There's nothing like a rainy day to stir up a good imagination...housebound from several days of rain, "Zeke" decides enough is enough, and rallies the family into going to the local rain forest. All is well until the kids (and Dad) hear there are leeches ahead, and decide to run for it! Once warm and dry back at home, Mom shows the the children a book on leeches so that they can decide whether or not being afraid of these slimy little creatures is a good idea. After some thought "Zeke" and "Ky" decide there is nothing to be afraid of, and even come to their Grandmother's rescue on a later outing in the park.
{image courtesy of the author}
Author, and mother Gwenneth Beasley takes a subject as creepy and crawly as leeches, and turns it into a wonderful story on knowing your fears and overcoming them in Zeke, Ky and the Leeches. We loved the great photos of the boys, and the beautiful rain forest; and after reading the book, we think leeches are not so bad either...
Here is our conversation with the author along with a chance to win this wonderful book! :
1. How/when did you start writing children's books?
I first had the idea to write children's books shortly after my eldest
son was born, but the problem was I knew nothing about kids! I felt
then, as I do now, that if I wanted children to really connect with my
books, the characters must reflect the age group they are written for.
So I held off writing until mid last year when I wrote six books in six
weeks. I wrote the books for the age group my son's were at the time of
writing, but I have been pleasantly surprised at how popular they are
with the slightly older competent early reader group.
2. What is your writing philosophy/what drives your writing?
I write by instinct in moments of peak creative flow! I don't believe
creativity is something that can be mastered through study, or
strengthened through daily practice. I realize I am in the minority of
writer's with this approach, but it works for me!
{image courtesy of the author}
3. What gave you the inspiration for a book about leeches?
Zeke, Ky and the Leeches is almost entirely based on fact! Last year my
husband was in training to hike the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.
It is a wet hike in a tropical area so we went bushwalking in the rain
to test out his waterproof gear. Leeches come out in the rain! My
youngest son was three at the time of this walk and thoroughly
unimpressed with the outing. I ended up carrying him and multiple
leeches rubbed off his boots onto my rain jacket. When we noticed them
inching towards the exposed skin of my neck and face, we had a family
freak out! I really did have to talk my boys through the fear
management process before they would agree to go bushwalking again, and
those steps are in the book. My youngest son still likes to use his
binoculars to check for rain before we go walking though!
4. Do you take your own photographs?
Yes, the Zeke and Ky series is illustrated photographically and the
photos were all taken and edited by myself. I managed to take most of
the photos on our regular outings to the beach and the bush, but every
now and then I needed my children's co-operation to pose for certain
shots. They came to enjoy being models, thanks to being paid with
chocolate money!
5. Does the environment influence how you write/what you write about?
My books are not designed to overtly communicate an environmental
message to children. However, I do like to think that the relationship
Zeke and Ky demonstrate with nature, their interest in outdoor
adventures, animals, handmade items, land art, will subtly encourage a
protective connection with nature.
6. Have you ever had a leech on you?
I have had plenty of leeches on me in my time, but it wasn't until I
captured a couple of leeches to photograph that I realized how
beautiful they were! Saying that, there is still nothing worse than
feeling a little wriggle in between your toes. They scrape off easily
though and they don't hurt. I am much more worried by ticks!
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Thank you so much Gwynneth for taking the time to chat with us today and for sharing your lovely stories! For more information on her wonderful series of self published books visit her website here.
And for a chance to win a copy of this fantastic book, simply leave a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen by random number and announced next Friday July 9th.
Good Luck!
*Last time in Book Reviews: Three Little Birds
