“Seven-year-old Alicia Parker, a fearless tomboy, is adventurous, mischievous, and daring. She learns from her grandmother, Lucy, that an evil spirit possesses the Chinese apple tree in her backyard. Alicia, full of childish eagerness and self-confidence, decides to challenge the tree spirit dreaded by all, and a fierce battle ensues between the two… Polly, the two-faced governess of Alicia, cuts her foot while she is crossing a river. She cries in anger and pain that it is a curse… The Adventures of Alicia Parker take you to unexpected, humorous, and magical spaces. Adults and children emerge as the protagonists, laying bare their hidden aspirations and vulnerabilities” – Austin Macauley Publishers, London.
After many postpones, eventually and happily
My illustrated #childrenstory #book will be launched on WEDNESDAY 15 JULY at Hennessy Park 🏨 Mauritius @ Anita Bacha
Front Cover Picture of the book At the London Book Fair 2026 with the Krsna,the proof reader
The damp cavern air smelled of ink and ancient magic.Kimora held her gold lantern high, searching for lost lore. “…come closer…” An enchanted whisper bypassed her ears, wrapping around her mind like warm silk. Her lantern fell and fragmented as she stepped forward, mesmerized. Out of the black ink stepped the villain, his eyes burning like red embers. He didn’t speak aloud. He merely smiled as the hushed magic flooded Kimora’s thoughts, offering her absolute power. Kimora fell to her knees, entirely under the spell.
Kimora gazes at the celestial cascade through the mist of time, Thunder rolls through the nocturnal tempest sky, As the horizon dissolves into the mystery, Of the eighth sea of silver tides Where every wave cries tears of blue pearls
The Adventures of Alicia Parker take you to unexpected,humorous, magical spaces. Adults and children emerge as the protagonists, laying bare their hidden aspirations and vulnerabilities.
The Adventures of Alicia Parker is my latest illustrated children’s book. It’s edited,published by Austin Macauley Publishers and recently released on 30 January 2026.
It dawned upon me to write yet another book for children when I met the best selling author of The Ark of Noah , Irving Finkel in person ,at the British Library in 2019.The unexpected event happened against the backdrop of the Zee Jaipur Literary Festival.
We talked about books. Finally, he left me with these memorable words of wisdom and inspiration-
Writing is one of the miraculous achievements of the world.The best thing that you can do is to write children’s books.
I had already written and published three books for children. I toyed with the idea of writing a fourth one halfheartedly. I was aware of the complexity of the market and the competition in the field of books for children. Thousands of books for kids were written,published and released every day of the year.
It was a risky choice.
Stories about pet animals, fairies and extraterrestrial beings were too common, my new story should be unique and exclusive, I concluded.
I put my pen on paper and started to write the story of a tomboy who was no one else but me! Adventurous, fearless, daring…
All children are endowed with some kind of special gift, imagination, intuition, foresight or premonition. They rarely talk about it or they are not allowed to speak about it. The least they can do is to read about it.
Even more, children who read early tend to achieve higher academic proficiency and better comprehension later in school.Simultaneously exposure to words from birth builds neural pathways, expands vocabulary, and improves comprehension skills.
The only way to get children to read books,specially in my native country, Mauritius, is to add some salt and pepper to my tales.
Happy Reading, Everyone!
The Adventures of Alicia Parker is available for purchase in #paperback #audio and #kindle
Green Grinch steals the sweets Who pudding and sugarplums Small heart wants the treats
Anita Bacha
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children’s Christmas book by Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a cranky, solitary creature who attempts to thwart the public’s Christmas plans by stealing Christmas gifts and decorations from the homes of the nearby town of Whoville on Christmas Eve. As a result of the townspeople’s response, the Grinch realizes that Christmas is not all about money and presents.
I am one of the lucky ones who has read this absorbing #storybook published in 1957 when my dad well aware of my love for books Offered me‘How the Grinch stole #Christmas by #Dr Seuss for my birthday.
I remember with pride and nostalgia the subtle ways of my parents to encourage me and my siblings to read and write.
Christmas is not all about glitter,money and presents.
Story book by Dr.Seuss Image of Grinch cc Pinterest
Dear friends and readers, this poem is a revised and edited version of my original poem White Flowers in the Night. I was inspired by the prompt word vespertine to rewrite the original poem.
Vespertine is a poetic term for being active in the evening, or a flower that blooms in the evening. So, I’d guess the jasmine flowers that bloom in the night and are renowned for their rich,sweet,floral and musky aroma would be the perfect theme of my poem .
It’s also interesting to note that in India, the glam jasmine is known as Raat ke Rani (the Queen of the Night) .
Anita Bacha 