Ever dreamt about being a published writer/illustrator?

Haani Jetha, the author of ‘Paint the Sky Blue’, had his dream come true aged ten! Below, Haani talks to Young Haven about his book, his life and his inspiration.

YH: Do you enjoy writing?

HJ: Sometimes, when I have something interesting to say!

YH: What sort of thing do you like writing the most?

HJ: I prefer writing poems.

YH: Did you enjoy writing or illustrating Paint the Sky Blue more?

HJ: I enjoyed doing both but illustrating was more fun.

YH: How long did it take you to write and illustrate?

HJ: It took about three weeks, but I did not work all day. Some weekends I sat on my balcony in the sun and just painted the pictures.

YH: What is your favourite book?

HJ: Right now, I love Alice in Wonderland.

YH: If you were to be a character in a book, which character would you choose to be, and why?

HJ: Harry Potter because I would love to be a wizard like he is, to make good magic and cast spells.

YH: What’s the first book you remember reading?

HJ: Goodnight Moon. [a classic picture book by Margaret Wise Brown]

YH: What do you like doing in your spare time?

HJ: Playing the violin, reading, painting, playing tennis and cricket, riding my bike and watching movies.

YH: What do you want to be when you grow up?

HJ: An artist.

Kid authors help kids in need

You can write and draw, so what? Well, A LOT. Your writing can make a big difference in another kid’s life. How?

Over the last two years, kids from Renaissance College, Canadian International School, Chinese International School, HKIS, Shatin College, Peak School and Hong Kong Academy wrote and illustrated books to help change the world. Really. They made books for Kids4Kids. The money raised by selling the books is used to build schools and libraries, to help other kids in poor countries. Thanks to the Kids4Kids authors and the hardworking Kids4Kids volunteers, Kids4Kids raised HK$85,000 last year for the charity Room to Read with the first series of books titled: One Painting at a Time, You’re Never Too Young to Help, Badminton for Books, Sweet Work and Figure Skating for Gold.

The Kids4Kids Books 2009 series is out now featuring talented kids from Chinese International, Peak School and Hong Kong Academy. The books are: Where are You?, No Ordinary Dog and Paint the Sky Blue. Get your copy today and, when you’ve finished reading them, start writing and drawing for tomorrow! The kids have again chosen to give all the money raised from the new series to Room to Read.

Hello world!

Stay tuned – new picture book blog will be up and running… soon!