Momo’s Gift - Children’s Picture Book
Momo’s Gift is a children’s picture book about the distance shared between two siblings, and how by using creativity and imagination you can overcome any barrier.
I worked as a tutor for years while I was a university student, and I was inspired by the stories of my studies who faced large age and cultural gaps between themselves and their siblings. I found that many of my students were growing up in a completely different cultural background to their older siblings, with some even working overseas and having families of their own without much time to connect with their younger sibling in Australia.
Momo’s life in Sunnyvale is a world away from her sister Mei’s life designing clothing in Japan.
Join Momo as she connects with Mei through beautiful postcards, discovers more about where her family comes from, and makes a plan to surprise her sister with the best gift ever!
I wanted the story to show the audience the power of creativity, as well as teach them about another culture and language. I included a glossary at the end of the book to describe some of the Japanese objects and words that appear throughout the story. I also wanted to incorporate a tactile and interactive element to the story, and achieved this by including pull-out postcards handwritten by Mei and sent to Momo.
Whether the distance they share is from Sydney to Tokyo or just down the road, I hope Momo’s Gift can inspire siblings to connect, learn and be creative together.