Interview: Ayesha Chenoy, Author of The Rose Bush

Author Ayesha shares the inspiration behind The Rose Bush, a children’s book about conflict, empathy, and peace, showing how young minds can teach adults kindness and reconciliation.

on Mar 02, 2026

Interview: Ayesha Chenoy, Author of The Rose Bush

Frontlist: What inspired you to tell an anti-war story through a children’s book, and why did you choose a shared garden and a rose bush as the central symbols?

Ayesha: While it’s an anti-war story, it’s much much more. It’s a story of division that seems to plague every household. The shared garden is a symbol of what we share as humans- love friendship and our planet, and the Rosebush - everything that is at stake - unity peace and life.

Frontlist: The story shows how conflict begins with adults but deeply affects children. Was this a conscious message you wanted young readers and parents to reflect on?

Ayesha: Absolutely, we tend to focus on talking down to children, whereas they are smarter than we think. This book is a reminder to adults that we often preach to our children. But don’t practice the same lessons ! And it’s also a message to the children - that they can do things a different way and talk anything through .

Frontlist: Coming from a background in economics, banking, and digital advertising, how did your professional journey influence the way you approached storytelling for children?

Ayesha: I think life teaches you; failing teaches you. While my professional journey honed my skills, of storytelling , of visualization. It was my personal journey of having my own children and navigating conflict, that truly helped me.

Frontlist: Your first book focused on mental health, while The Rose Bush speaks about conflict, peace, and reconciliation. How do these themes connect for you personally?

Ayesha: We all struggle with our mental health. Life throws things at us. Similarly, there isn’t a human who isn’t faced with a situation of conflict - so these themes are very personal to me and to every person, I would think.

Frontlist: The children and their pets play a key role in restoring peace in the story. What does this say about innocence, empathy, and problem-solving in today’s world?

Ayesha: That’s such a beautiful observation. I believe that if we gave our children more power, if we learnt from them - their ability to forgive and forget - instead of giving them our biases, if we understood empathy and loyalty from our pets, the world would be a better place.

Frontlist: As this is your first children’s book, what was the most challenging and most rewarding, part of writing for young readers?

Ayesha: To make something very complex - simple and fun and somewhat light .

Frontlist: You’ve said, “I’m not sure adults listen, so I’ve decided to speak to the kids instead.” What do you hope children take away from The Rose Bush, and how do you hope it shapes their view of conflict and kindness?

Ayesha: I hope that children understand that while fighting is natural, making up is very important. That empathy is crucial, and that everything can be talked through, the hope is that conversations never stop. That we are all different and yet the same. So even if we don’t agree, we must be kind.