Fab Friday Spotlight: Anaya Lee Willabus
What do you want to be when you grow up? That's a question children hear countless times. Some kids say they want to be a teacher, or a firefighter or maybe even a doctor.
The thing is, most kids only dream of accomplishing BIG things one day but for Anaya Lee Willabus, her dream became a reality - and she made history in the process. At just 8 years old, Anaya became the youngest author ever in the United States to publish a chapter book.
Anaya, who is now 9, says a trip to her parents' native country of Guyana in 2014 is what inspired her. Soon after returning home to Brooklyn, she began writing and taking notes of the different cultural experiences she observed during her trip. Eventually those notes were typed on the computer and as they say the rest was history.
Her book entitled The Day Mohan Found His Confidence is about the struggles that a young boy faces in his life and how he overcomes them. The book was officially published in 2015 and a whirlwind has since followed.
Anaya has has been invited to speak all over the country and has received widespread recognition and various honors. Despite making history, it's only the beginning - Anaya is already working on her second book.
We salute Anaya for her history-making accomplishments and for doing just what she set out to do - encouraging children of all ages to "continue to dream big."
#befabulous