CROWN HEIGHTS — A new children’s book set in both the past and present of one of Crown Heights’ most historic sites has been published this week, written by a Brooklyn-based author who said she hopes to connect young people and the history of their neighborhood with “magical stories.”
"Dayshaun’s Gift" by Zetta Elliott, released Monday by Rosetta Press, begins with a reluctant gardening expedition by the main character, Dayshaun, to the Weeksville Heritage Center, set on land belonging to a community of free black people in the mid-1800s.
Due to a magical fluke involving his grandfather’s gardening hate, Dayshaun is transported back in time to 19th-century Weeksville, where most of the book takes place, Elliott said.
The historic site has been “a huge source of inspiration,” she said; her first young adult novel, "A Wish After Midnight," is also set there.
“It’s kind of an under-recognized resource within the community,” Elliot said of Weeksville. “I think a lot of people live right next door and don’t necessary know how significant the community was. So, writing fantasy fiction about it is a great way to get kids and adults involved.”
With "Dayshaun’s Gift," Elliott hopes to get readers interested in the New York City Draft Riots, which are underway as Dayshaun travels back in time to the summer of 1863. She says she hopes the book is relevant to any young person who sees unrest in their communities today.
“'Dayshaun’s Gift' is an opportunity for me in the Black Lives Matter era to kind of talk about urban uprising and riots and to think about what kids can do in moments where they might actually feel kind of scared and powerless,” she said.
Elliott served as Weeksville’s artist-in-residence last spring where she did a series of readings and writing workshops with the local community and worked on the sequel to "A Wish After Midnight," which she hopes to complete in the next few months, she said.
"Dayshaun’s Gift" is available in paperback through Amazon, Teaching for Change and the author’s website.
