This year, eKitabu held its first-ever Book Day at the Banda School in Nairobi, on 13 February 2026. Published children’s book authors spent a day with the pupils of the prep school, everyone from 1.5-year-olds to 13-year-olds. I was amazed to hear it’s the first time a school in Kenya (and possibly Africa) has had published authors work with every single child in the school.

I had the pleasure of joining Donica Merhazion, Lorraine Malu Msagha, Virginia Clay, and Wangari Grace, who are authors under the eKitabu imprint Maua Books, dedicated to publishing children’s books by African authors. The goal of the Banda Book Day celebration was to connect pupils with children’s authors, encourage reading for pleasure, and help young people tap into their own creative potential.

At the morning assembly, it was clear that the pupils were ready for the day as they all arrived dressed as book characters. The school hall was filled with heroes, mythical creatures, animals, and many more. Earlier in the week, all the classes throughout the school had decorated their doors in different book themes, and during the assembly, they were awarded certificates for creativity and effort.

The eKitabu authors were invited to introduce themselves and give the children a taster of the workshops to come. Then the assembly finished off with a very exciting “guess-the-voice” session, in which students listened to anonymous audio clips of their teachers reading from the children’s book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. “I loved the way the teachers were very hands-on and supported the sessions so well,” said Wangari. For the rest of the day, all the children from the nursery school to Year 8 participated in lively, engaging sessions about books and storytelling with the authors. 

Lorraine Malu is the author of Wandia Wears Clothes, an illustrated book for children up to five years old. She had the opportunity to spend time with the early-years children of Banda. “I was impressed by the children’s enthusiasm and eager engagement when I was reading,” said Lorraine. “They were curious, confident, and eager to participate.”

The dress-up adventures of Wandia and her animal friends aim to gently teach children about self-expression and choices. Lorraine believes that connecting children early with books and storytelling in enjoyable ways “builds their imagination, exposes them to new ideas, and develops their language skills. They learn to see books positively.”

In each session, she read aloud from the book and projected brightly coloured pictures onto a screen, bringing alive the story of Wandia’s wardrobe as she ventures into the wild. The two-year-olds may not have the reading skills yet, but they were certainly captivated during the session with Lorraine, in which she narrated her book through pictures.

The children in Rising Stars (1.5–2.5 years) through to Reception (4–5 years) had fun discussions with Lorraine about the clothes they would pick for different weather – sunny, rainy, and snowy days. Lorraine had prepared some illustration sheets for the children to colour and design the outfits they would wear if they were to join Wandia on her adventures. “They connected the story to their own experiences with getting dressed,” she said.

Wangari (a.k.a. Wangari the Storyteller) is an experienced theatre and television actor. The stage was her entry into the world of storytelling almost two decades ago.

I watched as Wangari spent the day with Years 1–4, and she is a natural-born storyteller. Instead of reading her book aloud, Wangari performed a section of the story in an animated style, inviting the children to sing along and imagine themselves in the fruitful land of The Forever Tree. Afterwards, she asked the 6–9-year-olds to think about the stories they would like to tell, and guided them to create their own book covers, complete with book title, pen name, and picture. “I loved the energy from the kids, how they were very open and ready to engage,” said Wangari.

The Forever Tree was nominated for the Text Book Centre's inaugural Penmanship Award for 8–12-year-olds in 2025 as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations. eKitabu also distributes other books co-authored by Wangari, including the Zuri, Jasiri, and Toto series by Malezi publishers.

Virginia Clay is the author of Warrior Boy, a middle-grade coming-of-age story that was short-listed for the Times Newspaper Children’s Fiction Competition about a London school boy called Ben who is visiting his Kenyan family for the first time. It is a journey of finding family, friendship, and the courage to face his fears. 

In her sessions with Years 5–7, Virginia helped the children to be more reflective and empowered, inspiring them to think of themselves as professional authors. She read an excerpt from Warrior Boy, narrating a hyena incident that causes Ben to be separated from his precious herd of cows. “I find that even with children who haven’t been reading or haven't been read to, their writing turns around very quickly when they can access stories,” she said.

Virginia focused the pupils’ attention on the all-is-lost moment of a storyline. She invited them to think about their experiences of feeling afraid, anxious, or disappointed, and how they found the courage to overcome. “Thinking like an author means putting yourself in the place of your hero and understanding the fear that is holding them back,” she told the children.

Donica Merhazion’s book Born at the End of the World is a heartfelt story of resilience and survival. Released worldwide in February 2026, it is based on the real-life story of her own family’s struggles during the Red Terror war of Ethiopia and Eritrea in the 1970s. Born is published by Mvua Press, which is also dedicated to publishing quality writing by African authors for an adult and young adult audience.

Captivating the Year 8s with the account of how she came to be born in a prison, Donica talked about the childhood shame she felt around her family’s history, her revolutionary parents, and her desperate desire to be just like other kids. Donica says, “You never really know a person until you know their story, and it’s important to listen and learn if we are ever going to make a difference.”

Not until she had her own baby did Donica realise the strength and sacrifices it took her incarcerated mother to ensure that she was born. “That’s when I learned to embrace my life story.”

Donica encouraged the 12 and 13-year-olds to imagine a story they would want to tell and centred around deeply personal challenges. “There is nothing better than talking about stories and the power of stories,” she says. With a stack of Post-it Notes, the children got down to creating the characters, setting, and problems encountered in their own stories. It was great to see young teens realise that even tough situations can make wonderful tales.

All the authors remarked on the warm and friendly environment and the welcoming reception from the teachers, who all got into the spirit of things by dressing up in book-themed costumes. This was more than a book day. It was an opportunity to bring storytelling, reading, and writing to the fore in fun and exciting ways, both for children and authors.   

Kari Mutu is author of The Firemakers of Azali, an African fantasy fiction novel for middle-graders.

If you are ready to bring the magic of storytelling to your school, please get in touch using the details below. eKitabu would be delighted to co-create dynamic, interactive sessions with you that ignite a love of reading, explore creative writing, and awaken young learners to the power of their own stories.

Contact us at:

Phone: +254 740 524629.
Email: support@ekitabu.com / virginia.clay@ekitabu.com

Coming soon: Children’s Books in Africa