By Melissa Meehan
Children’s author Katrina Lehman wears many different hats.
She’s a busy mum of three young children, an editor, a university teacher, a mentor through the Australian Society of Authors, and a content writer for Lauriston Girls’ School.
Somehow, last year, Katrina found the time to write a picture book, Wren, published by Scribe both in Australia and the UK.
With a background as a children’s book editor with Penguin for 15 years, delving into the creative world of children’s picture books seemed a natural next step.
“There is something magical and so complex about picture books. Imagine trying to tell an entire novel – a great story, evocative setting, heartfelt characters, lyrical language and a strong message – in 32 pages! And then there are the illustrations … ”
Katrina was pregnant with number three and teaching fiction writing workshops for aspiring authors at night after her editor day job when she finally decided it was time to stop procrastinating.
Inspired by the creative buzz of the workshops, she sat in a cafe after each session and wrote her own stories.
The Caulfield East mum grew up on a farm in regional NSW and believes there’s something special about raising kids outdoors.
Unfortunately, in a modern world, that’s not a reality for most Australian kids and this has been a theme across her writing.
“The creative play and independence that was part of my childhood on a farm is something I’ll never be able to give my kids,“ Katrina said.
“I wrote Wren as a sort of antidote to the structured play of an urban upbringing and the chaos of a large family in that landscape.
“It’s also about finding your place in a family. As one of five siblings, Wren just wants some peace and quiet, but instead he gets a very noisy baby sister. So he packs up and goes to his grandparents on the farm. Of course, he learns that isn’t the solution.”
Katrina’s second picture book, Izzy and Frank, is about a girl who lives on an island in a lighthouse with her best friend Frank the seagull. It’s due out in February 2020 in the UK and Australia, and Katrina was excited to recently find out that it will also be published in North America.
“Again, it’s about a childhood filled with creative outdoor play,” she explained.
“But then Izzy has to move to the mainland to go to school. She doesn’t like the city, and she doesn’t understand the children and their structured play. It’s all about independence, growing up and learning how to embrace both worlds.”
In both Wren and Izzy and Frank, these important themes of identity and belonging are evident.
“I am fascinated by family dynamics and pivotal moments in a person’s life, like starting school or gaining a new sibling,” Katrina said.
“My stories are about resilience and independence, and I think this resonates strongly with families today.”
Katrina is hoping to start up writing workshops again locally to help other writers achieve their dreams. You can find Katrina’s picture books at all good bookshops and follow her on Instagram @katrina.lehman.
www.scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/wren
– with Danielle Galvin
