Dad was the first aeronautical engineer cadet at Qantas. He also painted, and I do have a treasured painting of Winnie the Pooh in my office at the MQ Health GP Clinic that he did for my children. Mum was a teacher and had a love of language and books. She always tried to present reading in a way that would inspire children who didn’t read to develop a love of books.
Story time: Sandra, pictured with her four-year-old granddaughter Mabel, loves to share the gift of reading. Image: Samantha Christensen
They were both avid readers and I loved reading from an early age too. I remember creeping out of bed after dark and reading by the hall light. Books that were imaginative and allowed me to escape into other worlds, such as The Narnia Chronicles, were a special favourite.
My parents also instilled in me the importance of sharing the gift of reading and imagination with others. As a parent, I had many stories in my head that I would act out for my children with puppets and toys, but I never wrote one down. My lockdown project during the pandemic was ‘Stories from Nandy’s Garden’ on Instagram, where my husband filmed me telling stories about the adventures of toys in our cottage garden.
The story of a group of black-and-white animals who were stuck in their ways had been in my head for a while. The two main characters are Brian, the rather serious border collie, and Barbaranda the panda, who are named for my parents. The animals meet each year and always play the same black-and-white games. Brian and the animals don’t like the idea of change but when their plans are washed away, the animals are convinced to try something different and embark on an arty afternoon with a new friend. The animals start with black and white drawings but by the end there’s a huge explosion of colour and joy, and they all end up covered in paint.
The book has taken nearly two years to complete and has been a steep learning curve for me. I had to learn self-publishing and distribution.
Having grandchildren and being a GP, I feel concerned that we put a lid on our imagination and creativity as we get older. Too often, it gets buried under the belief that we aren’t “good at things”. However, that’s the adult in us being critical. The book is about not always sticking to what we know but rather, having a go. Doing something different, meeting new people and being spontaneous can take you in exciting new directions.
The book has taken nearly two years to complete and has been a steep learning curve for me. I have written two publications before about parks and the importance of play in a child’s development, but for this book I also had to learn self-publishing and distribution.
Fortunately, the illustrator, Ainsley Bullingham, was able to guide me. She loved the characters and her illustrations are whimsical and true to their personalities. I thought if I ended up with a book that my four-year-old granddaughter, Mabel, enjoyed, then that would be enough of an achievement. Mabel loves it, but I’ve also had positive feedback from other children, as well as teachers and parents. You could read it to a two-year-old but it’s aimed at children from four to eight years to enjoy, have a giggle, extend their vocabulary and learn some life skills.
A lot of writers draw on their friends and family for characters, and for me, it was a lovely way to remember my parents. They both loved children, animals, birds and art, and somehow it all came together in the book. There’s a tinge of sadness that they would have loved the book and won’t get to see it, but I know deep in my heart they would have been bursting with pride and excitement, as they always were.
If you would like to buy a copy of the book, pictured above, message Dr Van de Water on Instagram at Stories from Nandy’s Garden.
