Hi! I’m Katia, the creator of ‘My Roots Books’.

My Roots Books are an entertaining and educational way for parents and educators to travel the world together and explore diversity with their kids, enabling children to feel a sense of belonging but also curiosity and excitement for other cultures.

Each book in this series follows a similar narrative taking the child to a different country and teaching them about its landscape, architecture, cuisine and traditions.

I am lucky to be part of a very international and multicultural family: I was born in Russia, grew up in Germany and lived in Canada. My husband's family is from India. He was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Canada. Together with our two children, we currently live in beautiful California. 

WHY 'MY ROOTS BOOKS'?

I was inspired to pen my stories as a way for parents to introduce their children to places their families are from, since as a multicultural child, I often found myself wanting to understand where I belonged.

My goal with My Roots Books is to also teach children about diversity, peace, and respect for other people and places. By starting with the youngest children, I hope that my books will have a small part in helping the world become a happy, diverse, and respectful place one day.

There is no better way for small children to grasp the world we live in than through beautiful picture books.

WHO ILLUSTRATES THE BOOKS?

Our books are illustrated by two very talented artists from Russia and from Ukraine.

Katia (Yes, her name is Katia as well) lives in Russia and being an illustrator is her love and passion. In her free time she works on her own books. She loves fantasy and is inspired by mythology and legends. This is the foundation behind the captivating stories that she shows in her magical works of art.

Anastasiia is a children's book illustrator from Ukraine. Her artistic name is Anastreela, which is a combination of her name and the word “tree” - a symbol of creative growth.

Anastasiia’s work is inspired by the mythology of different countries of the world, by fantasy and the fairytale worlds of H. Miyazaki.

Last year she published her own children's book and is aiming to publish an entire series. In her free time she is a speaker at creative festivals and shares her experience with other illustrators.