A book that harks back to her childhood
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Darshani Abeyrathna
Darshani Abeyrathna’s debut children’s book “Go catch a star” published in December of 2021 by S. Godage & Brothers (Pvt) Ltd., illustrated by Erandathie Damunupola was nominated under the best children’s literature books category in the recent State Literary Awards 2022.
“As a teacher I know how hard it is to learn the language and I have seen how some students are afraid to learn the language because they are afraid of making mistakes,” Darshani says adding that teaching English through stories makes it easier for children to grasp the language.
“It was with this reasoning in mind that ‘Go catch a star’ features many elements from the environment and nature in its story,” she says. Darshani highlighted the importance of establishing a connection between the protagonist Batithi and her grandparents, hoping that young readers will learn to value family relationships and show respect to their elders.
Darshani recalls how during her schooldays she would take part in writing competitions at the encouragement of her teachers. She went on to develop her skills while at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura as a writer for the University’s official media grid, J’pura Flames. A former journalist, Darshani currently works as an English Language lecturer at the University of Colombo. Her other love is teaching.
“To catch a star” follows the life of Batithi, a young girl living with her loving grandparents in a rural village fringed by lush nature. Darshani drew on her own upbringing living with her grandparents in Kurunegala. “I put Batithi in my shoes. I got the chance to eat the homemade food my grandmother made and visit the sea often. The children today might not have the same kind of chances because they have to run to tuition classes after school or learn how to swim at a swimming pool while we learned to swim in the rivers and beaches when we were their age – I wanted to create a story to make them understand the importance of admiring and going back to nature.”
““Go catch a star” is for children aged 6-13 years. Priced at Rs. 350, it is available at Godage Bookshop.
- Anoushka Jayasuriya
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