As a child, my twin sister and I took great joy in collecting stickers, curating what we believed to be the cutest and shiniest collection around. I remember how our mother would always manage to give us Australian one and two-dollar coins so we could purchase more stickers ourselves. One day, I proudly showed my sticker collection to a friend, and she asked if she could have one. I refused, wanting to keep them all to myself. I still recall her saying, “It’s not nice not to share.” Her innocent and straightforward comment resonated with me because it highlighted children’s natural inclination toward sharing and fairness.
While I didn’t share my stickers with her that day, this experience has stayed with me. When writing Ratnapped, I consciously tried to think like a child, aiming to capture that same sense of innocence and authenticity. My goal was to create a story in which children could see themselves, one that felt genuine and true to their own experiences.
Please consider getting a copy of Ratnapped for the young readers in your life. It’s a story about two rat brothers, a clever pink pigeon, and a mischievous mad scientist. The book is designed to impart valuable lessons while engaging children in an adventure told from a child’s perspective.
Do you have a childhood memory that taught you a lesson?