Introducing… Keisha Cane 

Created by Memphis, Tennessee based sisters, writer Ashley and illustrator April Foxx,  the lovably mischievous Keisha Cane is a new children’s book character whose world is filled with colourful, eye catching illustrations and memorable prose that’s sure to capture the hearts and imaginations of children and adults alike. 

Her first adventure “Keisha Cane and Her Very Sweet Tooth”  in which temptation leads her in to trouble, was published in March 2013 with funding raised through the Kickstarter website and will be available from the Foxx sisters’ new company ‘Kifani incorporated’  as well as from online stores. 

Top, the book's front cover and bottom (portrait by Nubia Creative Images) April (in purple top) and Ashley.

Ashley has a background in journalism, having earned her MS in digital media from the prestigious Columbia Journalism School.  After graduating she moved in to early years teaching through the ‘teach for America’ programme, a non profit organisation which connects talented and motivated individuals with schools in challenging areas. She continues to work closely with the Memphis College Prep Elementary School and with the young inquiring minds that motivated her to pen her first children’s book through community literacy and outreach programs. 

“I wanted little ones to love big books and become lifelong readers.” Ashley Foxx 

She recognized in particular the importance for the young African American children who often made up the majority of her classes to have positive role models in literature and in the wider media. The character of Keisha Cane is inspired by her own experiences growing up as well as by the community in which she was immersed whilst writing.  She received major encouragement for the project from the local impetus toward education and literacy reform in and around Memphis. 

“There is so much momentum around education reform and we are excited to see how the lives of students are changed in this city! We believe we were meant to launch our book in Memphis. Memphis is the place and now is the time.” Ashley Foxx

As part of their class room tour April and Ashley

 visited St Luke's day school in Memphis, TN in April 2013. 









Keisha’s mischievous nature is in part a tribute to characters such as Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and E.B White’s Charlotte (a spider) as Ashley remembers well from her own childhood that a naughty, tricksy character is much more interesting to developing minds than a goody-two-shoes. 
All young readers will be delighted to share in the story of Keisha Cane, along with parents and educators, but for some, who’re too often under served by conventional media, the book will have an extra special resonance. 

Ashley and April are currently taking Keisha Cane on a book-tour of schools to reach young readers directly.  Their guiding ethos of a fun, proactive and creative approach to social responsibility permeates the Keisha Cane project. The community organization ‘Literacy Mid-South’ received a quarter of the proceeds of the recent book launch and revenue generated through Kickstarter is being used to fund donations of the book to schools and libraries across the U.S. 


April Foxx is a graduate in fine art and graphic design at University of Memphis. She is an award winning multi-media artist and has lent her diverse skills to a range of projects.  Her talents are beautifully showcased in Keisha Cane And Her Very Sweet Tooth for which she took inspiration from some of Ashley’s favourite children’s illustrators such as Eric Carle (The very hungry caterpillar) and Christian Robinson (Harlem’s little Blackbird.) She has melded  their vibrancy and simplicity with her own unique style.  The result is a combination of bold, bright colours with traditional African prints and a layered collage technique full of simple shapes with materials such as cotton and glitter used to produce a range of tactile, textured effects.  These gorgeous illustrations are sure to inspire many a budding young artist to reach for their scissors and glue.  

“There wasn’t a limit to what we might use. If we liked the texture, it would end up on one of the pages!” – April Foxx

From the beginning of the Keisha Cane project April and Ashley chose to use crowd source funding rather than rely on traditional publishing routes. The freedom to choose how their work is presented and to maintain the distinctive nature of their brand were important considerations in this choice.
They were attracted by the immediate viral nature of Kickstarter, which allows friends, family and colleagues to help to promote a project without the need for a large advertising budget or specialist expertise. Their initial fundraising goal was $6000 which seemed ambitious to begin with, however their contagious enthusiasm for children’s literacy alongside a range of specially designed promotional products such a T-Shirts and bookmarks quickly paid dividends and they reached a total of over $8600 in just a few weeks from 183 separate donations. 

Their success in utilising social media and non-traditional platforms to fund and publicise their project  testifies to the potential of this approach for aspiring creatives, inventors and entrepreneurs. For anyone with a can-do attitude and a good idea there are more opportunities available than ever before. 


To get a copy of 'Keshia Cane and Her Very Sweet Tooth' for your classroom, library or home head over to the Foxx's own Kifani inc. shop
Check out April's facebook  artists' profile to learn more about her inspirations and processes. 
and take a look around Ashley's personal website to learn more about her work and projects.