Teacher publishes first kids’ book

• Published date: 10 April 2024
• Author: Maddisyn Jeffares
• Publication title: Hastings Leader, The

Now a fulltime Kōwhai Specialist School teacher and a part-time writer, Pearce is set to publish her first children’s picture book, Henry Houdini, this month

Pearce, 58, said she has always wanted to write children’s books and she gets her inspiration from life events that she wants to teach to children in a fun way.

“As a teacher, I see the value and absolute importance of instilling in children from a young age a love of books and encouraging them to become passionate about reading.”

Henry Houdini is based on the Pearce family’s 13-year-old dog, who likes to go exploring beyond the walls of his property. His owners decide they need to do something to stop his roaming, but will they be successful?

Pearce said she stuck pretty closely to Henry’s real escapes, so writing the story took her only a day or two.

“I wrote it about six or seven years ago and have tweaked it here and there since then, refining the rhyme.”

While many authors recommend avoiding using rhyme when writing children’s books, Pearce rose to that challenge.

“Rhyme is one of the foundational skills for learning to read, so I see it as a very important way to not only capture children’s interest but also to teach them to recognise rhyme.”

She started writing when she was 14 and getting a book published has always been a dream. However, she had several rejections from publishing companies over the years.

“In New Zealand, the traditional publishing companies prefer to publish books from already-published authors, making it near impossible for those of us trying to get started,” she said.

Eventually, she found Your Books, a Wellington company that offers an affordable way to self-publish.

She also had to find an illustrator she could afford. She found the perfect person through Facebook after a friend posted a painting that her goddaughter Anya Whyte had done of her dog.

“It was such a stunning picture that I asked if she might consider illustrating my book,” Pearce...