Creator Interview: Yewande Daniel-Ayoade

Written by Spencer Miller

This is an edited excerpt of an interview with author Yewande Daniel-Ayoade. Watch the full interview on Bibliovideo. 

What inspired you to write this story?

First, I'm a mom of five. My three youngest kids were going through a phase where all they would watch on TV was princess shows. I remember thinking to myself, where's the African princess? Wouldn't it be so neat to have a princess that's African with a story that's African? And of course, being a writer, if you don't see what you want written then you write it yourself.

Then I was thinking about what the theme of the story should be. It happened to be election season and politicians were behaving badly on TV. There’s this Bible verse that I love so much that says if you want to be great you should first be a servant. This all came together to form the theme of the story, which is servant leadership.

What do you hope that little readers feel and learn when they read your story?

There are two key things that I want them to take away from the story. First is that regardless of your gender you can do whatever you want. The other lesson is what a true leader looks like. I want them to know that true leaders listen. They show empathy. They care about people. They leave people better off than they started.

What do you hope adult readers will get out of reading The Little Regent with the little people in their lives?

I'd love for adults to think about what leadership means and what type of examples of leadership they're showing to their kids. As a society, we can start to show kids what true leaders should look like.

Another takeaway is for adults to offer encouragement to their kids. It doesn't matter what gender they are, it doesn't matter what limitations they imagine that they have, if they set their heart to do something, they can accomplish it.

And I think that's a message for us as adults as well, not just for kids.

You've worked in business and consulting, management, and administration. Was your background helpful in writing a story about leadership?

I would say for sure. I do lead teams at work. My goal when I lead is to make people better than the way I met them. It's to be generous in sharing knowledge. It's to encourage people.

I don't think that leaders—both in work and in life, or in politics, anywhere—should lord it over other people. I think the leader should truly have the title of “Chief Servant."

Last question, why was it important for you to share West African culture and history with young Canadian readers?

When you're a child who comes from a culture that's not represented in books, then you don't feel seen. So it was important to me that my kids and kids from similar cultures could see themselves represented in the pages of a book.

Other Canadian kids who are not from West Africa can get an insight into what that culture looks like. They get it in a story that shares something that they can relate to. My goal in my books is that people can see and celebrate a different culture but they can also see how we're all the same or similar despite our differences.

Spencer Miller (he/him) is Bibliovideo’s Digital Media Coordinator, as well as a teacher, writer, reader and fan of the Toronto Raptors. Follow his love of YA literature on Instagram @YACanadaBooks.