Casey Elisha is a London based self-published author whose aim is to diversify the scope of children’s literature.
She released her first title, Love Thy Fro, in December 2015, which was met with positive reviews from platforms such as The Voice and Madame Noire.
Aimed at 5-8 year olds, Love Thy Fro is about a young girl named Kemi who loves her beautiful, big, curly, afro hair. A simple book with a simple message, the book aims to teach girls the importance of loving themselves and embracing their “non-typical” hair from a young age.
Casey went on to create I Am Festival, a children’s literary festival that took place at Deptford Lounge in July 2016 and July 2018. Full of stalls and workshops, the event provided a space for children and parents to discover diverse reading content they may not have known about before, as well as to be able to participate in workshops that promoted and supported empowerment. It was at the festival in July 2016 that Casey released My Empowerment Journal, an introductory journal for children encouraging them to be creative and express themselves.
Since then, Casey has gone on to release two more books; My Mummy is Superwoman was released on Mother’s Day in 2017, and My Daddy Does was released on Father’s Day in the same year.
Casey most recently added the title Executive Producer to her name as she adapted Love Thy Fro into a musical. Sponsored by ORS Haircare, the production debuted at Theatre Peckham in October 2018 for Black History Month. Following a successful private showing, Love Thy Fro: The Musical went on to sell out all 6 shows.
“All children deserve to see themselves in books and on stage. Little black girls need to see themselves centre stage. It inspires, it empowers, and it shows them they matter in a way they don’t always see. I want my work to show these children they matter.” – Casey.