We spoke to Emily Ann Davison – the author behind ‘The Blue Umbrella’ and ‘Every Bunny is a Yoga Bunny’ about the power of reading for World Book Day.
World Book Day is always such an exciting time of year where people come together to celebrate the magic of books and stories, and it’s especially exciting for me as a children’s author! Thank you so much to CHECT for asking me to write another blog post for it this year.
As a child, I had bilateral retinoblastoma and my Mum used to read lots of stories to me to keep me occupied during hospital visits and on the long journeys down to hospital. I think these story time moments were an escape for me, from the reality going on around me. I grew up loving books and immersing myself in writing.
Books are so important in so many ways, but especially so for children in hospital. Stories are comforting and provide moments of calm, they bring smiles to faces and distraction from hospital treatment, visits and stays. Stories have this magical way of whisking you away on EXTRAORDINARY journeys, to MAGICAL lands, up GIGANTIC beanstalks, or down CURIOUS rabbit holes. They transport you to new places where you can meet a whole host of amazing characters. I think we should never underestimate a child’s ability to imagine and daydream, and books help with this. You can read my recommendations on my 2023 World Book Day post.
My next picture book ‘Is It a Seed?’ (breathtakingly illustrated by Adriena Fong, and published by Flying Eye Books and to be published on the 4 April) is a celebration of the limitless imagination children have, and the possibility and magic that a tiny seed holds. In the story, two siblings discover a mysterious little seed and imagine all the different things it could grow into. Will it sprout to be a flower, a tree, or an enormous beanstalk leading to a magical kingdom?
You can also read Emily’s retinoblastoma story over on our blog.