Soso and the Kako Leaf by Bella Disu

Soso and The Kako Leaf by Bella Disu just had its one year book birthday! It was published on June 19, 2022 so Happy Birthday! This is a wonderful childrens book and I have a special interview with the author to share with you! Thank to iReadBookTours for including me on this tour and don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post!

 

About the Book:

Follow the life of young Soso as she encounters mysteries and unearths traditions that have existed long before she was born.Be part of her adventures as she gains confidence, self-esteem, and an understanding of her deep cultural heritage.

Author Interview:

Bella: I am Bella Disu, a business executive with a career spanning almost two decades. I am also a storyteller and a mother to two wonderful children. Storytelling has been part of my identity for as long as I can remember. I was that cousin, sister, and aunt who always shared the wildest tales. As I grew older, I found my comfort zone not just in verbal storytelling but also in writing. Writing feels natural, whether it is picking up a pen and paper or typing on my phone, as it often is these days. Writing allows me to express myself easily—from the flow of ideas to refinement, and this passion gave me the launchpad for crafting my original story.

What inspired you to write Soso and the Kako Leaf? How did this story come to life?

The journey to Soso and the Kako Leaf started in 2015 when my son was in kindergarten. He attended a diverse school where Nigerians were a minority, and they often had sessions during which parents read books to classes. I saw it as an opportunity to read a book representing Nigerian culture—not just another popular Western tale like Polly Pocket or The Gruffalo. So, I scoured various Lagos bookstores, searching for the culturally rich folktales I grew up reading. I was looking for the folktales I'd heard on 'Tales by Moonlight' and Jimi Solanke's 'Storyland'. I wanted engaging and illustrated books for today's children, but I couldn't find any.

Then, I remembered my favourite folktale from my childhood—How the Tortoise Broke His Back—and I decided to rewrite it. As I wrote, I thought of all the ways I could make it appealing to children between the ages of four and eight. Finally, I decided to go all out. With the help of a talented illustrator, I created a book that I read to my son's class. The response was overwhelming—people wanted to know where to buy this book, and they complimented my knack for storytelling.

Their positive feedback planted a seed in my mind and inspired me to do more with my talent. Fast forward to today; I have done it! I have written and published my own story.

Question: Can you describe the main character of Soso and the Kako Leaf, and what she represents? 

Soso represents a modern, quintessential nine-year-old girl. She is adventurous and inquisitive. On the cusp of her preteen years, she is developing more awareness of her body and is a bit insecure about her parents. This story explores how Soso navigates her insecurities and, in the process, finds inner strength. Through Soso's character, readers are gently nudged to realise their uniqueness. In essence, this book represents Soso coming of age. 

How do you think Soso and the Kako Leaf helps children connect with their cultural roots and embrace their unique identity? 

Right from the cover, vibrant illustrations capture attention and reflect my deliberate choice to represent Nigerian culture. You will find traditional attires and accessories depicted on the pages. These outfits aren't random; they showcase a robust cultural identity—particularly my Yoruba and Efik heritage. Throughout the pages, the cultural elements are vivid, almost palpable, to evoke cultural pride and help children to embrace our heritage.

This was especially important because when I was growing up, many of us learned Nigerian languages at home but avoided speaking them publicly. After all, some schools tagged our local languages as "vernacular". Thankfully, we've grown to see that Nigeria has a deep and wide linguistic heritage, and we should proudly speak our languages and embrace all aspects of our culture. 

Personally, I encourage my son to wear his agbada and my daughter to flaunt her Efik attire on cultural days, fostering a sense of pride in their roots. My book, Soso and the Kako Leaf, seeks to instil this connection to our heritage in every child. And it's not exclusive to Nigerians. Any child from any tribe or culture can relate to it. My goal is to inspire them to seek out, embrace, and display the richness of their own cultural identity.

How did you tell your illustrator to create the characters and bring Soso’s world to life? 

That's a good question. I confess that there's a strong personal bias to this aspect. The two main characters in this book are visually based on my children; a conscious choice made possible through my collaboration with the talented illustrator Awele Emili. Writing the story was not challenging; my mind thrives in colour and imagination. So, once the narrative was ready, the next step was to bring these characters to life with Awele. We began our work with my children's physical characteristics as our foundation.

The illustrations took time, not due to lack of talent or momentum, but because quality work demands patience. We wanted to craft an immersive experience for children who read the book. We wanted them to step into the world so tangibly that they could imagine themselves in the traditional costumes and even desire to see the story in other forms. So, we plan to carry on to animation, merchandising, and other forms that help children engage in Soso's world. For me, illustrating as profoundly as we did was my way of opening up the world of possibilities Soso will experience and creating an adventure for our readers.

So, Mrs Disu, as everyone knows, is a multitasker. You are a baker, an executive and now an author. What is your interesting writing quirk, and what instigates your writing moments? 

I love writing; it's how I express myself most authentically, freely, and passionately. However, my busy schedule requires me to designate specific time slots for writing. During that time, I draw inspiration from my mind, my greatest source. Honestly, I'm thankful that I have a natural knack for storytelling. 

My quirk is that I'm deliberate about not limiting my creativity. So, if a thought strikes me, I write or type it immediately, and if it seems promising, I nurture it. I also consciously separate ideation from editing. So, when my mind is at its most creative, I just pour out my ideas without trying to refine them. Afterwards, I streamline them. This approach allows my creativity to surge without hindrance, which, I believe, forms the essence of my storytelling.

Were there any moments or conversations with your children that inspired certain parts of the book? 

Oh, definitely. Soso is my daughter's nickname, and another character in the book, Jaiye, is named after my son. They knew Mommy was writing a story, but they didn't read it while I wrote. I wanted it to be a big reveal to them, but I also wanted them to be involved in my process. I took little cues from them because I was determined to truly create the book for its audience. So, I'd ask them along the way, "What do you think? If you know there's a magical world underneath the ground, how does that seem?" My children would say, "Mommy, that's so cool. That would be so amazing." 

Indeed, my children were the inspiration behind the characters. In the book, Jaiye represents a loyal figure of strength. He helps Soso out, validates her, and gives her a sense of belonging. That's very congruent with who my son is in his everyday life. When I wrote the book, my daughter was younger and still trying to navigate her identity. She often asked me questions about her skin colour, wanting to know why we are different complexions. So, it was important to me to represent things like identity and skin. 

There's a portion of the book that talks about Soso finding a birthmark and being insecure about it without knowing it is her linkage to another world. That was me paying homage to my younger sister, who grew up dealing with psoriasis and was very self-conscious. She'd wear long socks to school in Lagos's sweltering 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Other kids sometimes teased and bullied her, saying, "Why are you wearing long socks?" 

So, Soso's discovery that she can celebrate and own her birthmark as unique and individual to her is a powerful message I want to convey. We are all unique individuals in our own ways; we have attributes that make us different, and we should embrace them for what they are. I think it helps—not just for my target audience but also the moms and parents or dads who will read the book to their children—to know that we all have that one thing we can celebrate for the uniqueness it brings us.

How do you envision contributing to conversations around diversity and representation in children's literature? 

For a long time, what was missing for me was getting my children to turn on the TV or open a book and see representative richly told stories that were equally richly illustrated. It is very important to me that Nigerian children see a strong representation of our culture in books. I want them to open storybooks and see children who look just like them and parents who look just like theirs. 

I think that Soso and the Kako Leaf is doing a great job of contributing to that conversation and opening that world up. This is what the standard of representation of our cultural heritage through folktales, stories, and images should be. So, anybody seeing this book will see our cultural diversity or at least a tip of the diversity and wealth of Nigerian cultures. 

I don't know how easy it is to get children of today to pick up a book and read. Are you thinking of adapting this into a movie or a TV series? 

Most certainly. Still, permit me to use a cliché: readers are leaders. Children must read because reading or being read to opens up one's mind. It spurs creativity, improves thinking, and helps you learn new words. I think that will always be important. 

Of course, as I mentioned, the illustrations are vibrant because I wanted an almost palpable experience reading and flipping through the pages. So, in the near future, expect more from Soso's world. It's an adventure, and we will see her navigate life as she grows. There will be an animation, a series, and hopefully a movie. My answer is a resounding yes to your question. Soso's world is just opening up, and this book is the launchpad into a world of many more books and animations to come. 

Review:

The first thing I noticed about this book was the size. It is a large book, perfect for holding and reading. The second thing I noticed as soon as I opened the book were the beautiful pictures. They show characters dressed as warriors and would be a great way to help someone learn a little about the Nigerian culture. I absolutely loved the background Bella provided in her interview about the inspiration for the book and how the illustrations are based on her children. I would love to see her read this to her children and their expressions as they recognized themselves. Soso is turning 9 years old in the book and takes a fun journey to a far away place. The story was captivating and would be a joy to read with anyone!

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This book is available for special purchases in bulk by organizations and institutions, not for resale, at special discounts. Please email all inquiries to The Good Work Company.

Meet the Author:

Bella Disu is a mother of two wonderful children. She is an enthusiastic lover of art as well as an avid reader. From a young age, she has been enamoured with rich cultural folktales. Now, she channels her love for art and her passion for reading into writing stories. Her stories use new forms to pass on the tales she heard growing up to the next generation.

Bella is also a renowned business leader who is committed to corporate governance and business innovation. In December 2019, she became the youngest ever recipient of the French National Honor - Chevalier dans L'ordre des Arts et des Lettres in recognition of her efforts at promoting French culture in Nigeria.

She is married and lives in Lagos, Nigeria, with her family.

connect with the author: website ~ twitter ~ instagram

Enter the Giveaway:

SOSO AND THE KAKO LEAF Book Tour Giveaway