A Saturday with a Cause
If youve never been to the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul, theres no perfect time than Saturday, January 13, at 10:30 a.m. (Not to be too specific).
Why? First, because it is perhaps the premier childrens book store in the Twin Cities metro. Second, because on this particular Saturday, their actions continue to bring their manta of every book is an adventure to life.
This particular morning, Red Balloon will be hosting a book signing with illustrator Kelly Dupre. Kelly will be presenting a new bilingual children's book called The Lion's Share (Qayb Libaax in Somali), the first in a series of four books to be published in Somali and English by the Minnesota Humanities Commission.
Now in its 35th year, the Minnesota Humanities Commission provides leadership, resources, and programs that advance the study of the humanities and enhance the work of schools, colleges, and cultural organizations throughout our state.
The Lion's Share is a traditional Somali folktale that has never before appeared in a fully illustrated children's book. The 32-page book features Somali text side-by-side with English. It is one of four titles MHC is producing and distributing as part of a initiative to help low-literate Somali children and families acquire and improve literacy skills.
The author Said Salah Ahmed writes, "The phrase 'the lion's share' can be used positively in everyday Somali language to mean that someone has done more than expected. It can also be used negatively to mean that someone has taken more than a fair share." The book begins when beasts of prey hunt together in the forests of Somalia. They successfully kill a camel to eat. Now the group is faced with the decision about how to portion it among themselves. Can you guess which animal will get the largest share?
Minnesota is home to the nation's largest population of Somali immigrants-a number variously estimated between 25,000 and 60,000. Somali immigrants to Minnesota are refugees from a homeland plagued by civil war, drought and famine. The height of Somalia's humanitarian crisis came in 1992 when more than 800,000 people took refuge in neighboring African countries and an additional 2 million were displaced internally. Starting in 1994, Minnesota's Somali population began to increase rapidly due to primary and secondary migration of refugees seeking a safe and secure place to rebuild their lives and raise their families.
A wonderful book and a wonderful cause to benefit our fellow now-Minnesotans. Another reason why we all love living in our city.
Red Balloon Bookshop
891 Grand Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
651.224.8320
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