HAVANA TIMES – Lalin ak Solèy was one of my favorite games growing up in Haiti. I played it with my cousins and neighbors, and especially with other children at school during recess. When I think about it now, I remember the pleasure of being together. We played, smiled, and had fun. Those memories are part of the Haiti I carry with me, and they inspired my bilingual children’s book, “3 Fwa Pase La”.
The book grew from a wish to share those memories with children who may know Haiti mainly through troubling stories. With so much negativity surrounding the country today, I wanted to remind our children that the Haiti of our childhood also deserves to be remembered. There were games, friendships, and moments of happiness. I wanted to give young readers a way to discover that joy through a story they could enjoy.
For me, remembering those moments does not mean overlooking the suffering people are experiencing. It means making room for a fuller picture. A country is also the everyday lives of its people, the things children look forward to, and the traditions families share. My memories of playing with cousins, neighbors, and school friends belong in that picture. They matter enough to pass on.
I chose Lalin ak Solèy because it was a game I loved. That personal connection gave me a clear place to begin. Rather than trying to explain everything about Haiti in one book, I could introduce children to one familiar part of my childhood. A game offers a simple invitation: come closer, meet the children, and share in the fun. It can make a cultural tradition feel approachable to a young reader.
Writing in Haitian Creole and English was an important part of that invitation. I wanted the book to make space for our language while also welcoming readers who are more comfortable in English. Families do not all have the same relationship with Haitian Creole. A bilingual book gives them an opportunity to encounter both languages together and begin conversations at their own pace.
I hope parents and grandparents will see the title and remember their own experiences. Perhaps a child will ask whether they played the game, who played alongside them, or what recess was like when they were young. Those questions can lead to stories that a child might otherwise never hear. A book can become the beginning of an exchange between generations, with each person bringing something to the conversation.
For children ages six to eight, I want that exchange to begin with enjoyment. They should have room to be curious and to connect with the idea of children playing together. They do not need to understand every part of a country’s history to appreciate a moment of friendship. Through that small connection, they can begin to imagine Haiti as a place where childhood memories were made, just as their own memories are being made today.
3 Fwa Pase La was published on September 27, 2026. Seeing a favorite childhood game become a book gives those memories a new form. What once belonged to moments with cousins, neighbors, and classmates can now be shared with another generation. For me, that is the meaning of this project: keeping something joyful within reach and allowing it to travel beyond the people who first experienced it.
My hope is that readers finish the book with curiosity about Haiti and a desire to ask their families questions. I also hope Haitian children feel that their language and traditions belong on the page. Above all, I want them to know that we played, we smiled, and we had fun. That part of our story deserves to be remembered and shared.
About the author: Jowane Theodat is the author of 3 Fwa Pase La, a Haitian Creole and English children’s book for ages six to eight. Inspired by a favorite game from her childhood in Haiti, she shares Haitian traditions with a new generation of readers.