Kamala and Maya's Big Idea

Kamala and Maya's Big Idea is a children's picture book written by Meena Harris and illustrated by Ana Ramírez González. The book was published in 2020 by Balzer + Bray and it was Harris' debut book as a children's author. The story is based on the childhood of Kamala and Maya Harris, the author's aunt and mother, respectively.

Kamala and Maya's Big Idea
AuthorMeena Harris
IllustratorAna Ramírez González
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's picture book
PublisherBalzer + Bray
Publication date
2020
Pages32
ISBN978-0-0630-1891-4

Plot

Kamala and Maya Harris live in an apartment building that has no place for them to play. The two girls decide one day to turn the empty courtyard into a playground. Since the adults do not want to help, and they lack money to buy materials, the sisters begin a campaign and recruit the other kids in the building to help them.

By hanging posters around and doing a garage sale, they manage to convince some of the adults to donate items for the playground, as well as acquire funds to buy any necessary material to build it up.

Background

Kamala and Maya's Big Idea's story is based on the lives of Harris' mother and aunt. In an interview to Business Insider, one of the reasons Harris decided to write the book and work as a children's author was so she could tell stories that were inspirational to her as she grew up. This included "these lessons around things like community organizing, around coalition building, around leaning on your community".[1]

Reception

The New York Times highlighted the book in a list called "8 Picture Books About Ordinary Kids' Everyday Activism".[2] Writing for SheKnows.com, Sabrina Weiss called it an "inspiring tale all on its own," and also noted how González' illustrations "are engaging for young readers."[3] The parenting website, Moms.com, mentioned some of the praise the book received from people such as Elizabeth Warren and Stacey Abrams, who called it "[a] must read for little girls around the world" and "[a]n inspiring tale", respectively.[4]

The book debuted #5 on the New York Times bestseller list.[5]

References
  1. Davis, Dominic-Madori. "Kamala Harris' niece wants to inspire the next generation of social activists". Business Insider. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  2. Krauss, Jennifer (20 September 2020). "8 Picture Books About Ordinary Kids' Everyday Activism". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  3. Weiss, Sabrina Rojas (11 August 2020). "VP Candidate Kamala Harris Is Also a Great Children's Book Heroine". SheKnows. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  4. Nuss-Warren, Dora (22 July 2020). "Kamala Harris Featured In Inspiring Children's Book For Black Girls". Moms. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  5. "Children's Picture Books - Best Sellers - Aug. 30, 2020". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
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