Chasing Dragonflies by Blessing Musariri

Chasing Dragonflies by Blessing Musariri

THE SEQUEL TO TWO PEOPLE CAN, WINNER OF THE BEST PICTURE BOOK PRIZE AT THE INCLUSIVE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AWARDS 2025!

A hugely imaginative story about a baby girl taking her first steps and what it means to her big brother, written by award-winning Zimbabwean poet Blessing Musariri and illustrated by British artist Maisie Paradise Shearring.

A young boy called Shingai is impatient for his baby sister, Aneni-Rose, to grow up so that they can go on epic adventures together to the world's wildest jungles, the deepest, most shark-filled oceans, and the hottest deserts. As the big brother, he assumes he will be the hero and his baby sister, who is only little and hasn't even begun to walk yet, will be his sidekick. But he's about to learn that heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and sometimes the biggest adventures start at home.

The perfect book for an older sibling welcoming a baby brother or sister into their family and for a baby learning to walk for the first time!

Blessing Musariri thought she might grow up and be a lawyer but she was born a chatterbox, a voracious reader and a compulsive keeper of journals. She became a writer. Blessing has published various titles for children since her first picture book, ‘Rufaro’s Day’ (Longman 2001). She also writes YA fiction, poetry, radio and screenplays. Blessing believes that children deserve books that are beautiful, honest, fun and that help us discover ourselves in the stories of others.

Maisie Paradise Shearring is an illustrator and author based in Hull. She loves making books, drawing from observation, and inventing characters in her sketchbooks. In April 2015, Maisie won the International Award for Illustration at Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Maisie’s books include ‘Anna and Otis’, ‘I’m Actually Really-Grown Up Now’, ‘The Girl Who Noticed Everything’, and ‘The Boy Who Loved Everyone’, which won the Little Rebels award in 2020 and a Christopher Award in 2022.