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Q&A: Uju Asika / A World for Me and You

A World for Me and You is an uplifting picture book about the diversity in our world, perfect for starting conversations with little ones…

A World for Me and You is an uplifting picture book about the diversity in our world, perfect for starting conversations with little ones about inclusion, acceptance and kindness.

Have you ever heard it said that ‘life would be extremely boring if everyone were the same‘? Written by the author of Bringing up Race, this book encourages readers to imagine a world where everyone looks identical, where all food tastes the same, and where we all speak the same language. A world that is pretty boring.

But with an explosion of colour, the pages soon come to life. This joyful book encourages children to imagine the world as a vast library, with room on the shelves for everybody’s story. It is a celebration of our incredibly diverse world as it really is: home to 195 countries with thousands of different cultures, 10 million colours and 4,300 religions. A World For Me and You celebrates the beauty and joy of living in a wonderfully diverse world.

You can order A World for Me and You online from Amazon or Bookshop.

Author Uju Asika stopped by our blog this week to answer questions about the book…

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Q&A

with Uju Asika, author of A World for Me and You

Can you tell us how the book came about?

When my first book, Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World, was about to be published by Yellow Kite (Hachette UK), an editor at Hachette Children’s Group reached out to see if I had any interest in writing a children’s book. Of course, I cried, excited to fulfil a childhood dream. They were looking to publish something around similar themes to my book e.g. diversity, kindness and anti-racism, so it seemed like an ideal collaboration. They invited me to pitch a few concepts to them, so I came up with a mix of ideas. My vision of a world without any colour or variety, contrasted with our wonderfully diverse world, really caught their imagination. I actually started writing the story on a car ride, sitting next to my husband and scribbling in my notebook. The first draft was in rhyme and I think you can still hear a lot of lyricism in the text.

What’s your hope for the book now it is out in the world?

I hope it travels around the globe. I hope it finds a home in children’s libraries, bedroom bookshelves, and school reading lists in places I haven’t even dreamt about. I hope it helps more kids feel seen and welcome, no matter where they are. I hope it sparks joy and invites questions and spreads a little more kindness. We need more kindness in these divisive times.

How can the book be used by schools to start conversations about diversity?

I want my books to start conversations, and several educators have told me that A World for Me and You is an excellent resource. It offers a simple and accessible way to talk to even the littlest children about differences in skin colour, hair texture, foods, languages, names, family structures etc. Specifically, I wanted to show parents and educators who might feel hesitant that it’s okay and really natural to ‘see colour’ — in other words, to notice and appreciate racial and ethnic diversity. When we talk to young kids openly and positively about identity and belonging, we start to normalise it. Then it becomes a little easier to have more layered discussions as they grow.

How did you work with illustrator Jennie Poh to bring your words to life?

Honestly, I just sat back and watched the magic happen. Working with Jennie turned into one of the most emotional experiences of my writing career. Seriously, I cried happy tears every time they sent me a draft of what she’d illustrated. The publisher handpicked Jennie and she was the perfect choice, not only because of her amazing talent, but because we share a similar background. We both spent part of our childhoods overseas and we’ve both felt like fish out of water in the countries we call home. So Jennie really connected to the text and her illustrations fully captured the world I was creating in my head.

What’s your favourite page from the book and why?

It’s so hard to pick! I love the first colour spread, partly because that’s the first one I saw, and I was so excited to see the characters based on me and a composite of my two sons

. I’m also really fond of the page that shows a character saying her name with her ‘whole chest’! Jennie got that visual spot on.

Why do you think it is important for books like A World for Me and You to reach children in today’s world?

Our planet is in an existential crisis and one of the main challenges we face is how to get along as fellow humans. The future belongs to our little ones and we need to teach them how to be kind, how to be fair, how to be inclusive, and how to work together. Picture books are a great way to spread these important messages without preaching at them! A World for Me And You is also about creating a space where more kids can feel part of the story, because there are too many children who have been left out for too long.

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You can order A World for Me and You online from Amazon or Bookshop.

Many thanks to Uju for swinging by! For more about the book, check out the other stops on the blog tour.

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Where next?
> Visit our Reading for Pleasure Hub

> Browse our Topic Booklists

> View our printable year group booklists.

> See our Books of the Month.

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