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Ada-Ari | Author, Founder & Speaker

@ada_ari

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Ada means first daughter. I carry the culture.
African stories for classrooms & stages
Founder @koli.olum
Parents • Essence • FOX • ABC
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Beyond a story time and author discussion, my programs take children on a journey across the Atlantic where they get to experience different cultures. At such a young age, these children are learning a valuable lesson – despite our differences, we all love the same things. Raising global citizens! It is an absolute blessing being able to bring my passion to schools and communities around the country. Thank you all for including me in your diversity initiatives at your schools/libraries/museums/stores.

"Ada Ari's visit to our school was incredible! Ada demonstrated her ability to adapt the information and activities she shared to a variety of grade levels, and her presentation was engaging and hands-on...." - Mike Remshik Interim Principal
"I was impressed with [her] ability to interact and engage with children of all ages. It is rare for a storytime-like program to keep both older and younger kids interested, and [she was] able to do it with ease. The setup of the program was perfect, combining music, facts, storytelling, interactive elements and crafts." -Maranda L. Schoppert Head of Children's & Teen Services, Germantown Library
"... Ada's program is a fully immersive and interactive experience. This presentation has something for everyone: stickers, coloring pages, music appreciation, dancing, African artifact exploration, vocabulary, storytelling..." - Rachel Demma VP Education and Innovation, Port Discovery Children's Museum
"We loved how [she] engaged the students physically, mentally, and musically. [Her] joyful spirit resonated throughout the reading, and the kids especially liked hearing about the culturally specific points about Ghana...” -Nicole Stone Head of School

#AdaAri #AdaAriBooks #AuthorVisit #Storytime #Diversity #EarlyChildhoodEducatoin #Educatoin by @ada_ari

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4 years ago

A little bit about me and the why behind #AdaAri Books 🙂 by @ada_ari

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a year ago

Kindness really is contagious. When's the last time a stranger's kindness made your whole day? by @ada_ari

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a day ago

DMV. Celebrate my birthday with me on Sunday. My mom is putting together an amazing wellness event. Super proud of her. Please come through. Spread the word. Bring a friend. Bring a few. And let's GLOW

And yes, that's olisa treating me like furniture. As always 🤣🤣 by @ada_ari

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2 days ago

Looking for something fun to do with the kids in Gaithersburg this Saturday?

Join me at The Paper Heart Bookstore for a special African Storytelling Reimagined story time featuring The Spider’s Thin Legs.

This is more than a book reading. We’ll bring the story to life with cultural dance, show & tell, stickers, and plenty of participation for the kids.

📅 Saturday, October 17
🕚 11:00 AM
📍 The Paper Heart Bookstore
200 Main Street, #200, Gaithersburg, MD

Come ready to read, move, learn, and have fun.

Local families, spread the word.

@visitmoco @gaithersburgmd @mymcmedia @mocoparks @mcpl_libraries @mocoshow

#AdaAri by @ada_ari

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6 days ago

Why does the turtle have a cracked shell?

This Nigerian folktale has been passed down for generations.

The Turtle’s Cracked Shell brings this traditional story to life for a new generation, while introducing young readers to Nigerian culture along the way.

Perfect for storytime, classrooms and home libraries.
Explore the collection of African folktales for children.

Shop at ada-ari.com by @ada_ari

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10 days ago

What is something you would do today if you knew, for a fact, that you wouldn't fail?

I almost missed out on the life of my dreams because of fear.

Do it afraid. 🧡 by @ada_ari

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11 days ago

A day in the life of a mompreneur. No two days are the same.

And sometimes, I have to get it where I can fit it in. Including bubu and barefoot on the treadmill. by @ada_ari

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14 days ago

I left my 9 to 5 to sell children's books.
Building this business has taught me things no business plan ever could. Some of these lessons cost me money. Some cost me time. One I'm still working on (slide 9, I see you).
And maybe the lesson I need most right now: look up. I have really big goals, and sometimes I'm so focused on where I'm going that I forget to appreciate where I already am.
I'm still learning. I hope I always am.
Save this for the days it feels slow. And tell me: which one hit closest to home? 👇🏾 by @ada_ari

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17 days ago

School season is officially here and I kicked things off in Indianapolis. 3 schools, hundreds of smiling faces, thanks for having me. Teachers, librarians, PTA members, book me for your author visits, enrichment programs, in house field trips, social studies guest, and so much more. I have customized programs for everyone from preschool through 12th grade (and beyond).

African Storytelling Reimagined

#AuthorVisit #EnrichmentProgram by @ada_ari

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2 months ago

Here’s a little behind-the-scenes peek at the part of small business ownership you don’t always see.

By the time you see the finished booth, the books lined up perfectly and me standing there ready to welcome you… hours and hours of work have already happened.

Planning, packing inventory, traveling, loading and unloading, paying for the booth, staff and product… all before we sell a single thing.

When I started this business, I thought creating the products would be the hardest part. Turns out it is much harder getting people to discover them and choose to spend their hard-earned money with you.

Which is why events like these mean SO much.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, bought books, took pictures, told a friend and showed us so much love. You make all the unseen work worth it.

I usually do these events solo, but this weekend I had the best sales associate @onlyonyiii and two “production assistants” 😂 How much they actually helped is debatable.

And huge thank you to @ubiquitous_expo for creating a space where small businesses like ours can be discovered.

Amazing 3 days. Very grateful. ❤️ by @ada_ari

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2 months ago

I don't talk about this part of my story much.

A few years ago, I became a single mom in the blink of an eye. Four months later, I lost my job. I had a 2-year-old, a 6-month-old, and absolutely no clue what my life was going to look like.

At the time I was certain that season had ruined my life.

Looking back now… whew.

That season stripped everything down to the foundation, and I learned a lot about mine.

That I could be terrified and still move.
That I could rebuild without knowing exactly what I was rebuilding toward.
That I needed my people.

And I prayed. A LOT.

I think we spend so much time trying to get out of the hard season that we miss what it is revealing in us while we are still in it.

Pretty much everything I'm proud of in this chapter came after the season I thought had ended me.

I've spent a lot of time on this page showing you what I'm building. I want to start talking about who I had to become to build it. There's a lot to that story. 😂

If you're sitting in one of those seasons right now, save this. And tell me what carried you through yours.

Onye kwe, chi ya ekwe.
When you accept the challenge, God makes the way (ancient Igbo proverb). by @ada_ari

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a month ago