At just six years old, Erika, an enthusiastic reader from AISB’s Early Learning Center, chose to beautifully blend her passion for books, abstract ideas, creativity, and her love for the surrounding nature and animals in the form of a book.

The Bite wants to celebrate the little writers with big ideas in our community, and Erika is the perfect example of how a sensible and creative heart can inspire others through her ideas and kind acts. 

Erika’s book, entitled The Daisy without a Petal, follows the main character, a flower, throughout its journey in the magical world of flowers and elves. The story depicts the daisy and its adventure with the help of seven-year-old Anastasia’s lively illustrations, which readers are encouraged to color. With the money she raises from book sales, Erika wants to “help homeless cats find a home,” as well as inspire young learners, just like her. 

We spent an hour together, talking about her book and enjoying the fountain and exotic plants in the ELC and were continually impressed and delighted by the sincerity, openness, and originality of her answers.  


TB: Erika, could you please tell us something about yourself? What do you love most? 

E: I paint, and I love, love, love very much to play with my cat, which is sooo big, gigantic! I have two cats, and one of them is big and she had the kitten. But what I really, really like to do is paint. 

TB: And what do you like to paint? 

E: Well, houses and several other things. (Do you see how cold the water in the fountain is? It is cooolddd! It is even colder than my bottle!)

TB: What is the book about? 

E: A daisy who grew at a farmhouse, but the farmer picked it up and a petal fell. It became “the daisy without a petal.” 

TB: Why a daisy? How did the idea come to you? 

E: Well, all books have stories. And all stories have a character. I wanted to have a flower character. 

TB: Are there any more characters in the book?

E: An elf, a farmer, a flower, 17 other flowers and even a vase.  

TB: And we understand, you would like to help cats, is that right? 

E: Yes! With the money I get from the book, I am going to help kittens find a home. For two cats! Do you want me to tell you the story of how my cat had kittens? 

TB: Of course!

E: I was coming back home from school and I kept on hearing “MEOW, MEOW.” I tried EVERYTHING for my cat. Her favorite food, her favorite bed, I even put her in my clothes drawer, where she loves most to stay. And then she had kittens! Three! Eja, Albita and Grey. Puf was the Mom.  

TB: If the cat was inspired from your real cats, how did the elf come to your mind? 

E: It couldn’t be a troll; and if it was a plant, it would have been boring. That’s how I thought of an elf. Do you want me to show you around? 

E: “Do you think I can camouflage?” 

TB: Did the daisy have any friends? 

E: The other flowers, the sunflower, lavender, forget-me-not flowers. She became friends with the elf. 

TB: Why did you think of a coloring book? 

E: It is a coloring book because I wanted everyone to make it their own. 

E: “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, one hundred! One hundred flowers!” 

TB: If you were to tell your daisy something, what would it be?

E: It is beautiful! 

TB: What do you think is the meaning of the lost petal? 

E: The flower is now unique!!! 

TB: Is there anything else you would like to say to our readers? 

E: Well, I want to tell everyone who read my book I hope they enjoyed it and those who are reading it now, I hope you are enjoying it.