Dear Editor,
I write to bring attention to a recently published children’s book, Affirmation Stories from the Magic Window: I AM Positively Grand, by a new author, I. Lolita Devi Singh, who was born in Guyana but immigrated to Canada at the age of seven with her parents and three siblings. However, over the years she has returned to Guyana on several occasions to visit her grandparents, maintain contact with relatives, and immerse herself in the culture. She is a wife, a mother, and a grandmother, and her life and work experiences have been brought to bear in what is the first of a planned series of children’s books.
Lolita Devi Singh was educated in Canada and holds a degree from Ontario’s York University. Professionally, she has worked in the Ontario Public Service for 34+ years and has held a number of significant roles throughout those years. At the time of her early retirement she held an executive position as Director of Strategic Planning and Business Relationship Management, Ontario’s Ministry of Education, managing relationships across more than six government ministries. She is now a highly qualified Certified Positive Intelligence Coach and manages her own company, CoachingYouForward, dedicated to working with women who face challenges in their personal and professional lives to enable them to achieve their relationship goals and experience their true potential.
The book is well written and nicely presented. Each page as well as the cover is beautifully illustrated in colour with characters and scenery that grabs your attention, and the message conveyed is universal. The characters, are Tari and Devi and their Nani (grandmother) and Nana (grandfather). The story revolves around the children and their relationships with their Nani and Nana who are their caregivers while their parents are at work and who take them to and from school every day. The loving relationships with Nani and Nana make them “feel confident and happy no matter what happened that day”. And this sentiment is indeed felt as the story concludes “Walking into our school, the very next day, my sister and I are happy to learn and play. As our Nani and Nana kiss us goodbye, they joyfully say, ‘here’s wishing you two, a positively grand day!’”
In the words of the author, “This book is a celebration of love in honour of all that holds us together across intergenerational relationships. It is intended to offer young children, parents, and grandparents a way how to access the power of daily positive affirmations and its effect on the quality of relationships and the quality of life.” This book is aptly suited for children in their formative years and it is now available at Amazon.
Sincerely,
Harry Hergash
