GSE student and College House Computing IT Support Specialist Yanatha Desouvre and his daughter Reanna recently co-wrote the book “Big Sister, Little Sister” together.
Credit: Courtesy of Yanatha DesouvreWhat are you going to do for your father this Sunday?
Four and a half-year-old Reanna Desouvre already has an answer. She recently co-authored a children’s book titled “Big Sister, Little Sister” with her father, Graduate School of Education student and College House Computing IT Support Specialist Yanatha Desouvre.
The book, which documents several moments between Reanna and her little sister Danielle was completed on March 21 of this year and became available on Amazon on March 29.It has also been translated into three languages — Spanish, French and Creole.
Reanna’s mother, Amy Desouvre, called the book a “wonderful project between a father and a daughter.”
The inspiration for the book stems from pictures of Yanatha and Amy’s two daughters and their desire to “capture the growth of the sisters.”
After Danielle was born, Yanatha and Amy used their camera to document their newborn daughter’s daily life. However, they then decided that they wanted to do something with the pictures they’d taken.
“Because Reanna had started to learn how to read very quickly — and since she loved it so much — we decided to write a child book for her to read,” Yanatha said.
“Since I am big fan of education, I want[ed] to create a book that is simple enough for Reanna to read and also for other children to read,” he added.
After making the decision to write the book, Yanatha and Reanna first had to select the pictures that would work best to tell the story. After each picture was chosen, Reanna used her own words to describe them while her father typed what she said into the computer. “She dictated the production,” Yanatha said.
Yanatha said the best part of creating this book was that it was, ultimately, a project in which the whole family participated. But he noted with a wide smile that there were several challenges he faced in writing this book, in particular that “sometimes Reanna was all over the place because she was still a child.”
In one part of the book, this youthful joy is shown through a picture of Reanna and Danielle “blowing bubbles under the sun.” And when Reanna shows these pictures to Danielle while reading to her at bedtime, she often remembers how good it feels to have written this book with her dad.
“My little sister sometimes points to the book and says ‘That’s me!’” Reanna said. “But she also wants to read it!”
Although Yanatha laughed and said he didn’t know how “Big Sister, Little Sister” became the number one child book in the “Hot New Releases — Siblings Relationship” category on Amazon, his wife Amy said it was because it’s amazing.
“It is a very relatable book,” she said. “Any child who has a sibling can relate to it. It’s not just about Reanna and Danielle.”
Caroline Couture, lead IT support specialist in College House Computing, bought the book for her one-year-old nephew because she thought it was something he would like.
“It’s a great book to read to your children. If you have older children, they can read for themselves,” Couture said. “They can even make up their own story when they get the pictures. It is just a good way to connect with your children.”
“The relationship between the father and the daughter is very unique and I hope fathers don’t forget that,” Yanatha said. “This [book] is definitely a gift for Father’s Day — it is a gift for all fathers.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.