Little Big Stories

18/07/2022

What a great selection of books here by Diverseclassroombooks. Which ones have you read? Have you got your own copy of Ada’s Wash Day yet? 😎 You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1913674789/

8 Brilliant Books - Centering Minority Ethnic Characters, Authors and Voices

I'm joining in her series. Here are some titles to support this initiative!

1. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Coming to England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿
This is a true story with a powerful message: that courage and determination can always overcome adversity.

✍ 🎨 📚

2. 🚀🌟 Look Up! 🚀🌟
Rocket Says Look Up! will inspire readers of all ages to dream big.

✍ 🎨 📚

3. 🛁 Ada’s Wash Day 🛁
Join Ada and Mama as they go through their weekly Sunday morning hair washing ritual.

✍ 🎨 📚

4. 🌞👦🏽 🎨 Radiant Child 🌞👦🏽 🎨
Jean-Michel Basquiat and his unique, collage-style paintings.

✍🎨 📚 Little, Brown Young Readers]

5. 🥘🎨Thank you, Omu!

Everyone in the neighborhood dreams of a taste of Omu's delicious stew!

✍🎨 📚 Little, Brown Young Readers]

6. 📖 🛹 ❤️ A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart 📖 🛹 ❤️

Summertime is filled with joy―skateboarding and playing basketball―until his community is deeply wounded by a police shooting.

✍ 🎨 📚

7. 🚀 Astro Girl 🚀

Astrid has always loved the stars and space. "I want to be an astronaut!" she says.

✍ 📚

8. 👧🏾Laxmi’s Mooch 👧🏾

Such a lovely and inspiring story about body hair, body positivity and acceptance.

✍ Shelly Anand 🎨 Nabi H. Ali 📚 Kokila

17/04/2022

Happy Easter from Little Big Stories 🐣!

Today we celebrate new life and new beginnings! 🌸 I hope you all have a wonderful day filled with joy, hope & love. 💕

08/04/2022

06/04/2022

A HUGE thanks to and Yishibah Baht Gavriel (the in house Book Reviewer) for such an absolutely wonderfully thoughtful and insightful review of Ada’s Wash Day. Ms Yishibah’s review really captures the essence and core message of the book, which is one of self love, acceptance and mother daughter bonding. 🙌🏽🙌🏽💕

“[Ada’s Wash Day] is as much as the instilling pride and confidence in our culture; as positively embracing of our African tight ‘cloud- curly hair’ and styles”.

I am delighted, humbled and proud 🥲.

Got your copy of Ada’s Wash Day yet? Head on over to the LINK IN BIO.

Want a signed copy? Send me a DM or email 😊

I will share more snippets of the review in my stories and the full review on my website tomorrow.

05/04/2022

I’m so proud of my publisher Daniella Blechner from Conscious Dreams Publishing who is making her very first appearance at the London Book Fair this year. 🙌🏽

Danni and countless other small independent publishers are pushing the boundaries, pushing for more diverse and inclusive stories to be told and amplifying unheard voices within the publishing industry. 💪🏽

I’m also so proud that my debut book, Ada’s Wash Day, was chosen to be presented at the Book Fair. (Bottom of the 3rd row on the right).

I can’t tell you how proud and happy I’m feeling today 🥲😊. Next year, I hope to be there in person to showcase my second book (due for publication in July 2022).

If you’re heading down to the London Book Fair, Danni is located at the Independent Publishers Book Stand at 6E70. Go say hi 👋

03/04/2022

Look at the joy on her face from receiving her copy of Ada’s Wash Day!

Thank you so much for your support! 🙌🏽

Got your copy of Ada’s Wash Day? Send me your feedback and add a review ❤️

02/04/2022

Today is International Children’s Book Day 📚

The main goal of this day is to celebrate children’s books and promote literacy in children to foster a love of reading.

One of the reasons I decided to publish Ada’s Wash Day is because I wanted my kids and other kids from a similar heritage and background to see themselves represented in children’s literature so that feel seen, heard & understood.

Have you got your copy or gifted a copy of Ada’s Wash Day yet?

02/04/2022

When we talk about afro hair discrimination we usually think this applies to experiences in non-Black countries only. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Hair discrimination is much closer to home than we think.

Societies are so focused on the way Black girls and boys present themselves than how they feel and think.

Black girls and boys are expected to look “put together”, “perfect”, “tidy”, “presentable”, and “non threatening”! These notions are then extended to the expectations on how they can and should wear their hear.

Certain hairstyles are deemed “ghetto”, “untidy”, “gang affiliated” and “extreme”. Resulting in children having their hair cut by teachers; kids facing expulsion for wearing their natural hair which is deemed to be contrary to school hair guidelines and negative thoughts and views about themselves and their hair.

Black girls and boys in schools are held to rigorous standards, which other ethnicities aren’t.

This puts so much pressure on young Black girls and boys, which to some extent erases their experiences of girlhood and boyhood and thrusts them into society as mini adults.

Black girls and boys should have the freedom to express themselves freely, to wear their natural hair with pride, and in whatever way they choose; to be silly; to be moody; to be soft and vulnerable; and to be fluid.

The way you wear your hair has NO bearing on your ability or your willingness to learn!

Every child deserves to feel that they belong, supported and included in schools and the wider community.

This is very close to my heart as a fellow Lucian 🇱🇨 which is why I am 100% behind this petition which was created by . Where are all my Lucians at!! 🇱🇨

SIGN the petition below to ‘Remove the Discriminatory Hair Policies From Schools in Saint Lucia’.

🔗 LINK IN STORIES
❤

01/04/2022

It’s been 4 months since I released Ada’s Wash Day 😁

Curious to see inside?

SWIPE through for a sneak peak 👀

30/03/2022

Ada’s Wash Day Read aloud with Stacey] premieres tomorrow!!

Subscribe to Stacey’s You Tube channel to watch and all her other fantastic Read Alouds.

Posted • Stacey] Do your kids like to take a bath? Has it become a special time between you and them?

Then this is the story for you! Follow along with Ada and her mom while Ada takes her weekly bath.

Some kids love baths and some don't. In this book, you can see why and how this time is so special between these two.

The story premieres tomorrow! 3/30 @ 8am CST!

Links in bio!

29/03/2022

What a wonderful discussion we had last night at the Afros, Curls & Books webinar.

We talked about the importance of feeling visible in literature, challenging discrimination at work and at school, and how to maintain our natural afro and curly-textured hair.

If you missed it, you can watch the replay on You Tube. LINK IN STORIES.

Let’s continue the conversation around hair and inspire and empower each other to show up as our unapologetic self and have the freedom to express ourselves through our hair, whichever way we choose 👸🏽🖤✊🏽👩🏽‍🦱

28/03/2022

🚨 Reminder!!

Going live tonight at 7pm BST / 8pm CEST tonight for an insightful & interesting view on Afros, Curls & Books with these lovely ladies tonight.

👉🏽Register for FREE via the LINK in my BIO.

26/03/2022

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone celebrating in the UK tomorrow. 💐

🤩Throwback to when Adalia & Gabriel acted in this amazing Rituals commercial for Mother’s Day 2019 🥰🥰

I’m so grateful that I get to look at this every year. It brings me such joy 😍😍🥰🥰

How did they do?
❤️

26/03/2022

🎙 Extra extra - read all about it! 🗞

Check out this awesome write up from Afro Magazine NL .magazine about Ada’s Wash Day and my journey as an author.

🤩Head on over to the link in bio to have a read. The language is in Dutch, but you can use Google translate to English 😊

For press enquires, you can send me a DM or email 📧

25/03/2022

Thanks for having me last night UK Black Writers Forum! It was a great interview and lots of fun!

If you missed the interview, you can catch the replay on page.

I dropped a couple of nuggets about what’s coming up next for me and Little Big Stories.

Check it out!

‼️

22/03/2022

✨JOIN US for this awesome informative & inspirational event, “Afros, Curls & Books” on Monday 28th March at 7pm GMT| 8pm CET.

We will be talking about the importance of feeling visible in literature, challenging discrimination at work and at school, and maintaining our natural afro and curly-textured hair.

Hosted by Natalya Afromuza , Founder of The Organic Afro Community: Natural Hair, Natural Self and Danni Blechner, Founder of Conscious Dreams Publishing come and join in the discussion.

Guest speakers include Conscious Dreams Publishing Authors

Sharnette Donacien (me) 😊 , Author of 'Ada's Wash Day', a beautiful book for children that teaches them the importance of enjoying a haircare regime and loving their hair.

Tiana-Rose Akoh-Arrey and Mummy, Dorothy Diamond 8-year-old author of 'My Afro: Twin Best Friends' a stunning book for children that celebrates diversity and embraces afro hair.

Sophia Mayers, Founder of Afro Impressions and author of 'Curly Kyla', an adorable children's book that champions curly and afro-textured hair.

Get your tickets TODAY! It's a FREE online event!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afros-curls-and-books-tickets-295084314127

❤️

20/03/2022

Can’t tell you how much this fills me with joy 😊 🥲

Seeing this beautiful little girl reading my book on her porch in St Lucia, my island, my home. It’s mind blowing for me 🤯

I hope this book inspires her to dream big and empowers her to love her hair and herself, just the way she is. ❤️

18/03/2022

🚨 UPDATE: I’ve updated the Eastern time to reflect daylight savings

Showering in self love! 💕

Join me and Iya Brown on IG LIVE for a powerful conversation about mother daughter bonding, empowering and inspiring our youth during Women’s Month.

Date: Sunday, 20 March 2022
Time: 11am Eastern/4pmCET

Looking forward to seeing you there!

11/03/2022

I want to be an author too mama! ❤️

That’s one of the first things that my kids told me after I published Ada’s Wash Day.

They were of course extremely proud of their mama, but they were mostly INSPIRED…

…Inspired by the idea that this was possible for them. Being a published author wasn’t this abstract thing anymore - it was now within reach!

I’m so glad to be able to inspire and empower my kids and other kids to believe that they can do it too!

You’ve got this. 🙌🏽

💪

03/03/2022

Yes, postive representation matters!! 🙌🏽

As part of World Book Day, I was invited by my old primary school, St Joseph’s Federation, to do a read aloud of my book, Ada’s Wash Day. This was a very special moment for me. 🤩

I know they loved the book as much as I loved sharing it 🥰

Whilst I was reading, I could see so many children smiling as they could relate to the book on so many levels.

“She looks like me!” “I also have hair like that!” “I also have to do that with my mummy every week!” “I also want to write books!”

I know just how important representation is for kids and I’m so pleased and proud that my book helped these kids to feel seen, heard, and understood. Let’s continue to empower children to love & appreciate themselves & their hair just the way it is- kinks & all 👸🏽

03/03/2022

🤩How it started…

Vs How it’s going now 🥱

Just finished a fantastic conversation with Kathleen of as part of her author series. We talked about the importance of inspiring and empowering young black girls and our publishing journey.

Thank you to Kathleen for amplifying me, my book, Ada’s Wash Day and other female black authors this week during .

Let’s continue to empower young girls to love their Crown just the way it is - kinks & all 👸🏽 💕

👉🏽SWIPE to see the before and after 😂🤣. The interview started at 1.00am CET (Amsterdam). So I am well and truly shattered now 🥱 Goodnight all!

If you missed it LIVE, I will share the replay tomorrow.

01/03/2022

✨Another wonderful upcoming conversation between three independently published Caribbean childrens book authors during the first ever .

Join me, Natasha & Marva tomorrow, 2nd March on Instagram LIVE at 8.00pm GMT/3.00pm ET.

We will talk about our publishing journey, our influences, promoting black girl magic and black boy joy, and how our Caribbean backgrounds have shaped our approach to children’s literature.

Looking forward to seeing you there 🤩
✨

28/02/2022

Join me and Kathleen Wainwright on 2nd March at 7pm EST/1am CET(3rd March) for this episode of BeYOU TV which celebrates during black history month 2022, and .

We will be discussing my book, Ada’s Wash Day and empowering young black girls, my publishing journey & more!

Looking forward to seeing you there 🙌🏽🙌🏽❤️❤️

27/02/2022

Thank you so much for the wonderful review! 💕

Posted • “Your hair is your crown. It’s what makes you, you. Unique and special.” -Ada’s mom

AD |👸🏽Ada and Mama go through their weekly Sunday morning hair washing routine. This amusing and charming story about grooming and self-acceptance perfectly captures and illustrates their special mother-daughter bond or relationship.

🛀🏽”Ada's Wash Day” beautifully demonstrates how Ada learns to appreciate the beauty of her hair by washing it with her Mother. The illustrations are enjoyable and vibrant, highlighting the steps of the process while including hilarious and relevant features.

❤️This book is adorable! It nails all of a tween's feelings - the Anxiety, the frustration, the quick 180 degree shift when screen time is involved, chaos, and so on - and it's all so relatable, especially the detangling!

💞Although, my favorite aspect of this story is the overall message of bonding and connecting. The most powerful way to bond with your child is often not through huge gestures and vacations, but through something as basic as washing their hair every Sunday and listening to them talk. In those quiet moments, you make lifetime memories, open up about certain topics.

🖊 Sharnette Donacien
🎨Shereen Said
📖Conscious Dreams Publishing

Many Thanks to for sharing this exciting read with me! This title is available for purchase through the Shop My Instagram link in my profile!🛍

26/02/2022

One more day to go until the beginning of the Omek Family Days.

✨Become a member and RSVP via the link in bio

24/02/2022

A happy little reader 🥰🥰 Check out her beautiful smile 😊

Fills my heart with such joy and pride hearing how much you guys are enjoying reading Ada’s Wash Day and how you can relate to it!

I LOVE IT!
❤

22/02/2022

Happy Independence Day to my country of birth & my spiritual home: Saint Lucia 🇱🇨 🙌🏽

As a little girl growing up in a small fishing village on a small Caribbean island, I loved reading books. I loved nothing more than curling up with a good book sitting next to a fan to get some respite from that midday sun.

Looking back, none of these books had any characters who looked like me, or captured the essence of where I was from. I never saw myself or my friends and family represented in those books. This conditioned how I saw myself and how I felt about how I fit into society.

Now that I’m a mother, and raising third culture kids (kids born and raised in a country other than their parents country of birth or nationality), it’s so important to me that my kids grow up feeling that they belong and that they grow up with a strong sense of their cultural identity and heritage, which isn’t prominent in the mainstream culture that they are currently part of.

That’s my biggest why for writing & publishing my books. It’s for my kids, and other kids, who at times don’t see themselves represented in children’s literature. I want to let them know that I see them and that they are special, unique & they are loved - just the way they are!

20/02/2022

Posted • Under the theme of Family, we’ve assembled an incredible lineup of online activities for our second Member Days:

SUNDAY, FEB 27

🏁 💕 Children's Book Reading: Ada's Wash Day
1:30 – 2:15pm CET
Join Ada and Mama as they go through their weekly Sunday morning hair washing ritual. This interactive session is designed for kids and their loved ones.

🏁 🌳 Under the Baobab: An Intergenerational Conversation
5 – 6:30pm CET
We are creating space to share the stories, memories, and values we have inherited — and what impact these have on us today.

🏁 🍿 Watch Party: Doubleblooded
8 – 9pm CET
Watch short a documentary which explores how biracial people find their place in between two identities, followed by a discussion which delves into identity and navigating frameworks around the world.


MONDAY, FEB 28

🏁⚡ NFTs and the Future of Community
1 – 2pm CET
Come to an introductory conversation about NFTs, Web3, and how they impact communities.

🏁 👋🏽 Omek Family Networking Session
6:30 — 8pm CET
After work hours, come meet your fellow community members during this session designed to connect you with like-minded people and members looking for collaborators. 

Become a member to RSVP
Link in bio ✨

19/02/2022

GOING LIVE in just under 2 hours with !

We will be talking all things publishing, my book journey, being a mum and following your dreams.

Hope to see you there.

17/02/2022

⚡️JOIN ME on INSTAGRAM LIVE with on 19th February at 11am EST/4pm GMT!

We’re going International, y’all!! From the Netherlands 🇳🇱 by way of St. Lucia 🇱🇨, Sharnette Doncien the Author of “Ada’s Wash Day” will be joining me this Saturday, February 19th for another amazing Live in our Authors Speak series!!

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14/02/2022

Fall in love with reading with your children this Valentine’s Day! 🥰💕

Reading is a great way to teach kids about self love, acceptance and being respectful & loving of others. 👌🏽

Ada’s Wash Day is a great story about the love between a mother and her daughter! Mama teaches Ada how to care for and love her hair - and herself- just the way she is! 💕

11/02/2022

🤩🤩🤩🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

Woke up to this 👆🏽👆🏽👆🏽

So excited and super proud to see our book doing so well in my home country 🙌🏽🙌🏽

Thank you all so much for your support! 💕 ❤️

If you’ve not yet got your copy, head to my link in bio to grab one for your little loved one, your local school, or your local library and spread the joy of reading, representation, and inclusion.

Check out the amazing reviews ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

10/02/2022

“Love as powerful as your mother’s for you leaves it own mark!” J K Rowling

Ada’s Wash day is a sweet story about the mother-daughter bond that is strengthened during their weekly hair washing ritual 💕

Share Ada’s Wash Day with your little loved one this Valentine’s Day!

Available to buy now on Amazon! Head to the link in my BIO! 🙌🏽

07/02/2022

Another happy reader! 💕

I love that kids can relate to Ada’s Wash Day!

Picked up your copy yet? Head to the link in BIO to grab your copy 🙌🏽

02/02/2022

As we celebrate black history month (in the US) this year, let’s remind ourselves to not only focus on history from a trauma perspective.

Let’s actively engage in reading books that teach us about Black history, culture, heritage, love & joy!

Here are just some of the books that we will be reading here at home this month.

Ada’s Wash Day by which focuses on mother-daughter bonding & self acceptance 💕

Osasu & the Great Wall of Benin focusing on untold histories 🤓

M is for Melanin a celebration of the black child 🥳

Mark loves Mangoes a story about sharing and being a good friend 🥭

All because you matter a wonderful ode filled with love & hope. My kids will be also be reading this at school this month! 💫

Africa: Amazing Africa by a wonderful colourful journey through each African country 🌍

What books will you be reading this month?