themselves and their history.  target market is the children, how-
          At that time there was not a lot   ever, it is the parents who purchase



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