Mauritius, with its picturesque beaches and lush greenery, is a true paradise that offers a perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. After a long journey, I finally arrived home to this stunning island and felt a sense of peace and contentment that I had been yearning for.
After weeks in the Far East, hospital visits and all, I felt like a traveller in a desert, dying of thirst and utterly homesick. Finally, the day arrived when my treating doctor told me I could go home. At two in the morning, we left for the airport in a limousine we’d booked in advance. We waited three hours in transit to catch another flight to the next airport and then another six hours before finally catching our flight home. Exhausted, I slept like a log on the six and a half-hour flight.
The pilot announced we’d arrived before time but we had to wait for two other flights to land before we could start descending. He took us on a short flight around the island and I’d never seen such magnificent sights in my life. Coupled with my desire to escape the industrialised and materialistic world, I fell in love again with the unique transcendental beauty of my island, Mauritius.
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
My cherished debut children’s book was published by the renowned British publisher Austin Macaulay in 2019.
In the same year the COVID-19 pandemic sent shock waves through the world economy and triggered the largest global economic crisis in more than a century. The crisis led to a dramatic increase in inequality within and across countries.
The sale of the book that had just started, slowed down and halted dramatically.
Deep inside I knew how very important it was to pass on the message in the book to all the children in the world.
On 14 Décembre I learned that Edge of Humanity Magazine had featured The Princess and the Crow in their last issue of 2024.
I’m extremely grateful to Joelcy Kay American Brazilian Editor/Curator of “Edge of Humanity Magazine” in Florida #USA for featuring my book for children in their esteemed magazine.
At this time of the year, we are all looking for children’s books to buy for our own kids and to offer to children whose parents can’t afford to pay for an illustrated children’s book for their children.
It’s a blessing, I feel that the book is now available for an unlimited number of children.
Anita Bacha 