(Kaieteur News) – If imagination had a physical address, it would likely look a lot like the whimsical world woven by children’s author Gwenette Pearson-Cambridge. Armed with a boundless sense of wonder and a brilliant palette of stories, the author invites young readers everywhere to step away from the mundane and dive headfirst into the extraordinary. In an interview with Kaieteur News, Cambridge shared profound insight into her extensive career across the region, her creative inspiration, and why she believes the Caribbean literary arts must be fiercely championed.

Her roots in education began in Guyana before she relocated to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a move that would ultimately shape her lifelong dedication to young minds. “Before I left Guyana, I was a teacher at the F.E. Pollard Primary,” Cambridge explained, clarifying the history of her early career. “I initially started at the St. James the Less, which is now F.E. Pollard.” Her move to St. Vincent marked the beginning of a 41-year marriage to her Vincentian pen pal and a transition into the secondary school system, where she taught language and literature. She attributes her foundational passion for her craft to a prominent Guyanese educator, noting, “My love for storytelling and literature was birthed by Mr. John Rawlings, who taught drama at the Cyril Potter College of Education.”

Cambridge’s academic and professional journey eventually led her to a Master’s degree in early childhood education, transitioning her into the Curriculum Development Unit as the Senior Education Officer for Early Childhood Education in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. This role allowed her to study educational practices across Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and Barbados. It was during this period that her literary concepts were born out of practical classroom needs. She recalled a panicked call from a teacher trying to explain “independence” to toddlers during St. Vincent’s independence month in October. “My colleague and I, Mrs. Harry, we said, ‘Okay, we’re going to write a story,'” Cambridge recounted. “We sat down there… got some Bristol boards and made a big book… and we opened the big book and we says, ‘Okay, today we’re going to learn about independence.’ And so this is what independent means.” This hands-on story was later published to teach young learners how to feed them, dress, and build daily independence.