Seven-year-old Sofia Livimi Swu released her first book, entitled “My Adventure in Fairyland”, at The Heritage, Old DC Bungalow in Kohima on Wednesday.
Giving a brief outline of her book, the author said, “The book is about my experience in fairyland where I met four little fairies, who also became my friends.” They also let her explore the magical world where she had the most exciting journey, Sofia added.
Gracing the book launch was Commissioner & Secretary to the Governor of Nagaland, T Mhabemo Yanthan. While congratulating the author, Mhabemo said that the two takeaways were that the mentoring and tutoring of a child after understanding her capability results in things such as a seven-year-old child authoring a book.
Proprietor of Bumblebee Inclusive School, Kohima, Kopele Tepa remarked that “Sofia is a very determined, assertive and imaginative child”. The first time she got to read part of Sofia’s story was last year, when the school gave out an assignment to every student in her class to write a story and she brought ‘this beautifully illustrated copy of her story’, she added.
The author’s mother, Shekali Swu, said she and her husband had noticed their daughter’s keen interest in painting pictures and scribbling with colour pencils right from her toddler years.
Shekali said that since she and her husband were both book lovers, they wanted their daughter to develop the habit of reading from an early age. “We often buy books for her whenever we can and we try to keep books at home accessible so that is easy for her to read whenever she wants to,” she added.
After joining Bumblebee Inclusive School, Kohima from pre-school, Sophie started taking phonics class. “This helped her to read on her own very early and to our amazement, her reading skills improved very rapidly and she was able to read independently,” said the mother.
Once she was able to read on her own, reading became something very interesting and enjoyable for her and by the age of 6 she started writing her first story by rewriting “Little Red Riding Hood” in her own words and illustrating it. So far, she has written six fairy tales in her own words and has also illustrated it and this is how her journey in writing began, she shared.
Publisher of PenThrill Publication House, Vishü Rita Krocha said, “I am thinking of how she is going to make history with her debut book ‘My Adventure in Fairyland’. Sofia Livimi Swu is among the rare breed of child authors who has not only discovered the innate gift of writing and drawing, but also put them together in the form of a book for all of us to indulge in.”
“I hope Sofia’s book will travel a long distance and reach the homes of children who are yearning to read and listen to stories,” she added.
(Page News Service)
