Cape Verdean writer Denise R. Adusei’s is writing a children’s picture about Ghanaian naming practices titled Kwame’s Day. The book is illustrated by Dominique Ramsey and will be published by Roaring Brook Press in Fall 2025.

Kwame’s Day focuses on a little boy named Kwame who awaits the arrival of a new sibling and learns about Ghanaian naming practices after he is born. Through this picture book, Adusei aims to contribute to the diversification of children’s literature and pave the way for parents to teach their children about cultures around the world.

Denise R. Adusei is a writer from Cape Verde, a country in West Africa. She was born in Brazil, raised in New England, and currently resides in New York with her Ghanaian husband and children. After earning a Bachelor’s degree from Brown and a Master’s degree from Columbia, Adusei launched her own preschool in Harlem.

Her experiences with educators and children has inspired her to write children’s stories that tap into early-childhood experiences, focusing on immigrant families and world cultures. She won the 2019 Word Mentorship and 2020 AWP Mentorship for children’s books authors.

Congrats to Adusei!