My Pride and Joy

Just before Christmas, a little late, but lovely nonetheless, I released a new children's book, Seascapes. Don't tell my other books this, but I am particularly proud of this publication.


It's not only because it's beautifully illustrated by a Trinidadian illustrator, Vanessa Soodeen;

It's not only because I have been working on these three stories of undersea friendship for a few years;

The best part isn't even the fact that I was able to include illustrations from a talented teenager, Hanan Lachmansingh.


The aspect of this book that makes me most proud is the fact that I am finally publishing something that I wrote with my Dad. Some of you may know that he nurtured my creativity, encouraging me to think outside of the box when I was a child. I came up with the idea for the poem and I threw it to him.

"Come up with some strange sea creatures. Oh, and by the way, it has to rhyme and have a rhytmic meter."

We passed the poem back and forth, he recruited my daughter into the process and the result was Fishy Food. I will include just two verses here, buy the book to read the whole thing!

Fishy Food 

by Clive Ottley, Alexa Mitchell and Carol Mitchell

Mom makes us eat fish every day,

"It's good for you," she says.

With vitamins, Omega three's, eating healthy pays.

But we all find it boring and wish that she would buy

Sea creatures that are less well known, those we'd gladly try.

[The next few verses of the poem go on to suggest some rare and interesting seafood that the children would find more enticing. The poem ends with their mother's response:]

Mom agrees and says that if we catch them she will cook them,

So off we go down to the beach to dive with spear and hook them.

The book includes three short stories, 'Fishy Food' and a word search, so read and enjoy!