Lakeland mom writes children's book that highlights African culture and history

LAKELAND, Fla. - A stay-at-home mom wanted to know more about her heritage, so she traveled to Ghana. When she came home, she wrote a children's book about what she discovered.

Stephanie Claytor is sharing a very special book with her children, Kyler and Olivia. It's a book about her travels to Ghana.

She wrote it to teach children about African culture.

"For our children, especially Black children, it's important to know where we came from, that our history does not begin with slavery, that we came from rich cultures and civilizations that were over in Africa before our ancestors were captured and brought to the Americas," Claytor shared.

Claytor's illustrations are drawn from pictures of her own experiences.

"Some of the pictures you'll see in there are exact replicas of what I saw when I was over there, the process that they use to make Kente cloth, it's like an ancient process," said Claytor. "They hand weave it the men. And so you'll see that demonstrated in the book."

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Claytor says she learned a lot from the pilgrimage.

"It's not just lions and tigers. It's not just the pyramids in Egypt. There is so many cultures, so many countries over there to learn about, different languages," explained Claytor.

She hopes the book enlightens children about African culture and traditions.

"I got to visit the Ashanti Kingdom. I heard the word Ashanti throughout my life, didn't know that it was a kingdom that had been around for centuries and that it was known for gold. And they had such rich traditions, things such as the Golden Stool," Claytor stated.

She described the trip as the adventure of a lifetime.

"I loved it when I went over there. I had a really good time, and it just really touched my heart. And I felt that we need to change the narrative and teach our youth more about Africa," she said.

The book is called "Kyler Treks to Ghana."

Claytor is hoping to get her book into the school system. If you would like to know where to find her, click here.

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