Free Giveaway for New Sea Life Coloring Book This Saturday!

French Quarter, St. Martin – The Les Fruits de Mer association has published a new coloring book, Soualiga Sea, just in time for the holidays! The book spotlights St. Martin sea creatures, so kids can color them and learn their names in four of the many languages spoken here.

Soualiga Sea is the latest edition in the association’s Soualiga series of multi-lingual “color and learn” books for young children. The series debuted earlier this year with Soualiga Island, which showcases St. Martin’s land animals. Topics planned for future books in the series include St. Martin plants and heritage.

“Soualiga is one of the Amerindian names for St. Martin,” said author Jenn Yerkes. “English is the most common language here, but it’s been a richly multi-lingual island for a very long time. That’s why Les Fruits de Mer started producing this series of multi-lingual books for St. Martin’s young people. In the Soualiga books, everything is in English, French, Spanish and Dutch.”

Soualiga Sea stars St. Martin’s amazing sea life. For each sea animal, there is an illustrated coloring page with the animal’s name in all four languages. Each one also has a page where kids can practice writing the names of the animal. There is also a visual guide on the back cover with bright color photos of all the sea animals.

“Reading and writing are important skills for everybody. The best way to learn them is to start early. This series makes it fun by featuring things from this island that kids can see around them or discover through the books. We believe the local focus will help kids connect more with reading and writing,” said Les Fruits de Mer co-founder Mark Yokoyama. “This series is especially designed to encourage kids to practice handwriting. And to give teachers a great way to help their students practice it, too!”

“Multi-lingual books also give parents and family members who might speak a different language at home a way to participate in kids’ education,” added Jenn Yerkes. “Plus, learning sea animal names in different languages is pretty awesome!”

Free copies of Soualiga Sea will be given away at Amuseum Naturalis on Saturday, December 10th from 9am to noon, thanks to Delta Petroleum. Amuseum Naturalis is a free museum of nature and heritage located in French Quarter, St. Martin. It is open every day from sunrise to sunset.

The book is also available as a free download from http://lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at info@lesfruitsdemer.com. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.

Free printed copies of Soualiga Sea will also be given to local schools as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s 2022 book giveaway program. This project is supported by the Politique de la ville de Saint-Martin, implemented by the State and the Collectivité de Saint-Martin. Soualiga Sea was produced with support from the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and the Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires.