LOCAL author and teacher at the Lusignan Nursery School on the East Coast of Demerara, Tazena Joseph, has published three children’s books which she hopes will help to simplify learning.

Known for her first children’s story book titled, David Back to School After COVID, is once again in the spotlight, this time for publishing three children’s story books titled, My Wish To Explore Guyana, Life of Plants and Important People in My Community respectively.

With the world of learning rapidly changing, teachers like Tazena are coming up with more “out-of-the-box” ideas to ensure learners grasp the concept(s) of what is being taught in the classroom.

The 36-year-old stated that as an educator, she has a passion for making a better way for children in their learning environments.

Tazena noted that while the Minister of Education has provided a number of resources and initiatives to aid in creating conducive learning environments for children, the question ‘What more can I add to what is there already?’ lingers.

“So, because you want to build their listening skill, you want to build their language skills, you want them to be more interactive in the sessions that you’re carrying on…there’s actually where my writing comes in,” Tazena said.

The mother of four remarked that she has been an educator for more than 20 years; however, she has been utilising her skill in writing for around three or four years now.
Her three books, which were published online this year, were written in one month, and while all of them are special, she holds one closer to her heart. That book is My Wish To Explore Guyana, which was written based on her experience touring Guyana.

Reflecting, Tazena said her grandmother often shared many stories about her upbringing, and as a child she had always dreamed of experiencing her country. As she got older, she began to travel more, experiencing life in different regions and falling in love with nature. This, she said, was the drive for this particular story.

Tazena stated that My Wish To Explore Guyana can be used in the primary level, where pupils will be able to learn about Guyana’s administrative regions, different places and the different activities that happens in each.

Similarly, her other two books talk about things children can relate to. The Life of Plants tells children about the life of plants, where they come from, the different plant types, usefulness of plants. The other book is about the many people in the communities among other things.

The teacher said that writing has been a great experience for her.

She said that as fast as one idea comes, she would grab a pen and begin to write.

Tazena drew inspiration for her books from her son David, who is mentioned in each of the books, along with her love for children as an educator.

She encouraged parents to promote reading at home as this aids in developing the listening and language skills of children.
Because these are children’s story books, there are beautiful illustrations in each by Guyanese illustrator, Herchelle Pellew.

Tazena’s books are available on Amazon Kindle and can be found by searching for ‘Books by Tazena Joseph’.