Speaking to Lusa News Agency Carla Cruz, who is Portuguese, but lives in London with her Swiss husband, said the project was born from “a daily struggle to keep [her daughter’s] Portuguese active.”
The two-and-a-half year-old girl was born into a trilingual environment in which her mother battles to “uphold the connection to the Portuguese language and culture”, for which Carla Cruz believes books are essential.
But a shortage of children’s books in the British capital coupled with weight restrictions on bringing them back in a suitcase from Portugal and the difficulties in “reproducing the poetry and richness of the [Portuguese] language” by translating books in English, means it is a growing struggle to keep that connection going.
Reflecting on her dilemma Carla Cruz thought it might also be a dilemma being faced by other partners in similar situations and decided “it could be an interesting niche market worth exploring.”
The next step was for her to contact publishers in Portugal and, last month, her online store www.miudabooks.co.uk was born.
It currently sells sixteen different books from four publishers to a pre-school audience.
Carla Cruz says she “chose the books I like, for the wonderful illustrations and unusual stories. Maybe it’s because I graduated in arts and I like things that are out of the ordinary.”
On14 June, when London celebrates Portugal Day, Carla will be taking part in celebrations on Streatham Common, which she hopes will boost the website’s portfolio.