So, on 1st April, my second book with Magic Cat is being published!
I am beyond excited about this book and can't wait to share it with you all. It follows the same format as 'Old Enough to Save the Planet' in that all the stories are those of real-life young people from all over the world. This time, you'll hear about how these children spread kindness through their simple acts of everyday activism.
There are examples of helping refugees; bringing old and young people together in cross-generational activities; raising awareness of mental health; feeding people in need; and sharing Black books and stories, to name just a few of the things the amazing children inside are doing. Yas Imamura has illustrated the book so beautifully that it takes my breath away and everyone on the Magic Cat team has worked so hard to make it really special.
As with the first book, this one is also publishing when shops are closed (I've sort of book-ended (boom boom) the lockdowns perfectly in that respect – grrrrrr!) so there aren't many opportunities to celebrate this exciting book birthday. While I'll be toasting it at home and reading it with my own children, that didn't feel like quite enough to honour the young people who have so hugely inspired me with their work. Therefore, to paraphrase Chris Haughton, I have a plan...
For every day of April, I'm channelling the spirit of the books and setting myself the challenge of doing something for someone else. These have to be things over and above what I do in a normal day (as a mum of three young children, I feel I spend a lot of time doing things for others!) and although I have a few thoughts about what I might take on, I'm still looking for ideas because 30 days feels rather daunting at the moment!
I'll probably use some of the days to highlight the people featured in the book and other thoughts I had included community work like litter picking, or supporting charities, as well as simple things like making a cake for a friend or recommending a really good book to someone. If you have anything you think I could be doing – no matter how small or silly it may seem – please do message me on here or get in touch on Instagram @hellogatherandgrow.
Ooh, and if you'd like to join in with your own stories of doing something for someone else, please do tag me or send them to me and I'll happily share those as well. I've even created a hashtag for this very purpose – #dosomethingforsomeoneelse – so we can cheer each other on!
Here's to making April a month filled with kindness,
Loll x
(Image credit: Magic Cat Publishing)