San Ramon 6-Year-Old Joins Three Generations Of Family Authors

SAN RAMON, CA — The Dublin Library is hosting story-time Tuesday, but with a twist: normally, young children listen to books written by adults and read by an adult. This time, the reader and author will be six-year-old Ayansh Sharma, who has written his own picture books.

With the help of his mother, Sapling Press founder Prachi Sharma, Ayansh has become the third generation of his family to become a published author. He has written two books: “Tag, You’re It!” the story of a cat and dog playing tag; and “Hungry Pig’s Adventures!", the story of a hungry pig who travels along a very long bridge connecting California to Africa in search of food. He will share them Tuesday from 5-6 p.m. at the Dublin Library.

“Ayansh has grown up surrounded by books and storytelling. His earliest memories are of sitting in his highchair watching his grandmother cook, playing with her raw wheat dough as his ‘organic playdough,’” Prachi told Patch. “That tactile, creative environment laid the groundwork for him to want to make his own books.”

The ideas for his books came from Ayansh’s passions and imagination, Prachi said. “Tag, You’re It!” is a combination of his love of animals and the game of tag, while “Hungry Pig’s Adventures” comes from his fascination with Africa. Ayansh narrates the story in his own words, and his mother acts as the scribe. Once the text is complete, Ayansh and Prachi collaborate to choose the right illustrations.

That is the specialty of Sapling Press, which publishes illustrated stories written either by or for children. To date, Sapling Press has published seven stories written by three generations.

It began when she published a book of traditional vegetarian recipes from Agra, India, written by her mother Manju. The recipes were passed down by oral tradition, and Manju was the first person to ever put them to page. She began writing them down in 2019, after she broke her leg and was confined to bed rest. “When her legs would not work, she used her hands to write,” Prachi said of her mother.

In January 2020, she flew to California for Ayansh’s birth. It was only meant to be a short visit, but due to the pandemic and her status as a kidney transplant recipient, she could not fly. She stayed with her daughter and grandson for two years in San Ramon, testing the recipes on their kitchen counter to make sure they were perfect. They were published by Sapling Press in 2021, shortly before she flew back to India, then passed away.

In 2023, Prachi published an illustrated memoir of her mother’s life entitled “Manju: A Life of Grit, Grace and Greatness.” The book is a collection of 20 illustrated short stories, which tell the story of her mother’s life all over India and encourage children to emulate her imagination, creativity, and kindness. She also wrote “Paws Around the World,” an illustrated children’s book telling the story of their dog Oreo as he travels around the world.

Her father, Satya Prakahsh Sharma, will soon publish the story of his life. He will tell the story of his career as an educator, his decades of marriage, and keeping the traditions of Uttar Pradesh alive as the world changes quickly.

“Storytelling is the thread that keeps us connected across time, grief, and continents,” Prachi said. “We write things down not because we have time to spare, but because eventually, we won't. A story or a recipe, once it is anchored on paper, no longer belongs just to you—it belongs to whoever needs it next. I hope our family’s journey inspires other diaspora families to sit down with their elders, and their children, and write down their stories before they are lost to time.”

For more information, email hello@thesaplingpress.com.