By Malachi Kudura
Saturday July 15th, 2023, local author Rochelle Dawson and illustrator Kaelyn Harbison hosted a book signing event for their new children’s book, “Josiah The Great”. This event had music, face painting for the kids and food was provided by Chicken Shack.
“Josiah is an amazing young boy who has been introduced to many new experiences. Through those experiences he takes the reader on an adventurous journey where he discovers what it means to be Great!,” said Dawson. The book inspires the reader to believe in their inner greatness.
“Books like these are so important to the children of our community. They need to be exposed as much as they can to images that look like them. It makes the stories more relatable to our children and inspires them to read more,” said Eleanor Hamilton, a retired San Diego Unified School District Counselor who attended the event.
Rochelle Dawson is a native of San Diego and graduated from Morse High School. She was inspired to write this book for my grandson, Josiah. Her hope is that children can read her book and see that it is the simple everyday things they do that make them great.
“This book teaches that kindness, being thoughtful and having confidence are great qualities to have. My childhood was from a time when children played outside, drank from the water hose and lived for summer breaks. I wanted to show the reader that there is so much more to experience outside of the virtual world,” Dawson said.
The book’s illustrator, Kaelyn Harbison, also a local San Diegan, has been drawing ever since she can remember.
“I’ve been inspired to do art my whole life. From a young age I really enjoyed drawing. I also watched my father draw a lot. I feel it’s extremely important for children to see images that look like them in books. It inspires them to do anything they want,” Harbison said.
It is very important we see positive images that reflect who we see in the mirror. It helps build self-esteem, self-confidence and inspires us to greatness. An African proverb says, “Until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero.” It is time for the lion to tell its story of greatness.
