AT eight-years-old, Anaya Lee Willabus, born to Guyanese parents, has stunned the literary industry by publishing her first book, titled, ‘The Day Mohan Found his Confidence’. Over 500 copies of the book were presented to the Ministry of Education yesterday in the presence of Education Minister, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and media operatives.

The idea behind this presentation is to channel the books to primary school students so as to encourage them to read as it will ultimately aid in stimulating Guyana’s literacy arena.
The 45-page book takes readers through the life of a Guyanese boy who dwells in the United States and is faced with domestic challenges that hinder his studies. Using the world of realistic fiction to tell a story, the book captures the family life theme while focusing on the urge to excel academically.
While receiving a copy of the book, Dr. Roopnaraine’s facial expression underscored how impressed he was with the achievement of the eight-year-old.
During an interactive session with media operatives, Anaya said she was always interested in reading various genres of books as she would normally challenge herself to read above her age level. The young author said she was thrilled by the traditional way Guyanese celebrate Easter after a visit last year. It was then she decided to pen her very first book.
A proud Rajmatie Willabus, mother of Anaya, said she worked step by step with her daughter to ensure her goal was attained. She said Anaya was immensely committed towards the book and dedicated time towards penning the book everyday for a year.

Anaya said that she is fortunate as “an eight-year-old to have an opportunity like this,” and credited her family’s support in assisting her in realising her dream, since many children are not so favoured.
The book was first published in May 2015 in Brooklyn, New York and has been sold to over 2,000 persons in approximately two months. The majority of the funds from the book is being channeled to charity.
The young author is now on a world tour to promote her book and enlighten children like herself of the necessity of literacy in today’s society.

By Shivanie Sugrim