children's author
  • Home
  • About me
  • My books
  • Other published work
  • Blog
  • Writerly interviews/blogs
  • Presentations
  • Interviews with authors
  • Events
  • Activities
    • Scared Book
    • When I see Grandma >
      • Timeline Quiz
      • Activity pages >
        • Flower activities
        • Paper cup telephone
        • Cooking
        • Pictures to colour
  • Bios and Press Kit
  • Links
  • Home
  • About me
  • My books
  • Other published work
  • Blog
  • Writerly interviews/blogs
  • Presentations
  • Interviews with authors
  • Events
  • Activities
    • Scared Book
    • When I see Grandma >
      • Timeline Quiz
      • Activity pages >
        • Flower activities
        • Paper cup telephone
        • Cooking
        • Pictures to colour
  • Bios and Press Kit
  • Links
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

10/12/2015 6 Comments

Peeking into the cracks

Picture
​Some books are bold and batty and you know they will tickle and tease from the minute you have them in your hands.They shout out from the shelves and you can't help but pick them up. For me it's hard to resist poking my nose into anything by Aaron Blabey - 'Piranhas Don't Eat Bananas' fairly leapt from the shelf into my hands!  I laughed out loud in the shop at the turn of every page. Clearly, the Treehouse books by Andy Griffith and Terry Denton are throwing themselves off the shelves at the unsuspecting public like shoals of fish flapping onto fishing boats (they are keeping booksellers in business, I think!).

Picture
Some books sit quietly and wait. Usually in the library where children and families get to slow and sit. And consider. An oasis of quiet away from the bustle of the shops and the frantic of getting, of ticking off lists, of rushing to the next. And sure, the outrageous and hilarious are here too, shouting to be noticed - and they are, and they are enjoyed here too - but in amongst them, the quiet peek out like seedlings growing from the cracks - like the paradoxical hardy/delicate dandelion: their gossamer seeds blown by the breeze to alight with the softest touch on a tender heart. To speak in the quiet.

Picture
This is where you're most likely to find my book When I See Grandma.  It's not the sort of book that makes it onto the 'must buy for Christmas' list. It's certainly not leaping off the shelves in shoals! Its produced by a small, independent publisher whose ability to shout loud and compete with the majors is limited. Yet Wombat Books produce uplifting books with emotional depth and richness that engage children on a deep level. Books like Happy Pants and Same, and When I See Grandma. Books that, like the paradoxical dandelion, are tough and tender - tackling hard issues in a delicate way. 
Picture
Yet - to my surprise and delight  - When I See Grandma has made it onto a list! And on the radio, no less! Last Tuesday (1st December) on 702ABC Sydney Mornings with Linda Mottram, in a segment called 'The Blurb' Vassiliki Veros listed my book on her favourite books of 2015! The list can be seen on her website -  Shallowreader - here. I like what she says about books on 'The best' lists: "I browsed through Penguins Best of 2015 and there wasn’t a single book on their list that I had read or that I wanted to read. I ask – best for whom? Instead, I am sticking with calling this list “My favourite”. And isn't this how it is? Whether we connect with a book or not is an entirely personal thing. Some we enjoy and some we fall in love with. And some we can't even stand to finish - even some on 'The Best' lists!

I hope this Christmas you get a chance to peer into the cracks and discover something beautiful, that touches, that engages, that speaks - to you.

Picture
Picture
And thank you, Ms Veros, for noticing my quiet book amongst all those clamoring for attention. And for taking the time in this busy life to tell others about it.
​

6 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013

Proudly powered by Weebly