The public is invited to celebrate the launch of Soualikids, a new children’s book series produced by the Les Fruits de Mer association! The free launch event will take place from 9am to noon this Saturday, October 21st at Amuseum Naturalis in French Quarter. The first two books in the series, Soualikids Island and Soualkids Island Coloring Book, spotlight St. Martin animals. These two books will be given away for free at the event, which will feature a coloring station. The author and photographer will be present for book signing.
The Les Fruits de Mer association developed the new Soualikids series based on requests from St. Martin educators and parents, asking for materials about this island for toddlers and pre-school age kids. Each book in the series is a quadrilingual word book, in four of the many languages spoken here: English, French, Spanish and Dutch. The goal of the series is to showcase St. Martin nature, culture, and heritage, to help little kids build early word skills about the special place where they live.
“We named the series ‘Soualikids’ because it was created for the kids of St. Martin, and Soualiga is one of the Amerindian names for this island,” explained author Jenn Yerkes. “The nature books in this series are designed in pairs. Each pair includes a first book with gorgeous color photos of local wildlife, and a second companion book with fun coloring pages of the wildlife. We’re so excited to launch the first pair of books, which star awesome animals that kids can see right here on their island!”
Soualikids Island is a full-color “look and learn” picture book, bursting with vivid photos of incredible St. Martin animals. The companion Soualikids Island Coloring Book is a “color and learn” book with two fun coloring pages for each of the animals. It also has a visual guide on the back cover with bright photos of all the featured animals. Both books include animal names in all four languages.
“When grownups and older kids share these books with little kids, it helps them build their vocabulary and discover the amazing nature on their own island!” said Mark Yokoyama, co-founder of the Les Fruits de Mer association. “We’ll be giving free printed copies of both of these books to local preschools as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s 2023 book giveaway program. We’re also planning future Soualikids books that focus on St. Martin art and culture, and soon we’ll be rolling out more nature editions about local birds and creatures, too!”
The free launch event and book giveaway will be held at Amuseum Naturalis on Saturday, Saturday, October 21st from 9am to noon. Amuseum Naturalis is a free museum of nature and heritage located in French Quarter, St. Martin. It is open every day from sunrise to sunset.
Both new books are also available as free downloads from http://lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at [email protected]. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.
Les Fruits de Mer’s 2023 book giveaway program is supported by the Politique de la ville de Saint-Martin, implemented by the State and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin. Soualikids Island and Soualikids Island Coloring Book were produced with support from the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and the Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires.
