Reading paves way for imaginative eight-year-old Aayushi
AT the recent Selangor International Book Fair, an eight-year-old girl sits behind a small table stacked with her own published books.
Her name is Aayushi Yogeswaran, a pupil at SJKT Taman Sentosa Klang and in the space of just two years she has gone from a toddler who devoured library shelves to a recognised young author launching her third title before her ninth birthday.
To her grandparents, she is still the same sharp and spirited child they have raised since she was small. To everyone else at the hall, she is a reminder of what can happen when a child’s curiosity is fed rather than contained.
Family effort that began with libraries
Aayushi’s journey began long before her first book. Her parents realised she was reading far ahead of her age when she was just three. On a drive home from a bookstore, she finished 40 books in the span of an hour and surprised them. That was the moment the family found their new weekend ritual. The Raja Tun Uda Library by the Selangor Public Library Corporation (PPAS) became their second home, a place where Aayushi could take home 30 books a week.
Her grandmother Sinnammal Thiruvenggadam said she sees the same excitement every afternoon when she brings Ayushi to their booth.
“We have been at the convention since Nov 27. I bring her to our booth every day after school. She is smart at selling her books. She can woo the customers much better than we can. She has sold up to 20 books a day sometimes.”
Her grandfather Chandirasegaran Devagi jokes that keeping up with her is the real challenge.
“She is very smart. Too smart probably. I am afraid to get things wrong in front of her. I have her help me with spelling sometimes.”
He recalled one story that still makes the family laugh. Aayushi once corrected her teacher’s spelling on the whiteboard. When the teacher became upset, the family had to come to school to apologise.
“She is too smart for her own good,” he said humorously.
Her love of books runs so deep that the library’s borrowing limit often cannot keep up. Aayushi has to cycle through her parents’ and grandparents’ names just to bring home more.
PPAS director Datin Paduka Mastura Muhamad said this is exactly why families are allowed to borrow up to 60 books at a time and noted that the limit may be raised soon.
Child who reads to write
Aayushi’s mother Pearl Devagi said her daughter read about 1,500 books before she even attempted to write her first one and has now read more than 4,000. Weekends are spent in libraries and every new book adds to the vocabulary and ideas, she later folds into her writing.
“She has been writing since she was six. The effort is truly her own,” Pearl told theSun. Pearl and her husband keep their involvement minimal. They do not shape her stories and only offer help when she is stuck or needs a gentle nudge.
Sometimes, Aayushi writes on an old typewriter gifted by a relative. She loves it because “it is eco-friendly” and does not need electricity. When her father is away for work, she still writes, edits and imagines on her own.
Selling books, speaking to strangers, learning the world
Beyond writing, her parents want her to experience confidence, communication and independence. This year is the first time they allowed her to join their booth at the fair.
“It is not about the sales. I want her to speak to people boldly,” Pearl said.
Sinnamal noted that Aayushi has managed to sell up to 20 books a day by speaking to her customers. Her husband, a customer service trainer, teaches Aayushi how to talk to strangers, manage customers and understand the value of money.
These early lessons are beginning to show. Her family, the deputy minister and the crowd at her book launch all watched as she spoke with the confidence of someone twice her age, explaining the themes of her latest story Amanda Rescues the Dino Egg and reminding children to read because books allow them to “do and be anything”.
Dreams that stretch far beyond age
Ask Aayushi what she wants to be when she grows up and she answers without hesitation.
“I do not like reading. I love reading. When I grow up, I want to be an author, a teacher and an inventor. I want to teach at my old kindergarten.”
The inventor part may sound playful, but her family insists she is serious. She once told her mother she wanted to create a car that can drive on the road, fly and float. She devours science books with the same intensity she brings to fiction.
Her mother said she simply wants Aayushi to have a future built on confidence.
“The one who invests the most time wins. That is what my husband always says. So invest your time with your children. Try to avoid gadgets. Sit down and read along with them and see the spark,” Pearl said, reminding parents to spend valuable time with their children.
Reminder of what children can be
At the fair’s main stage, National Unity Deputy Minster K. Saraswathy praised Aayushi’s discipline, curiosity and courage, saying she has become an inspiration to Malaysian children. She reminded parents that libraries should be a second home because “every book they read becomes a part of their life as they grow.”
For Aayushi, that second home has already shaped who she is. She is a child who reads as easily as she breathes, writes because the ideas feel too full to keep inside and sells books with the confidence of someone who understands people better than many adults.
She is Malaysia’s youngest published author, but to her family she is simply Aayushi, the girl who still comes home every day with a new stack of borrowed books and a mind rushing ahead of the world around her.
