A Cambridgeshire artist’s idea that sparked from a camel safari trip in India has come to life in the form of a children’s book that is now being sold online and in Burrows Bookshop in Ely.
Katrina Wilkie, a successful illustrator originally from London, has launched her children’s book ‘Clara The Camel Needs Help From Her Friends’ having never written a children’s story before.
Mrs Wilkie has lived in Prickwillow with her husband and son for that last 22 years and regularly takes part in Cambridge Open Studios. She has exhibited her paintings in The Old Fire Engine House Gallery and the Babylon Gallery in Ely.
She said: “I had the idea for a children’s book when I was in India many years ago. I went on a camel safari in the Rajasthan desert and, when I saw the effort the camels had to put into standing up.
“I began to think about what would happen if one simply wouldn’t do it! The story is a simple one about friendship and motivation, however, it also contains a message for everyone.”
After many revisions, Katrina was ready to submit draft copies to some children’s publishers but was disappointed to find that many would not accept submissions from unknown authors, let alone publish them.
As a result, she decided to look into using a self-publishing company. Finally, she realized that all she really needed was to find was a book printer, as she was able to do everything else required to publish it herself.
She added: “It was an exciting day when a large box of my books was delivered to my home, and I could start to sell them. So far I have only been doing this locally but, because of the positive response from both children and adults, I’m is now feeling confident about approaching retail outlets further afield.”
“I have already sold a number of copies at my recent open studio. I was pleased to find that younger children liked looking at the pictures, while older ones enjoyed reading the story.”
The book is illustrated in full colour and is suitable for children aged four years and above.
It is available for £6.99 and can be purchased via Katrina’s website: www.katrinawilkie.com or at Burrows Bookshop in Ely.
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