Nundah-based author Rebecca Evens was on a bus in the middle of a two-and-a-half-year trip around the world when she had an idea for a ‘Real World Kids’ series of books. Now, the first book in the series is out, a real-life story of a six-year-old country boy, Thomas, from New South Wales.
Canadian-born author Rebecca Evens has always loved to travel. During a long trip around the world in 2017, Rebecca and her Australian partner visited 47 countries and 350 cities.
After meeting a lot of amazing children filled with joy and happiness during their trip, Rebecca had the idea to encapsulate who they are and why they can still relate to kids in other countries.
Her book aims to allow kids, and even adults, to learn about each other and expand their understanding of the different cultures so that the “foreign” becomes “familiar.” The stories on Real World Kids will enable the readers to be more open and accepting of the people they encounter who may appear to be different.
At the end of each story, readers discover more fun, easy-to-understand facts about the country the child is from, including their native animals, languages, foods, and activities. Young readers are then encouraged to continue the conversation about what they’ve learned by answering the discussion questions with friends and family.
“The world is getting smaller every day due to the increased ease of travel and the availability of technology. Without knowledge and understanding of other countries and cultures, sometimes differences we see in other places can seem strange or scary,” Rebecca said.
“I want kids reading it to be excited to learn about far-off places, to discover if kids living there play the same games, eat different foods and what they learn in school.”
“Read World Kids: Thomas from Australia” is a story of a 6-year-old who lives in the countryside in New South Wales, Australia. Thomas lives with his Mum, Dad, brother and sisters. He is in Year 1, plays Rugby League and wants to be a fireman when he grows up.
In Thomas’ book, he shares his favourite recipe, and the reader can learn more about Australia, its native animals and Australian words that might not be common in other countries.
Each child featured in the series will also be asked how they would help other kids around the world if they could. Five per cent of royalties from each book will be donated yearly to a charity aligned with the answer given. Thomas would like to help other kids around the world by giving them food and clean water.
Rebecca, born in Pickle Lake, Ontario, Canada, has lived in eight countries. She is currently based in Brisbane with her partner, Shane, and their dog, Kivu (named after a lake they visited in Rwanda during their around-the-world trip).
The first book, Thomas-Australia, is available online through the REAL WORLD KIDS website, FriesenPress publisher bookstore and Amazon. It is also available by Ingram Wholesale for local bookstores.