Following on from our post in January in which Claire Murthy gives her initial thoughts on starting work on a children's nature book, this month we take a look at what inspires Valerie Rhenius and her first thoughts on creating our children's book about bees.
Val has many interests in different areas and criss crossing of themes, ideas and just whiling away 'down time', for instance while driving, meshes some of thoughts into wondering if they could be taken further.....
Read on to discover Val's first thoughts about starting work from the very beginning of our bee book project...
#1 - What inspired you?
Val: I loved reading with my children, and am enjoying a new variety of books with my grandchildren. I've long had the idea of an entertaining, educational book about the daily toil of honeybees with little jokes, making it as entertaining for the adults who have to endure the repetition, as for the children who enjoy it.
My admiration for Claire's art, and the coming centenary of The National Honey Show spurred me into approaching Claire to see if she would be interested in a joint project.
#2 - What are you most looking forward to?
Val: I echo Claire's excitement at seeing the ideas come together, it's great fun working with her, we bring different skills and would be great if we continue on beyond this project.
#3 - What are you least looking forward to?
Val: coping with the frustration of never having enough time to do everything.
#4 - Why a bee?
Val: Bees have been part of my life as long as I can remember. Steve (my other half) and I have kept bees in the past, and my father kept bees for many years. He wrote a couple of books which I contributed to, edited and published. It just makes sense to focus on the honey bee as there is so much to her story. She is at the forefront of concerns about the future, and alongside her story, we want to share what we are doing to try to help, concentrating on the flora and fauna around us.
#5 - Any regrets?
Val: none – just sometimes wonder why we didn't start sooner!
So...
Our first goals centre around preparing the book itself. Alongside this, we plan to share progress with you and all the observations of life around us that help inspire and contribute to the venture.
Don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like more information about the creators and/or publisher and follow us for regular updates on our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter ...... and soon, we hope, YouTube.
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