Family pens book about achieving your dreams

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Mother and daughter duo, Sandhyia Gosine, 40, and Isabella Brielle Ramcharitar, 9, have come out with the children’s book, “Superhero Within Me: Uni: Never Give Up on Your Dream!” meant to encourage children to achieve their dreams through superhero’s who also accomplished very human and career goals. Ramcharitar thought up the character that Gosine then brought to life through colored pencils.

It all started a few months ago when they both had an epiphany while reminiscing on their nightly story times they used to do when Ramcharitar was two years old. Gosine, at the time was creating stories every night about superheros who also have normal jobs and then writing them down to save them. Ramcharitar at the same time was drawing the make-believe characters to give them more depth.

Fast-forward, both are now self-published together with the book selling on Amazon. Gosine wrote and developed the plot with guidance from Ramcharitar, who in turn illustrated the whole book. Spreading the message to all children reading that you don’t need superpowers to be a super star. Gosine said nurturing the imagination while telling the youth they can achieve their aspirations was personal for her.

Gosine when she was younger had her dreams of becoming and astronaut or lawyer stifled by some adults who “kill that real passion” so this project took on a personal meaning for her. Feeling it necessary to ignite, not diminish, children’s goals, “When we say anything is possible, we mean anything is possible, but gearing towards something that’s more achievable,” Gosine expressed. 

In sixth grade, two grades above the grade Ramcharitar is currently attending at Steele Elementary School, Gosine was allowed to explore herself through poetry by a teacher who pushed her to write what she felt. The action of her believing in her coupled with reading Shel Silverstein gave Gosine the drive to self-publish her own poetry book in 2009.

Gosine felt that boost in confidence was missing from parents to children today, “Somewhere along the line we lost that [motivation] and we’re like, yeah but you can’t fly, and I feel like that instills doubt [because] we say things like ‘anything is possible’ but anything is not possible because I can’t be a superhero. So, it’s just bridging that gap and allowing children to believe,” Gosine stated.

Published for the first time Ramcharitar learned many valuable lessons through working together with her mom to accomplish a common endeavor. “It makes me feel very happy and accomplished through publishing a book I illustrated, and my mom wrote,” she said. Uni, the FBI agent and main character in the children’s book, is the same profession Ramcharitar wants to be when she grows up.

Ramcharitar explained her creative process in crafting the characters, “First, I started out with a sketch and then moved on to actually drawing and it came out very very good,” she laughed, illustrating the entire 15-page book in two weeks. They both reported that she is now a mini celebrity at Steele, which is “fantastic” she said, in her school since reading the book to her class and getting the schools famed “book of the month” title.

Her classmates have now expressed that they too want to write books of their own, which is exactly the point Gosine had in mind. “You did something and showed [the classmates who now] know it’s possible and that’s what the whole purpose was.”

The process was incredible for both, Gosine said, because of all the quality time and teachable moments throughout the process. “The best part was spending time with her, it gave me an opportunity to show that once you have a vision in mind, an idea, all you have to do is work towards it,” Gosine said. Now Ramcharitar makes her own plans to do her homework and study because of those teachable moments that taught her about setting objectives.

When they tangibly held the book in their hands, it was a shock to Ramcharitar, because it cemented for her that dreams could become a reality.