Meet Author Onaolapo Dagunduro!

Onaolapo Dagunduro has been a published author since September 2020. She recently published her newest title, "My Big Welcome."

"My Big Welcome" is about  a little girl who lost everything she had to a wildfire. Her family had to move to the city and everything seemed overwhelming. When her mom tells her she would be starting at a new school, she is so scared and fears that she might not fit in to her new life.
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When she gets to visit her new class, she is met by the sheer joy and kindness of her classmates. This story shows how kindness is able to make a child’s life so much better.

Read "My Big Welcome"

What inspired you to write your newest book, My Big Welcome?

On May 3, 2016, My family and I were one of the 90 thousand people that fled the Fort McMurray wildfires. As a result of the wildfire, we lost our house and were displaced from life as we knew it. It was quite overwhelming, especially for my older daughter, who was six years old at the time. We moved to the city of Edmonton and had to just start over. My daughter had to go to a new school, but she was so scared. She was so worried about being the new kid in school and thought people might not be so nice. That all changed the moment, we stepped into her new class. The kids were AMAZING! I must say I have never met kids as nice as that before. They were all over her, ready to be her friend. That show of love, that gesture of kindness, turned the fear in my daughter's heart into hope. That was what inspired My BIg Welcome.

That gives me full-body chills. I'm so happy that the children were so welcoming to her, such a nice contrast to the tragedy you and your family experienced. What are you hoping to achieve with My Big Welcome?

I hope to highlight the power and importance of kindness in our world. My hope is that children will be inspired and equipped to be kind. Kindness can be learned and taught. I believe kindness heals and does make the world a better place. What better way to teach kindness than to show an example of kindness, which is shown in My Big Welcome.

I agree. Your book is powerful! Are you already thinking of your next story idea?

Yes, I am! I have a few stories I am already working on.

Exciting! When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

​I have always written. I remember being a kid and always scribbling stories. I had a lot of lined notebooks filled with some of my stories. My no. 1 reader was my younger sister. I am so thankful for her! I believe this passion grew when I was about 13.

Wow, that is amazing! It would be fun to revisit some of those stories. What do you like to do when you're not writing?

I like to play. I love playing lego or just playing pretend with my kids. We make up a story and pretend to be the characters. I enjoy making very silly character voices. I also love listening to music!

If you're interested in this wonderful story,
​grab a copy of 
My Big Welcome
and add to your reading list today!

Don't forget to leave a review if you enjoyed the story and follow along with 
Onaolapo Dagunduro's author journey!

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