Two Louisiana school admins create children's book
JENNINGS, La. (KLFY)-- Two Louisiana school administrators created a children's book that focuses on inclusion and kindness.
The book, "You Can Sit with Us," was written by Tisha Whittington, of Kinder, and illustrated by Leigha Briolo, of Kaplan.
"What a better way to start school than with positivity and positive thoughts," Whittington said. "If this book can inspire at least one child to be included in something, it's worth every bit of it."
Whittington said the story is about inclusion and kindness. The main character, an alligator called "Nola," starts school at a new campus, Whittington said.
"She's trying to find where she can fit in and be accepted, or even seen, because we get comfortable and don't look up or we have our groups," Whittington said.
The writing focuses on alliteration to strengthen literacy skills, which aligns with the Louisiana Department of Education's focus on elementary literacy for the 2024-2025 school year.
Whittington said she was inspired by her mother to write a children's book.
"My mom, an elementary educator, she made sure that me and my brother always had books and knew how important it was always be kind to everyone," Whittington said.
In honor of the main character, Nola, a gator at Gator Chateau, located at 100 Rue de L'Acadie in Jennings, has its nails painted pink.
Also known as the "Cajun Artist," Briolo was asked to illustrate the book while she had a three-year waitlist for her artwork.
"At first, I had a lot on my plate, but I really had to stop and pray about it," Briolo said. "The book lined up with all of my morals and my purpose in life; which is to save the children and on inclusion and acceptance with younger education. It was a no-brainer at that point. Absolutely, I had to do it."
They are hosting their first book reading with a book signing at the Gator Chateu in Jennings, where those who attend will be able to hold alligators. The book reading is Saturday, Aug. 24 from 10 a.m. until noon.
You can purchase a copy of their book from their Facebook page Tisha Leigha.