MY COUSINS, MY WORLD

A vibrant, lyrical picture book celebrating the rich and unbreakable bonds we share with our cousins, and the diversity of families.

I have more cousins than I can count on my fingers and toes. Quiet cousins and loud cousins. Dark cousins and fair cousins. Young cousins and old cousins. I have cousins who are near. And some who are far. But even those who are far feel near. Because memories of them surround me, wrapping me up like a warm blanket. From wild campouts to boisterous family gatherings, the adventures and experiences that bind cousins together are rich and lifelong. They are our first friends, and our best friends. A joyful celebration of family, from a dynamic new author/illustrator team. Sharara Attai worked as a human rights lawyer for refugees for ten years and is now Director of the Islamophobia Register Australia, a diversity and inclusion not-for-profit organisation. In May 2023, she was a finalist for the UNHCR Les Murray Award for Refugee Recognition. Her first picture book Sweeta's Marbles, written with Michelle Wanasundera, will be published by Dirt Lane Press in 2024. Michelle Pereira is an illustrator who spent her childhood in Nairobi, Kenya and now lives in Melbourne, Australia. She graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Communication Design and became a professional illustrator after a somewhat extended, but enjoyable, stint of bar work. She uses bright colours and textural elements to create playful illustrations. Her picture books include Stay for Dinner, Ammi's Sari and The Boy who tried to Shrink his Name all written by Sandhya Parappukkaran.