About the Author
Wakanyi is a global nomad living in the Netherlands. She was born in Nairobi and grew up next to the world's only indigenous forest in a capital city, not far from the Nairobi National Park, or the famed Ngong Hills in the film Out of Africa. Wakanyi is fond of storytelling and recalls a childhood spent running through the forest, away from monkeys that were keen to steal her lunch box on the way to school! Telling nature stories became a favourite pastime with her friends and it nurtured the talent from an early age.Wakanyi is passionate about preserving these stories and promoting theAfrican indigenous way of oral storytelling through the African Folktales Project (www.africanfolktalesproject.com), a space she founded to curate, reimagine and reincarnate old African folktales for the world's future children. She is also the podcast host of Folktale Fridays, a space where she shares these stories, and she also blogs about being a global nomad on www.aglobalnomadshome.com. She is also the author of The Twelve Days of Christmas Safari, an adventure story that captures the sights and sounds of the African savanna during the Christmas holiday. Wakanyi is a mother to four global nomad kids and together with her husband, they have raised their children in 7 countries so far, namely: Kenya, the US, Nepal, The Philippines, Ethiopia, Thailand and The Netherlands, where they currently reside. The Legend of the DancingBaobab Tree is her second book, and when not writing, Wakanyi teaches and performs folktales to a global audience. She mostly prefers to be out in the forest, taking a long walk.
Milena was born in Hamburg, Germany, and arrived in Africa when she was only one year old. She grew up in Kenya where her father's love of safaris took her family to the bush frequently. Much to her parents' dismay, her main activity on those adventures was to collect all kinds ofinsects and take them along. She considered their car to be an "insect bush-taxi" and, in Milena's words, "You never leave friends behind."It was during those early years that Milena fell in love with nature and African wildlife. Milena's art is naturally inspired by her unforgettable childhood memories and her pieces have found homes all around the world.As an active nature conservationist, Milena hopes to preserve and share her passion for a green environment by sharing art that speaks to children's hearts. Milena currently lives in Nairobi with her husband and son and after illustrating The Twelve Days of Christmas Safari was thrilled to get the chance to illustrate her second children's book illustration. For more information on her artwork, please visit www.milenasilverart.me
