A Sarnia-Lambton author and local resident, Shelly Harrisingh, is using the sale of her three children’s books, published under the pen name April Leblanc, to donate 10 cents of every dollar to the Jamaica Baptist Union for relief efforts following Hurricane Melissa.
A Sarnia-Lambton author is using her passion for writing children's books to raise money for relief efforts in Jamaica, a country affected by the recent Hurricane Melissa. Shelly Harrisingh, who is a current resident of the Sarnia-Lambton community and works part-time with the LKDSB, is dedicating a portion of her book sales to support those impacted by the disaster.
Harrisingh, who publishes under the pen name April Leblanc, is donating 10% from her book sales. The proceeds are going to the Jamaica Baptist Union to assist people in Jamaica who suffered from the hurricane. She noted that most of her family is from the area that was primarily affected, giving her a personal connection to the relief efforts.
Harrisingh has published three children's books on Amazon KDP, all of which aim to make learning and emotional development fun for young readers.
Her book Expressions and Sounds (published February 20, 2021), a fun read-aloud that helps children explore everyday visual and auditory expressions, encourages children to copy the images and sounds featured on each page.
Her second book, Alone (published April 30, 2021), is a story about a little girl who fears she won't have any friends because of her name, only to find that her name is what brings her friends; this book is designed to help children develop reading skills and offer creative ideas on how to make friends.
The most recent title, Have Fun Learning Numbers 0 – 10: A Fun Counting Book for Kids (released November 15, 2025), offers a fun way of mixing numbers with letters and rhymes, featuring funny rhymes and "letter to number surprises" to build early math skills.
The Sarnia Journal Editorial team noted that it is always looking for ways to highlight local authors using their talents to make a difference.
