The Little Regent by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade is about eight-year-old Abioye, who is installed as the regent, which is a temporary ruler, of her village after the death of her father, the king.

“The chiefs scoff at this decision—a little girl can’t be regent! Even Abioye herself doubts whether she’s up to the task. But her late father’s words of wisdom comfort and guide her: ‘Those who will rule must first learn to serve.’

“The next day, amid meetings about taxes and titles, Abioye keeps her eyes and ears open for ways to serve her people. When she hears about their dried-up well, their leaky boats, and their hungry children, she decides to devote herself to helping the villagers instead of attending stuffy meetings with the chiefs. With her ideas and support, the village flourishes. But as the villagers praise her leadership, the chiefs complain that she is abandoning her duties, and announce that it’s time for a new king…”

Hello Yewande,

Congratulations on your book The Little Regent.

You published your first book in 2019. You have written four other books in total, which were all self published. Can you tell me about them?

My first book was Sade (We’re Moving to Canada), and it was inspired by my own experience moving from Nigeria to the United States as an adult, and then moving with my kids from the US to Canada.

My then five-year-old daughter had a hard time adjusting to the move, and seeing the experience through her eyes helped me write this book. I also realized that there were not a lot of picture books addressing immigration from the child’s perspective so it made a great topic for my first book.

I ended up writing three books in the Sade series. My fourth self-published book is a standalone. What’s The Worst That Could Happen was also inspired by my kids. Most of my kids are very shy and so I wanted to write about how a child with social anxiety experiences the world, to make them feel seen, and to help other kids empathize with them.

Why was it important for you to publish with a traditional publisher?

I chose self-publishing because I had tried for years to find a traditional publisher without success, and it was important to me that my stories were out in the world. But I found that self-publishing can be very limiting, and it takes a tremendous amount of effort and a lot of luck to find a big market for self-published books. For that reason, I continued to seek traditional publication even while I self published.

What did you love about working with OwlKids?

OwlKids is a relatively small publisher, which really works for me because I love that I have such close relationships with the team there. My editor was amazing to work with. She listened to my ideas, carefully addressed any concerns, and kept me up to date as the illustrations progressed. Their sales and marketing team is super responsive, and I know that is clearly different than the experience that authors have when working with big publishing houses.

You sold two other books to this Toronto-based publisher. When do you expect these books to come out?

The first of the two books is currently scheduled for 2026, and the second one comes out in 2027.

What do you love about writing picture books?

The picture book is a unique format because it takes both the words and illustrations to form a complete story. While other formats, like early chapter books and graphic novels, include pictures, with picture books, the story simply could not stand alone without the illustrations.

I also love that picture books are designed to be read by an adult to a child. I loved the intimacy of reading with my kids and love that I get to write books that adults can share with the kids in their lives.

Do you think you will continue writing this type of book?

I am working on other genres of writing at the moment, but I plan to continue writing picture books for the reasons stated above.

In a Q&A you did on your website, you talk about being an “obsessive editor.” What sorts of changes are you making and how do you eventually get yourself to stop?

Word choice is extremely important in picture books. Because you have roughly 300 to 700 words to play with on average, every single one of those words has to count. So, I find myself constantly making small tweaks, and asking myself if there is a better way to say something. And I basically keep gong until my editor stops me.

Also in that Q&A, you said you were inspired to write this book because of your children’s love of Disney princesses. This would make a great Disney movie. Who would you see being casted as Abioye in a life-action movie?

I would love to see The Little Regent made into a movie, so I really hope a Disney executive or Oprah reads your blog! Disney recently collaborated with an African animation studio to produce a limited series set in Lagos, Nigeria called Iwaju.

I loved Simisola Gbadamosi, who voiced the main character, and I think she would make a great Abioye.

You have a variety of stories in your head? How do you decide which one to focus on?

That is such a great question. I am typically working on 10 to 15 stories at a time and I find that I easily get distracted when a new story idea hits. So, the way I discipline myself is to rank my stories to prioritize what I should be focusing on.

If the story is far along, I am passionate about it, and I can see it being successful based on what is currently selling in the market, it ranks higher. Then when I sit down to write, I don’t touch manuscript No. 2 until I have at least glanced at No. 1 to make sure it doesn’t need any additional work in that moment.

How did you decide it was time for The Little Regent’s story to be highlighted?

After I am satisfied with a story draft, I pay for a professional critique or developmental edit. I have a few editors I have worked with over the years that I trust and so I will send it to one of them first. Once I get that feedback and make required edits, then I get feedback from other authors. Once fellow authors started telling me this story was great, I knew it was ready.

What do you love most about this book?

I love that it highlights West African culture. My goal as a writer is to help kids like mine feel seen in the books that they read, while also sharing aspects of my culture with kids that are not familiar with it.

I remember the magic of reading Enid Blyton books as a kids and being transported to this world that was so different from mine and I feel privileged that I get to do that for other kids.

What has been the response so far?

The response has been so amazing! The Little Regent is currently the No. 1 new release in its category on Amazon. It’s already been licensed for publication in two countries, and it’s gotten some great reviews.

But the best part is when someone sends me a picture of their child with a comment about how many times the child has read the book – that really blesses my heart.

The Little Regen retails for $21.95 and is from OwlKids.