Koki’s choice

Every year for the past twelve years, Éditions Talents Hauts has organized a writing competition called “Lire Égaux” (Reading Equals). It invites first and second grade classes in the Île-de-France region to write a manuscript on the theme of gender equality and combating sexist stereotypes. The winning text is then illustrated and published. Koki was chosen by the winning class in the 2018 competition:

On the planet Dragona, every dragon is born either blue or pink and behaves according to its color. Blue dragons breathe fire and fight, while pink dragons raise their young and take care of their appearance. It has always been this way. Young Koki suffers because of this: he was born blue but dreams of imitating the pink dragons. One day, he tries to paint his body, but a storm betrays him. He then throws a pebble into the pond and makes an announcement in Dragona’s main square: he wants to do activities that he enjoys and that make him happy, regardless of his color! Everyone applauds him, and things finally change in Dragona: from now on, all the little dragons that are born are… purple!