Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1005614
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 18 JULY 2018 14 WHEN I first heard about this new book by Elisavet Arkolaki, it immediately in- trigued me, as the title re- minded me about one of my favourite paintings by French post-Impressionist artist, Paul Gauguin. The painting I'm referring to is; Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Elisavet Arkolaki is a moth- er, a professional writer, and also runs www.maltamum. com which is the top parent- ing blog in Malta. Where am I from? is a new children's book featuring 12 illustrations-murals, one mu- ral for the book cover, and a wonderful message. To put it simply, it wants to bring a message of peace & unity while teaching children about different countries, and the beauty of street art & graffiti. In fact, the artist will paint on walls, and then proceed with taking high resolution pictures with a professional camera. The murals will be painted in Athens by Platon, a most well-known street art- ist in Greece, and his pictures will accompany the story. There's even a sweet story behind how the author de- cided to collaborate with this particular artist, who will bring her idea to life. "Be- cause we are good friends. I've know him since we were in our early 20s, and he has evolved into an amazing artist through the years. He's also a father of a young child, so we could share the same vi- sion about this book," author Elisavet Arkolaki said. The book portrays a total number of nine kids from around the world, with differ- ent racial backgrounds. These kids gather together to try to find a universal answer to the question: Where am I from? It will take these young ones on a quest in search of com- mon origins. There's a lot of travelling in the story, and the kids push forward their own points of view, so that they may arrive at a rational con- clusion and solve the riddle. It's a picture book packed with a universal positive message and jaw-droppingly beautiful street art. Like all picture books, it's meant to be read to a child, and gives the adult reader the oppor- tunity to fill in as much de- tail as they would like. Par- ents can use reading time as bonding time. As time when no phones are being checked. When the distractions of the world are put aside. To fund this innova- tive book project, a total of €10,500 needs to be raised by Wednesday, August 15th. A crowdfunding campaign is now live on Kickstarter with lots of rewards up for grabs. Backers can choose anything in between eBooks and hard- cover books, all the way up to the possibility of sponsoring a mural and having a book character painted after their child. Provided the campaign is fully funded, Faraxa will be publishing this book, which is mainly targeting children from pre-school to 8-year- olds. The artist will complete the murals by end of May 2019. Faraxa will be finalising the book production by end of July 2019, and finally, in August 2019, the books and e- books will be released. Where am I from? will be available for purchase on the Faraxa Publishing's website, while more updates can be found on the Malta Mum Facebook Page in the coming months. Kirsten Spiteri is a novelist mainly in the genres of fantasy and science fiction. CULTURE Adorable new book: Where am I from? Heritage Malta organises Fortifications Harbour Cruise HERITAGE Malta is offering all cultural heritage and sea lovers a re- laxing but yet educational evening by organising the Fortifications Har- bour Cruise on Sunday 22 July. This event includes a guided tour of the harbour area by boat, tak- ing those present into the various creeks around the Grand Harbour and Marsamxett, such as French Creek, Marsa Creek and the Laza- retto. The tour will set sail from the Birgu Waterfront opposite Fort St Angelo at 1900hrs. During the harbour cruise, special focus will be made on the history of the fortifications built by the Knights of St John and by the British during and after World War II. After the tour refreshments will be served on the terrace of the Malta Mari- time Museum. Only a limited number of tickets are available and these can be purchased for the price of €18 for adults and €15 for seniors, stu- dents, Heritage Malta members and children from all the agency's sites and museums and online from www.heritagemalta.org.