Rucha Daryani, a UAE-based mother of two and the founder of The Second Act, has published a new children’s picture book for families living through change. Called The Light Never Left, it is written for the child who notices everything and carries it quietly when someone they love is suddenly not quite who they were. It is on sale now for AED 65.
The story
The book follows Ari, a young girl whose mother returns from hospital changed. Her younger brother Theo steps in to help without hesitation, while Ari is unsure what to do and finds her own quiet way of showing she cares. Through her, the story speaks to the child who goes silent when things get hard, and reassures them that there is no single right way to cope.
The cause of the change is never named, and that is deliberate. A diagnosis, a parent’s depression, a separation or a loss can differ from one home to the next, yet the way each lands on a family is often similar. Home feels different, questions go unasked, and the adults are left searching for words for something they are still frightened of themselves. Leaving the event unnamed lets any family recognise itself in the story.
It is also a book that refuses to hurry. Rather than rewarding the bravest child and rushing to a happy resolution, it stays with the long, uncertain middle, when nothing seems to improve. The ending is honest: the light comes back, though not as brightly as before, and that turns out to be enough.
Where was the light today?
From the closing pages comes a small practice that families can take into everyday life. Called “Where was the light today?”, it is a single question asked at dinner or at bedtime, and everyone answers, adults included. The answer can be tiny: someone made toast, someone laughed. Answers are never judged or ranked.
The idea is to help a child look outward on a day when everything feels hard, and to let a struggling parent take part rather than always being the one expected to fix things. Teachers can run it as a five-minute circle in the classroom, with no materials or preparation.
Behind the book
The Light Never Left was inspired by Rucha’s own family’s experience. It extends the belief at the heart of The Second Act, her community initiative supporting women across the UAE through major life transitions, from illness and motherhood to burnout, divorce and career disruption. The core idea is simple: after life changes, we do not go back to who we were before, we build forward.
The Light Never Left: Details
- When: On sale now
- Where: Online at uhibbook.com
- Published by: Uhibbook Publishing
- Buy: uhibbook.com/product/the-light-never-left/
- Price: AED 65
- Instagram: @thesecondact.me
Image: courtesy of The Second Act.