Interview with Just Write for Kids
Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to be interviewed for the great Children’s Book Blog, Just Write for Kids Australia.
JANUARY 19, 2017 BY JUST WRITE FOR KIDS
#InterviewByBook with Josh Langley
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Title: Being You is Enough and other important stuff
Author: Josh Langley
Illustrator: Josh Langley
Publisher: Big Sky Publishing
Genre: Illustrated Kids Book
Age Group: 6 to 11
Please tell us a bit of what your book is about.
It’s a very different kid’s book, taking the groundbreaking form of a positive affirmation book filled with messages about life we all want our kids to grow up with. There are plenty of amazing picture / story books for kids, but to have one with simple positive statements coupled with quirky illustrations is something very different and that’s what makes the book stand out. The kids love my childlike illustrations!
What kinds of themes / issues are raised in this story?
Where do I start? Self esteem, resilience and helping kids feel comfortable in their own skin. Being You is Enough tackles concepts such as ‘it’s Ok to be different’, No one is perfect, We all make mistakes, the power of daydreaming, resilience and understanding that we’re in charge of our emotions.
How are these important to you in raising awareness to your readers?
With society as crazy as it is these days and parents flat out just trying to earn a living, bring up a family and try and stay sane, some of the core messages about life often get forgotten and lost in the tangled world of social media, peer pressure, societal expectation and the race to ‘be the best’. I wanted to help parents by creating a book that they could share with their kids about what really is important about life. It’s not about iPads, stressful cooking shows and winning awards it’s about understanding who you are on the inside, that we’re perfect just the way we are and that we are all loved.
Who or what inspired you to write this story?
I’ve been writing about happiness and the meaning of life for a while now, but mainly for adults and I wanted to share some of my insights with kids so they can maybe grow up a little bit more well adjusted than some of us adults! I would have loved to have given the book to my 7 year old self to let him know that he was just fine the way he was.
What is your favourite part of the book?
I would have to say the ‘even cool kids have to poo’ page because it was based on something I heard German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, say once. “Do not be intimidated by anyone, even Kings and Queens have to defecate”. I may have seriously misquoted him, but it was the idea that interested me. I now use it to help kids understand that we are all really the same, even the so called bullies. It’s not often you get to sneak in philosophy into a kids book and low and behold it everyone’s favourite page! There’s also a secret recipe for Tortellini with Lemon and Parsley sauce!
Continue Reading.. Click to read full interview
