An accountant by day, she started penning children’s stories to help comfort her two daughters after the Dagunduros were forced to evacuate Fort McMurray during the wildfires of 2016. She started self-publishing them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An accountant by day, she started penning children’s stories to help comfort her two daughters after the Dagunduros were forced to evacuate Fort McMurray during the wildfires of 2016. She started self-publishing them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My children are my inspiration,” says Onaolapo. “A lot of times I’m just being a mom, trying to tell a story, to teach a lesson, that leads to a funny story that leads to another one, right? So that’s my journey.”
Resilience, patience and kindness are the main themes of Onaolapo’s books. Her first, Not So Thankful for Thanksgiving, stars a disappointed turkey who learns to appreciate what he has. She published it in 2020, weeks before the October holiday and at the height of the pandemic.
“I definitely needed a distraction, I needed something to keep the children positive,’ says Onaolapo. “The response [to Not So Thankful for Thanksgiving] was amazing. A lot of people called me and said they love the book, the book inspired them. I was like: ‘Really?” So I published the next book.”
My Big Welcome, printed in 2021, was inspired by Onaolapo’s eldest daughter, Kuishe, after the Fort McMurray wildfires. The Dagunduros decided to stay in Edmonton, which meant Kuishe had to go to a new school. She was six years old and afraid her Grade 1 classmates wouldn’t accept her.
Instead, they embraced Kuishe with open arms. “They came all around her, they were touching her and saying ‘She’s going to be with me!’” says Onaolapo.
Onaolapo says she and her husband, Oluwafemi, felt a similar welcome to Edmonton, even if it wasn’t quite as boisterous as Kuishe’s first day. The couple are originally from Nigeria; Onaolapo emigrated to Canada with her eldest daughter in 2010.
“It’s given me the opportunity to see things, meet people and just grow as an author. The opportunities are immense. I love Edmonton. It’s amazing for my kids, too. They’re settled, they have more friends, they’re learning. Any city has its challenges, but so far, it’s been amazing. I get inspiration from everywhere—we go to the library a lot, we go to church, we meet friends. I love being downtown, just walking through the streets. There’s something about it that makes you want to believe.”
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