Cosmic Cats: A World First for World Book Day? Connecting children across continents. Purrrfectly Pawsome

Cosmic Cats: A World First ? Charming feature on BBC South Today covering the school’s launch .

Click on the link below to see it.

Here’s how you buy a copy

Cosmic Cats brings together stories written by children in my village and in Mumias. Reading and telling stories, creates empathy and understanding. New residents of Kennington may not realise that for fifty years, through KOA, Kennington was the only village in the UK, possibly in the world, which fundraised every year for overseas projects. It was done through events that villagers loved, like the fete, fun run, pop -up shop and children’s concert. Well here’s another FIRST for our village. St Swithun’s CE Primary School and Mumias Primary School in west Kenya have come together to produce this anthology of stories written by pupils. St Swithun’s CofE Primary School, Kennington (Oxon) and the Nasio Trust are proud to announce the launch of ‘Cosmic Cats’, an anthology of stories written by children from Kennington, Oxfordshire and Mumias, Kenya. The book celebrates the collaboration between the two communities to help set-up the first community library in the west Kenya district of Mumias/Musanda.

Cosmic Cats was launched at St Swithun’s School on the 6^th of March, 2024 and included a virtual interaction with the children from Kenya. The internationally loved children’s illustrator Korky Paul gave a presentation and well known children’s author, Julia Golding, thanked the authors individually. The public launch and book sales will be from 11-12 am on 9^th of March in Kennington Village Centre.OX15PG.

Winnie’s cat ,Wilbur, has endorsed Cosmic Cats as Purrrr-fectly pawsome!

Cosmic Cats Nasio Trust: Feature on BBC South Today

The library will be built by the Nasio Trust led by, Nancy Mudenyo Hunt, the co-author of Not so Black and White .Cosmic Cats will be the first book to be put on display in the Musanda library when it opens in 2025. This has been possible thanks to our long term association with the Nasio Trust. In Musanda, there is a spirulina factory built thanks to KOA. St Swithun’s School took part in the Spirulina Cookbook too. All proceeds from sales £8 will go towards the Nasio library. Cosmic Cats will be the first book in the library so the children will know their library, like Kennington library, welcomes them.

Feel the force of fifty children’s voices. Recognise the bravery of turning an empty page into a living story and celebrate how art and story-telling brings together young people who live continents apart. Cosmic Cats connects Mumias Township Primary School (Kenya) and St Swithuns CofE Primary School (England).

Aged seven, I discovered libraries and a love of reading and writing but the idea that a working-class girl from Luton could become an author was as crazy as eating the straw boater with which my birthplace was associated. Middle class parents can afford to buy books for their children. Lack of access to books for children without them, is a handicap for upward mobility. That is why I asked the illustrator Korky Paul to lead our 400 yard Pied Procession to save our library from closure and it changed the leader of the County Councils mind. Our library is still open and supported by the County Council but it is a community library so the Friends( FOKL) have to raise £4,000 per annum to keep it open. Please support your library . You may not need it but lots of people young and old do.