Last year’s World Book Day at Front Door HQ was epic. No PR spin needed there, it was just good old fun and fancy dress where the team dressed up as characters from Harry Potter (see pic below) and it was by far, one of the most fun days at work I’ve ever had.
Little did we know then that it would be the last time that we’d be together as a team for a whole year…and still counting.
So to avoid World Book Day 2021 becoming another reminder of something we can’t do at the moment, we thought we’d talk about something amazing that happened in our team that’s a) a reminder of something we CAN do and b) about a book!!
Yes, Jess Childs, PR lady extraordinaire and long-standing member of the FD team has only gone and got herself a book published hasn’t she? I know. It’s flipping awesome. Jess’ debut children’s book “Ivy and the Rock” tells the story of Ivy Jones and her trip through the Wildest Wood.
But it’s more than just an adventure in the woods, Ivy’s tale focuses on losing loved ones and the feelings that we might have in grief. It looks at how we can deal with those emotions and ultimately recover. And whilst Ivy and the Rock doesn’t talk about death directly, it aims to help children understand feelings of grief and learn to accept them. This is the first in a series of books that Jess has written and each story will look at helping little people deal with big real-life issues, including depression and self-esteem.
Jess has used her own experiences of losing loved ones and what it means to make sense of loss to write the book, which could not come at a better time. With a global pandemic still in full swing, many of us will be dealing with grief and trying to explain those feelings to our littlest people. Ivy and and the Rock may have been written before Covid was even a whisper, but the principles apply to many today and Ivy’s warm and uplifting tale provides a way to help little minds understand and navigate loss.
Jess said: "It sometimes feels like this book came out when it was meant to, and the response I have had from bereavement experts, children’s charities and, crucially, families affected by grief themselves has been insightful, amazing and at times emotional too. It’s helped me remember that, as a family grieving loved ones in the midst of a pandemic, we are far from alone even though the restrictions involved us can make it that way.”
“I have never been so grateful for the power of words and our continued readiness as a society to consume, and find comfort in, books. They have certainly been a lifeline for me in what has been a hugely difficult year for my family, as it has for so many, as both a reader and now a published author too.”
More information on how to buy Ivy And The Rock and a range of free resources for children can be found at www.bigissuesforlittlepeople.co.uk.
So whilst World Book Day 2021 won’t be the big display of fancy dress we’re used to, Ivy and the Rock is a perfect reminder that we can still make things happen from the comfort of our own homes and even if you’re not planning on penning your own novel, let’s celebrate someone who did.
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