Usha and the Stolen Sun
The inspiration for Usha came from a quote by Persian poet, Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi. It is one I used to share with my boys when they were little:
“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”
I believe this to be a beautiful way of telling my kids that all their words are valid (especially the sad and angry ones!), and need to be heard. I knew they had it in them to articulate their thoughts, not just scream at each other. It allowed them, as siblings, to work things out among themselves using a dialogue and they also learned to save space for someone else’s voice.
In this story, it’s very important that Usha shares her voice in all of it’s capacity - Yelling, crying, whispering, singing. She is right to have and share all these emotions, and it’s exciting to see her stop at nothing to bring down the wall that has blocked the sun from her village. She is a true hero, using the strength of her words to bring about lasting change.
Discussion Guide
I worked with Owlkids Books to create a Discussion Guide for Usha and the Stolen Sun for educators and parents alike. It is an amazing tool that helps spark critical conversations in the classroom and the home based on some ideas shared in the book.
You can also scroll down for some of the questions, too ;-)
Questions to think about during & after reading:
Meet the illustrator, Josée Bisaillon!
As a young girl, Josée loved drawing cats and houses. She really enjoyed school and always returned home full of stories to tell. She liked being in the classroom so much that she pursued her education all the way to university, where she studied graphic design. It was there that she fell in love with illustration.
Since 2005, with scissors and brushes in hand, Josée has illustrated more than 30 children’s books, as well as magazines and newspapers for adults, all around the world.
Josée lives just outside of Montreal with her spouse, their 3 children one hairless cat and many paper characters.
Visit Josée’s website to learn more about the amazing illustrations she has worked on this far in her award-winning career!