When six-year-old Ayansh Sharma was asked where he got the idea for his book, his answer was simple.
“My brain.”
His book, “Hungry Pig’s Adventures”, follows a pig traveling from America to Africa in search of food. The answer made people on the group interview call with Rooted Unmuted laugh, but it also captured something Prachi Sharma wants more adults to notice: children already have stories inside them. Sometimes, they just need someone to take those stories seriously.
That belief became the foundation of The Sapling Press, a Bay Area initiative that helps children as young as five turn their ideas into professionally illustrated books, complete with printed copies and their names on the cover.
The idea also has roots in Sharma’s own family. Her mother wrote a book that first inspired Sharma and, eventually, the children around her to see themselves as writers too. For Sharma, The Sapling Press has become a way of carrying that encouragement forward to another generation.
For Sharma, the value of publishing is not just the finished book. It is the self-assurance children feel when they see an idea from their own imagination become something real.
When children hold their finished books, Sharma sees a different kind of pride.
“Anything and everything you do, even Legos, comes with instruction manuals,” she said. “But writing a book, that’s completely your own.”
She added, “That confidence is unmatchable. You cannot hand it over to a child. It has to be developed.”
Ayansh’s first book helped Sharma see the power of that process. When her son held the finished copy in his hands, she noticed a shift. He was not just a child who read stories. He was an author.
That circle has continued to grow. Young Sapling Press authors Ayansh, Aarna and Miraya were invited to share their original books at a reading at Dublin Library.
“Everyone has a story inside them buried somewhere,” Sharma said. “It’s just that we need that confidence that yes, whatever I have can be put into words or put on paper.”
While adults often focus on the finished product, Sharma is more interested in the creative process. As children develop their ideas, create characters, and see their imagination come to life in writing, they begin to trust their own voices.
For many children, that sense of ownership can be transformative.
Sharma has seen those changes in different ways. Reyansh, whom she described as introverted, became more willing to speak to others. When Aarna received her finished book, one of her first ideas was to organize a public book reading as an author.
When asked what he would say to a child who thinks they are “not a writer,” Ayansh’s answer reflected the encouragement he hopes others receive:
“Cheer them up and make them write a book.”
Sharma believes creativity provides something many young people desperately need: an outlet.
For Sharma, that kind of self-expression matters in a world where children are often measured by achievement before imagination. Between school, extracurriculars, and constant comparison, many young people rarely get space to create simply because they have something to say.
Through storytelling, kids are given permission to imagine freely.
Reyansh Shandilya, another young author, created The Super Secrets, a four-chapter story filled with superheroes of his own creation. Their books may be fictional, but they reflect something very real: children’s ability to dream without limits.
“For them, whatever they want can happen,” Sharma said.
She hopes more families make room for that kind of imagination.
Within the South Asian community, success is often associated with grades, awards, and accomplishments. While Sharma values those achievements, she believes creativity deserves the same level of support.
“Everything we honor right now is external,” she said. “Writing gives children an inner strength.”
That is what makes The Sapling Press a story about youth empowerment rather than publishing alone.
Books are important, but they are not the ultimate goal.
The goal is helping children see that their thoughts are valuable, their creativity deserves space, and their voices are worth sharing.
When asked what advice she would give to parents hoping to encourage creativity, Sharma’s answer was simple.
“Just tell them that what they have to say matters,” Sharma said. “Whatever you are thinking, whatever you have in your mind, whatever you want to say or write, it matters.”
That message is not only for young children. It is also for anyone who has an idea but feels nervous about sharing it.
“Being nervous is good because being nervous means that what you want to say, or what you have, matters to you,” Sharma said.
For young people growing up today, that message may be more important than ever.
Because before a child can become a leader, an innovator, or a changemaker, they first have to believe that their voice deserves to be heard.
And sometimes, that journey begins with a story.
Watch the full conversation:
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