A leap across lands

Sandya Salgado with granddaughter Sashya to whom 

the book is dedicated

Frodo's Travels

Colourful illustrations of the book

Sandya Salgado’s first children’s story book ‘Frodo’s Travels’ has launched at the Colombo International Book Fair. The proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation Sri Lanka, administered by the Indira Cancer Trust.

By Randima Attygalle

When an adventurous little frog falls asleep in a boot and ends up on a wild journey, no one sees it coming, not even the frog!

Inspired by a one-of-a-kind true story, Sandya Salgado’s first children’s story book, Frodo’s Travels’ brings one tiny traveller’s adventure to life with fun, laughter and lots of surprises. The book which has launched at the Colombo International Book Fair is promised to be a treat for young readers. A book that can be read and enjoyed by children of six to eight years, it is also ideal for kids between three to six years to be read as a story by parents and grandparents.

A career communication professional armed with years of experience in diverse forms of communications in the private sector as well as the development sector, Sandya is also an enthusiast of arts in many forms. Having published her memoir ‘Not just my good karma’ six years ago, her latest labour of love, Frodo’s Travels is a refreshing and an unexpected addition to her repertoire. “I initially wrote this story for my granddaughter Sashya (to whom the book is also dedicated) and compiled an informal book, but I never intended to publish it as a children’s book, but when I shared the bizarre incident behind the story with my friends, they kept on pushing me to develop it into a proper book and here it is,” says smiling Sandya who has always thrived on new experiences and challenges.

The protagonist Frodo, as Sandya points out, is named after Frodo the figurine that adorns the home of her son, his wife and their little daughter Sashya in Australia. As Frodo in Sandya’s story, goes for a little jaunt in Kuala Lumpur, enjoying the vistas of Petronas Twin Towers, Sandya attempts to make the book informative and educative, subtly bringing in nuances of cultural sensitivities and inserting an illustrated trivia page with information on Malaysia. 

The 60-page book illustrated by Sheneli de Silva is also a breath of fresh air in an era of AI-based image creation. “I’m so thrilled that the book is brought to life by Sheneli’s beautiful hand-drawn work. I’m not a great fan of AI when it comes to creativity as it compromises individual creative ownership,” reflects the author applauding the Creative Expression and Fine Arts Group of her alma mater, Musaeus College for helping her find the illustrator for her book. 

More than a creative expression, Frodo’s Travels is also meant for a good cause. The proceeds from the sale will be donated to Make-A-Wish Foundation Sri Lanka administered by the Indira Cancer Trust for the wellbeing of terminally ill children with cancer. 

What is next in store for Frodo? “I’m planning to have the book translated into Sinhala and Tamil and hopefully do another Frodo series where Frodo takes the reader to unforgettable places here at home,” says Sandya whose ‘wondering mind’ is always ticking. A woman who thrives on challenges and believes in ‘impossible in nothing’, Sandya offers inspiration to many with her ‘open mind.’ “I don’t want to be boxed or labelled; on the contrary, I enjoy experimenting with new ideas and making those around me part of those new ventures of mine,” says the author whose latest publication is also testimony to this. “Whether I have been successful or not with this book is yet to be discovered, but whatever it is, I’ll still be happy that I tried a new genre,” says Sandya who endorses the philosophy of one of her greatest inspirations Capt. Elmo Jayawardena, a believer of ‘enjoying the journey and never the destination.’ “It was Capt. Jayawardena, a writer himself who encouraged me to write my memoir,” recollects Sandya.

A book reading by Sandya will take place on 4 October at the Public Library in Colombo and she is already invited by a few schools and kindergartens for the same.