Jana's Bright;y Coloured Socks by Sally Fetouh illustrated by Alexis Schnitger #Extract

 

 

Jana's Brightly Coloured Socks is a lovely picture book for 4 - 8 years. Written by Sally Fetouh and illustrated by Alexis Schnitger, it was published on May 19th. I have an extract for you today but first, a little about the book.
 

Cheerful text and whimsical illustrations bring alive this heart-warming story of kindness and inclusion featuring a character with Down syndrome.

When young Jana receives heaps of beautiful socks from her parents after learning how to put on socks all by herself, she can’t wait to show her friends at school. They are always kind and patient with Jana when they play together. Jana decides to share a pair of her new socks with each and every friend. This calls for a school sock parade! All of the children had so much fun showing off their colourful socks together that they gave a very special and huge gift for their kind and generous friend, Jana, a box of more socks!

Author Sally Fetouh was inspired to write this touching story by her own daughter who has Down syndrome, feeling it was important for her and other children like her to be able to see themselves in literature. Two years ago, after reading a different story about a girl with Down syndrome to her daughter’s preschool class, Sally says, “The children were so engaged in the story and asked questions. They were very accepting and loving of their friend—my daughter. I left with a heart overflowing with emotion and that inspired me to write my story.”

Extract - Introduction 

 

‘Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks’ is a story about a young girl, Jana, who has just learned how to wear her socks all by herself. Jana also happens to have Down syndrome, although this is not mentioned in the story anywhere. To celebrate this new achievement, her parents buy her loads of brightly coloured socks. She wears them everywhere she goes, and when she shows her favourite pair to her friends at school, everyone wants a pair too. Jana gets an idea of sharing a pair with one of her friends every day until she has none left. This calls for a sock parade at school, that culminates with a beautiful surprise of a big box filled with balloons and socks just for Jana, gifted to her by her school friends. The message at the end in the midst of the carnival-like atmosphere is that it is okay to be different because that is what makes the world a fun and fantastic place to be. The story is accompanied by beautiful watercolour illustrations. It celebrates friendship, differences, inclusivity, acceptance, and kindness, all emphasising the importance of having a sense of fun.

 

 

About the Author

Writing is very much a part of who author Sally Fetouh is as a human being. As a child, writing was a way for her to express herself and all of the stories and ideas she had in her head. Now, as an adult, she has been inspired to write a beautiful story of kindness and friendship, Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks, a heart-warming picture book loosely based on her daughter who has Down syndrome.

It was important to Sally that her daughter and other children like her were able to see themselves represented in literature. The idea came to Sally when she visited her daughter’s preschool to read a story about a girl with Down syndrome. The loving, accepting, and inquisitive responses from her daughter’s classmates inspired her to write a story reflecting these caring friendships.

Sally believes a great book is one that has impactful characters and a story that provides a new experience or perspective to the reader that stays with them long after the book is closed. She hopes that her young readers with disabilities or those who are different in some way will be able to relate to the main character and see a little bit of themselves, while also aiming for other readers to gain insight into the world of Down syndrome and the importance and impact of kindness and friendship.

When she isn’t writing thought-provoking children’s books, Sally works as a lawyer and a photographer. She enjoys being in nature, hiking, and horse riding. She lives with her family in Sydney, Australia. Jana’s Brightly Coloured Socks is her debut picture book.

You can follow Sally here: Instagram  |  Facebook 

                                       |  Goodreads

Book links: www.sallyfetouh.com   |  Amazon UK

Thanks to Sally Fetouh and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources  for the extract and a place on the event.