Reading break: ‘New Moon for Quashiba’ by Joselyne Arnell
Joselyne Arnell has a passion: writing for children. *New Moon for Quashiba* is her third book. Having previously brought to life Ignacio the iguana and Chichibird the sugarcane bird, she now turns her attention to a part of history that every child should know.
Although slavery is included in the school curriculum from primary school onwards, teaching about it remains a complex matter. As a painful and emotionally charged period in history, it is often difficult for both teachers and pupils to address. And at a time when the UN (United Nations) recognises the transatlantic slave trade as the ‘most serious crime against humanity’ (resolution of 25 March 2026), Quashiba’s story has a particularly poignant resonance.
Joselyne Arnell has chosen her words carefully to convey as accurately as possible the emotions and that thirst for emancipation that drove Quashiba at the time. A mother of two, she decided, along with a handful of adults, to set out in search of this freedom, across the Anguilla Channel… an island full of promise, having abolished slavery in 1834, whereas Saint Martin would not do so until 1848.
Inspired by real events, drawn from the archives, the story traces the pitfalls and obstacles faced by this courageous woman until a new moon rises on a different destiny. Accessible to children without sugar-coating reality, the book offers a sensitive and educational approach to history, supported by the magnificent illustrations of Milkaya Laijah. Modern and expressive, they reinforce the power of the narrative, conveying in particular the anguish of the crossing and the magnitude of the sacrifices made.
A truly beautiful book that the author and illustrator, mother and daughter, will be signing this Saturday, 25 April, in Quartier d’Orléans (Route de la Roche Gravée, just before the church on the straight stretch of road leading to Quartier d’Orléans). The book, written in English, will soon be published in French. Already available online, it will soon be on sale in bookshops across the island (€25).
