Velvet, Valentine and Vanilla Bean are sleeping out in their treehouse when leaves rustle and branches scrape. "Fox claws," Velvet whisper-shouts. What can the bunnies do to protect themselves? How do they work together to scare Foxy-Foxy away? With wonderfully bright illustrations by Naomi Greaves, Go Away, Foxy Foxy is a beautifully told tale of how working together can solve a problem. Today I'm chatting with Karen Hendricks, author of her picture book, Go Away, Foxy, Foxy. Hi Karen. What inspired you to write Go Away, Foxy, Foxy? My pet rabbit called Thumper, that I adored as a child was one source of inspiration. He slept on my lap and drank milk from a baby’s bottle. He was a very smart bunny. This got me thinking that the biggest threat to a bunny is a fox or a dog. You guessed it, for my story I chose a fox. Then the idea for balloons in the story was inspired from being a teacher and children made paper poppers to flick and pop! They made super loud noises. And as a child I always wished I had a treehouse and I finally got one in my story. That's the fun thing about being an author. You can live your dreams through the pages of a book. How long did it take to write this book? This story has been worked on for four and a half years. Every time I thought it was done I put it to bed but I couldn’t give up on it. The bones of the story stayed the same but I always believed in this story. Haha! I know all about that. What did you edit out of this book? That’ s easy peasy! I originally had paper poppers in the story and I changed them to balloons. How do you select the names of your characters? One of my favourite things is name selection. I play around with names a lot. Vanilla Bean was inspired by vanilla ice cream. Vanilla is my favourite flavour and then the idea came to have the other names start with a V too. Velvet is a soft fabric that is strong. Valentine is meek and mild and this name came from Valentine’s Day. What was it like working with your illustrator? The illustrator Naomi Greaves, created the visual narrative herself. I was surprised and delighted by her illustrations and they do pop. Most of all they work with the words to tell the story beautifully. The story narrative is deliciously layered with Naomi’s bright vivid illustrations. How does your book help children face their fear? It shows children that although they are small it doesn’t mean they are powerless. Problems can be solved and challenges overcome with team work that recognises each individual’s talents with creativity. That's all so true. Have you ever been afraid? What happened and what did you do to face your fear? I have been afraid many times. I hate people sneaking up behind me because as a child I was hit by a car from behind in an horrific accident walking home. I am terrified of hospitals and dentists and germs because of health things that have had me hospitalised. I face my fear by taking a deep breath and just getting on with things and not overthinking. It sounds like it has a lot to do with controlling your breathing, and controlling what you are thinking about, and how you are thinking. Great tips. What do you hope children will gain from reading your book? There are so many things I hope children will gain from reading my book, but if I have to choose…
What's your next project?
I have my second picture book Feathers coming out in two weeks, so that is going to keep me busy. I have another picture book story that I want to put some polish to. I write lots of stories but finding a gem is like finding a needle in a haystack. That all sounds exciting. What’s your favourite place to write? This is tricky - on the lounge, the dining room table and our local coffee shops. Three fun facts about Karen: I love flying foxes, carousels, dodgem cars and rollercoasters. I have lots of random ideas that sometimes turn out to be such fun things to do. I like being with me and travelling and exploring, but I love home more. Go Away, Foxy Foxy is available in selected book shops and online from https://daisylanepublishing.com and Booktopia for $18.99 (soft cover) and $29.99 (hard cover) You can find out more about Karen on: Her website Facebook: Karen Hendricks Childrens Author and on Twitter. This interview was organised as a part of the ‘Go Away Foxy, Foxy’ book campaign with Books On Tour PR & Marketing.
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