Some stories begin with an idea. This one began with a child.
Several years ago, someone I love came home from school with an assessment. It measured phonemic awareness, identified areas for growth, and did exactly what assessments are designed to do. It described skills. What it did not describe was her. She was curious. She was joyful. She noticed things other people missed and asked the kind of questions that make you stop and think. She deserved a learning experience that saw all of that before it ever measured a score.
So I did what has become a pattern throughout my life. I built something.
It did not begin as a business plan or a publishing company. It was not even meant to become a book. It began as a promise between a Grand Godmother and a little girl. Three days a week, we sat together. We laughed, played, tapped sounds on our fingers, and celebrated every small discovery. I built a tutoring program around her, because I wanted her to know something before she mastered another word. She was worth building for.
As the weeks passed, I realized something I had not expected. If one child could learn this way, so could countless others. The lessons became stories. The stories became characters. The characters became a universe. What began at one kitchen table grew into something much larger, while never losing sight of the child who inspired it.
Kali, Ekon, and Gigi are original characters. But they carry the same spirit that gave this journey its beginning. They exist to remind children that learning is not something done to you. It is something discovered with someone who loves you enough to pay attention.
The books teach phonemic awareness. The illustrations reinforce the learning quietly, without interrupting the story. The caregiver guides are designed so the adults in a child's life can participate with confidence, not just observe. Every page was built with intention, because this series was never meant to entertain children for a few minutes. It was created to help them discover that learning can feel joyful, personal, and full of possibility.
People sometimes ask why a business leader would build a children's literacy universe. The answer is the same answer that drives everything built inside this enterprise. People become who they were created to be when someone builds the right environment around them. Kali and Ekon simply begins that work at the very start.
If these stories find their way into your home or your classroom, I hope they give you more than stronger readers. I hope they create quiet moments. I hope they remind a child that progress is worth celebrating, that curiosity is worth protecting, and that someone is always cheering for them.
Because this universe was never built around a book. It was built around a little girl who reminded us that when love is paying attention, it does not just encourage. It builds.