Anaya Lee Willabus, Age 11, Talks With Brooklyn Kids About Her Book ' A Bully's Disguise'

Author Anaya Lee Willabus, who at age 9 became America's youngest chapter book author, talked with elementary students from Brooklyn Community Services Gary Klinsky Children's Centers (GKCC) After-School program in November about her book A Bully's Disguise and shared insights on children's literacy.

The presentation took place in the PS 149 library in East New York surrounded by books. "It is extremely important for young people to read and write since we live in a technological age where reading a book seems unusual," explained Anaya. "I love to read and find turning the pages fascinating beyond reading from an electronic device. Reading is going to always be a part of life regardless of whatever profession one may choose."

Through her book A Bully's Disguise, she wanted to tell a story showing young readers that there are different types of bullying. "It's generally known that a bigger kid may bully a small kid but that's not true in all cases. In my book, I try to touch on mental influences and peer pressure, which in my opinion are factors that contribute to bullying," she said. "Some kids feel the need to fit in and if they can't, then they may do whatever it takes to get their way. Some children seek friendships that are not always the best match so overall, the topic of bullying can be viewed from many angles. Also, bullies can very well be your own friend!"

"The children were excited and curious about meeting an author as young and as close to their age as Anaya," said Donna Morancie, Site Director, BCS Gary Klinsky Children's Center at PS 149. "Their interaction with Anaya included questions regarding the inspirations for her books and the relationship of her stories to her life. They were enthused by Anaya's expressions of her love for learning, writing, and being like any other child."

When Anaya was 9 years-old, she wrote and published her first book, The Day Mohan Found His Confidence, inspired from seeing cultural differences during a visit to her parents' homeland of Guyana, South America. This book gained the Brooklyn resident the notoriety of being the youngest child in US history to write and publish a chapter book.

Since becoming a published author, Anaya has been honored by Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and has met Sandra Granger, the First Lady of Guyana and Lech Walesa, the former president of Poland. Anaya's nonprofit. Anaya's accomplishments have been featured in New York and national newspapers, websites, radio, television shows like the New York Daily News, HOT 97 ("Ebro In The Morning"), Fox 5 New York, News One, WGN Chicago, Huffington Post and many more. To promote reading and writing to children, she established the nonprofit Stalwarts Youth Corporation, which also focuses on academic improvement with art, poetry and essay contests. This year, Anaya published her third book Checo and The Homework Passes, about Checo and his sister Tilly learning how to cope with challenges in school.

In 2017, Anaya became a Brooklyn Community Services ONE Brooklyn Community Ambassador. She was photographed for the poster and interviewed on the BCS ONE Brooklyn Community video series on YouTube about making a positive difference in Brooklyn's underserved neighborhoods. "It was important for me to be a BCS Ambassador since the opportunity gave me a voice to highlight some of Brooklyn's challenges," she said. "If we are one Brooklyn, then we should all be treated that way -- whether it's jobs, school or how we look. I'm thankful for the opportunity and looking forward to being a positive role model!"

For more information on Brooklyn Community Services, please check www.WeAreBCS.org Join the conversation with Brooklyn Community Services on FACEBOOK and LinkedIn and also connect on Twitter and Instagram at @WeAreBCS.

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