So excited to be counting down to the release of my first ever picture book, Arabella’s Alphabet Adventure!
My last three novels for young adults centred on love, hate, hope, war, racism and gender inequality. Important topics with smart, kind, fierce protagonists, I hoped would inspire my readers to be change-makers. Writing a picture book for younger children was like stepping into sunshine and a great opportunity to return to what ignited my love of words: the picture book. Being the mum of three kids who devoured books, the library became my second home and the perfect setting for a story about an ABC book who longs to be taken seriously. Arabella has 26 letters but not a single word. She’s tired of little fingers scribbling and tearing at her pages and wants adults to adore her. When she slips between the pages of a travel guide to Africa her adventures begin. Will Arabella find happiness in the arms of an adult or will she return home, having learned that she is perfect - and loved - just the way she is? Thinking about it now, my novels and this book (beautifully illustrated by the super-talented Christopher Nielsen) aren’t so different, after all. They’re about the stories we tell ourselves and the importance of recognising that we all have value. I loved writing it. I hope you love reading it (and sharing it with the little people you love.)
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