In a sea of modern-day children's books, it's not hard to notice the lack of diversity among the selections. The covers of books in the genre often depict children with lighter skin and tell stories from a white lens. This Haitian-owned publication company, VivLiv Books, is combatting the lack of diversity in the industry by publishing children's books that tell Caribbean stories and embrace Haiti's language, culture, and traditions.
Justine A. P. Louis, The Founder of VivLiv Books, says the inspiration for all of her children's books comes from Haitian culture, Caribbean scenery, and way of living. "Haiti is so full of beauty, art and is packed with rich history. My books also reflect my childhood memories and experiences growing up in Haiti. There are many elements in "Dalia Explores the Haitian Creole Alphabet" that I experienced as a child and continue to be exposed to daily. From Haiti's scenery, La Citadelle, eating foods like fritay and soup joumou, dancing konpa, you name it! All these cultural pieces are in this book." she shares.
Justine says the "lightbulb moment" for "Dalia Explores the Haitian Creole Alphabet" was teaching children like her 5-year-old daughter Talia about Haiti. Raising her own child to be bilingual, she wanted to write an age-appropriate book to teach her about her family's heritage through the alphabet. "Keeping my children and children in Haiti in mind or those who are of the Caribbean or Haitian descent motivates me to write stories." Justine expresses.
"I'm surrounded by elements that remind me of home daily. These reminders of Haiti and its culture are deeply engrained in me. They inspire me to share my heritage with others through children's books. Readers will discover the Haitian language, art, music, history, traditions, and foods through this little book." she explains.
Justine's work with VivLiv Books has been inspirational to Haitian diasporans looking to pass down Haitian values to young children. "As the diaspora is raising children here in the United States, my books can help them pass the Haitian culture down to their children and keep our beautiful heritage and language alive.
As they often say, books are mediums by which people can travel without even leaving their homes. Whether the parents or children of the diaspora have visited Haiti before, never been to Haiti, or plan to go in the future, my books can help them feel like they are on a journey and experience the culture in the meantime." Justine says.
Having gone through many challenges forming her publishing company, Justine gives advice to budding authors. "Tap into your uniqueness. I believe that every author has something distinctive to share with their target audience and their own unique experiences to bring to the table. Authors should find that one thing that makes them stand out from the crowd and develop it further through writing." she advises.
