TJFR Publishing Company Releases New Book "The Boy Who Answered the Call of Kilimanjaro: The Adventures of Riyaz"

DENVER, April 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Each day, when he should have been listening to his teacher, 9-year-old Riyaz found himself staring out of his classroom window, mesmerized by Mt. Kilimanjaro, the volcanic giant that loomed on the horizon.

Indeed, in his fertile imagination, the Tanzanian colossus called to him, "Come, come to me."

Based on a true story, so begins "The Boy Who Answered the Call of Kilimanjaro," the first book in "The Adventures of Riyaz" juvenile series from children's book author Talya Rotbart.

Richly illustrated by artist Frank Farrar, the book will delight kids, and the kid in all of us, as it chronicles Riyaz's misbegotten adventure, voyaging with two schoolmates more than 600 miles on their own from Dar es Salaam to Mt. Kilimanjaro, and back.

What Riyaz and his friends imagine will be an easy one-day journey – there and back on time for dinner – turns into a six-day odyssey requiring Riyaz to use all of his survival instincts to overcome unforeseen challenges and lurking dangers. Along the way, Riyaz acquires valuable lessons about goal-setting, integrity, family, and friends.

"The Boy Who Answered the Call of Kilimanjaro" makes a great stay-at-home read for children, introducing them to the history, culture, and landscape of East Africa, and the life of an intrepid child who attends an Islamic religious school there.

"Along the journey, he [Riyaz] witnessed boundless green land and crops. Herds of wild animals grazed or drank from watering holes. In the trees above, playful monkeys jostled with flocks of colorful birds for the best perches," the book recounts.

The 44-page paperback is available exclusively from Amazon at: https://tinyurl.com/Boy-Kilimanjaro.

Author Talya Rotbart met and became friends with Riyaz, now a grandfather, in 2017. He generously shared many of his memories of growing up in Dar es Salaam and Shinyanga, Tanzania.

"Riyaz's childhood reminds me of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, exploring the world with the honesty and innocence of children who are unaware of the perils they face," Rotbart says.

Rotbart plans to share in future books other real-life adventures that Riyaz took, including the pleasures and hazards of traveling to The Williamson Diamond Mine, the first significant diamond mine outside of South Africa.

Along with her husband, Dean, Rotbart is the author of the nonfiction book, "Perfectly Ordinary, Yet Extraordinary: Making a Meaningful Difference in the Lives of Others." The book chronicles the efforts of the adult Riyaz, along with his wife, Margaret, to rescue a woebegone primary school in Arusha, Tanzania.

The Rotbarts are also co-authors of the forthcoming "Improbable Lives: A Scot, A Tanzanian, and Their Canadian Love Story," the nonfiction, inspirational, biography of Riyaz and Margaret.

Bulk copies of "The Adventures of Riyaz" are available for schools and libraries at a discounted price. For more information, contact Talya Rotbart by email, [email protected], or phone her at 303-296-1200.

SOURCE TJFR Publishing Company