charles.kongsoo@guardian.co.tt
Coryn Anaya Clarke became the youngest published author in T&T with her first book Chronicles of Coryn: 7 Days of Fun, which was written and published in 2020 when she was just four years old.
Abigail Joy Bridgemohan, seven, from, Cunupia, is yet another young published author in the country with her book, "Operation Cooperation, Abigail’s Guide to Ocean Conservation."
Abigail, who was first seen on Facebook with Xtra Foods marketing manager Daniel Austin with her book, said "The book is meant for children my age, seven to ten, so that they can learn about the ocean and why they should not litter."
She believes that if they learn at a young age not to litter, then they can grow up to be responsible and not litter but instead take care of their earth.
The youngster encourages everyone to read her book, so they can have good environmental practices. "Operation Cooperation is about ocean conservation and a call for everyone to take care of the ocean and the Earth. It’s a story about a girl named Ariel who visited the beach with her family and left a chocolate wrapper on the sand. This exciting story takes you through the journey of the wrapper through the ocean and how it interacts with marine life," Abigail said.
Abigail Bridgemohan's book Operation Cooperation, Abigail’s Guide to Ocean Conservation.
She said the book also teaches people about important marine life in the ocean such as corals and parrot fish which can be endangered by human activity.
Abigail explained that the book also mentions pollution and its effects. She implored people to become part of Operation Cooperation and ensure they do not litter but help to clean up the ocean and keep marine life healthy.
When she was three years old, Abigail started to learn about the ocean, and she wanted to become a marine biologist.
She watched many episodes of ‘Octonauts’, and when she was six years old she decided that her first published book must teach people about the ocean.
Her story started one line at a time, and when it turned into a fun and adventurous story, she loved it so much that she wanted to share it with others.
Her 15-year-old cousin Keira, who is very artistic, did all the illustrations for ‘Operation Cooperation’; she did an amazing job.
Abigail started writing at the age of five and was doing classes with Standards 1 and 2 children at CTS College Private Primary School.
Ms Janet Sankar was her teacher and taught her about the writing process and literary devices. Abigail mentioned that they did a lot of writing practice, and her teacher told them that they too can write books, giving her the idea of publishing her stories.
She has over 12 exciting stories to publish that teach children important lessons about sharing and not giving up.
Abigail's parents also taught her to improve her writing and encouraged her to go after her dream of writing.
Abigail loves her Kids' Bible because it teaches her about her amazing God; She enjoys ‘Ariel the Mermaid’ because she likes mermaids and the ocean, plus her sister’s name is also Ariel. She also likes to read the story 'Maybe: A Story About the Endless Potential in All of Us' by Kobi Yamada because it tells people that they can be anything they want to be. Another of her favourite books is ‘Fishes of the Caribbean’ by Ian F Took because it teaches her about the many fishes of the Caribbean. Her favourite fish is the Blue Head Wrasse.
Sisters Ariel, left, and Abigail Bridgemohan at the Maracas lookout.
The young author remarked that she loves books about the ocean because she considers herself a young marine biologist as she loves to study and discover new fishes.
Abigail wants to be a marine biologist and author to study about fishes and write stories about them. Her pet fishes are named Rojo, Azul, Goldilocks and Bubblelocks.
The CTS College Private Primary School Standard 2 pupil's favourite subject is Creative Writing because she gets more ideas to write more books, which gives her more practice, so she can write even faster.
She likes to use her imagination to make stories, enjoys playing Duolingo to learn other languages and has fun playing with her sister and cousins.
Abigail is currently learning Spanish, Hawaiian and French and also likes to watch movies and read books about the ocean.
Her favourite food is her mommy’s homemade pizza, but she also likes the Hawaiian pizza at Pizza Hut. Her favourite dessert is barfi and she enjoys grapes as her favourite snack because it is a healthy and delicious fruit.
Abigail's favourite television shows are Octonauts and PJ Masks, her favourite movie is Encanto and the song she adores is Most High by Sterling Roberts.
Abigail Bridgemohan at Maracas Beach.
Rajiv Debie.
Nicholas Bridgemohan, Abigail's father, said that he and their daughter's mom, Erica, recently started a YouTube channel for her called ‘Abigail’s Joyful Adventures'.
They encourage her a lot to pursue her dreams and never give up.
Bridgemohan said Abigail was a brilliant child and can do anything she sets her mind to, and they will continue to support her as God leads and according to her dreams.
Erica described her daughter as very bright and well-mannered, she can sometimes be shy, but that is overshadowed by her excitement to interact with other kids or to share in insightful conversations.
She said Abigail was always looking to learn new things, she was very logical and from the age of three started doing mental maths with numbers in the hundreds and thousands.
Erica said Abigail ventured into writing where she easily absorbed everything she learned in Creative Writing and was able to successfully apply it to writing her own original stories.
Abigail Bridgemohan reading at Salibia Beach with Xtra Foods Supermarket on International Coastal Clean Up Day.
The family is very grateful for the support from her sponsors, Xtra Foods, ABC Paediatrics and CTS College.
Erica said Abigail was very intentional and gives everything 100 per cent, and she is inspired by her ambition.
The parents ensure that Abigail has a balanced life. She loves telling jokes and laughs a lot.
She also loves family time, watching shows about Japan with her dad, riding her bicycle and exploring nature.
