KnysnaKHS alumnus pens children’s book – Knysna https://showme.co.za/knysna Knysna, South Africa for all your local and tourism information; from accommodation to events, entertainment, attractions and news - ShowMe Knysna | T Feed Wed, 06 Mar 2024 08:20:00 +0000 hourly 1 https://showme.co.za/knysna/?p=58446 KHS alumnus pens children’s book https://showme.co.za/knysna/news/khs-alumnus-pens-childrens-book/ Fri, 09 Oct 2020 09:02:54 +0000 Combining her skills as a writer in journalism and public relations with her role as a mother of three young children, former...]]> Combining her skills as a writer in journalism and public relations with her role as a mother of three young children, former Knysna High School student Lucia Walker has authored a fun, illustrated book for kids.

Knysna High School alumnus Lucia Walker

Titled Grumpasaurus, the book is affectionately based on her two young sons and has been described as “therapeutic” by a play therapist.

Walker, who attended Knysna High School in 1998 and ’99, is now based in Johannesburg and took advantage of the Covid-19 lockdown to breathe life into a passion project she had dreamed of for years.

“I’ve always had itchy hands to write a book, but didn’t know what type of book I wanted to write. It took my eight-year-old son to point me in the right direction after he told an acquaintance that I was a writer when she enquired what my occupation was,” says Walker.

“He was too young at the time to understand what journalism was, so I told him that my job was to write stories. He immediately associated that with stories from the books his father and I read to him.”

While on maternity leave after the birth of her daughter in early 2019, Walker was able to spend more time with her children and pay closer attention to their behaviour, especially when they played with tech devices. “This gave me the idea for Grumpasaurus, and I started typing away at the story on my computer whenever I had a free moment,” she says.

The book focuses on how children’s moods change when they only rely on devices during playtime. When plans of playing on the TV and tablet don’t pan out for the main character, Jet, he turns into Grumpasaurus and is forced to find other ways of entertainment.

Grumpasaurus highlights what kids miss out on when they stay indoors playing on devices.

When South Africa went into lockdown earlier this year, Walker decided to take the book to the next stage and set out to find an illustrator to bring her story to life. She contacted East London-based designer Julia Pols, who had never worked on a book before but was able to interpret Walker’s vision.

“I love the aesthetic we agreed upon,” says Pols, “and I was excited to get going. This has definitely been one of my favourite projects.” It took nearly four months before the book was ready for print, but it was only released at the end of September.

When Brenda Leemans, a registered counsellor and owner of Chameleon Play Therapy in Johannesburg, read the book, she found the message therapeutic.

“It gives parents an idea on how to talk to their child about their moods. When you talk about a child’s behaviour, it’s a good idea to separate it from the child, and Grumpasaurus allows this to happen. I think that it does a great job in building up a child’s self-worth.”

Walker has already started working on another book, which is based on her second son. “I wish to leave this as a legacy to my children, which they can one day share with their own children,” she says.

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Source: Knysna Plett Herald News

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