#StrongWomen: Ballito author publishes first children’s book

Using the extra time she had during lockdown last year, Ballito resident Bronwyn Parsons put pen to paper to follow her dream of publishing a children’s book.

Her book Slinky Loo Nah Pesky Poo Haa had been mulling in the back of her mind for years.

“In my 20s I kept putting it off to travel and live my life and in my 30s I became busy with kids and work. It took a global pandemic, but I was finally able to get the time and will to make it happen,” she said.

Bronwyn is a freelance interior and food stylist by trade and like many others, suddenly found herself having days with nothing on the schedule.

With the support of her 2 teenagers, she decided to bring Slinky Loo Nah to life with the help of illustrator, Elanie Bielt.

“The book follows a young girl on a walk, who after meeting a stranger, learns about the importance of empathy and kindness.”

The story is told in the form of rhyme throughout, which Bronwyn says is an homage to the books she read aloud to her children growing up.

“My children were huge fans of a book called Hello Tortoise when they were younger which was told completely in rhyme. For about 2 years they asked me to read it to them a few times a day, by the end it was hanging by a thread!”

The book is designed to be read in a similar way and is recommended for children between 3 and 8 years old.

Bronwyn self-published the book, joining the trend of indie authors making their way onto the literary scene.

It meant that she had full control over the process which was important given how personal the story had become to her over the past 20 years.

“It is quite daunting finally showing it to everyone because you are really putting yourself and your creation out there. It felt important that I could finish it in the way that I had envisioned.”

Bronwyn hopes that her story will inspire others who might be sitting on an idea and waiting for a rainy day.

“If you have got a dream, no matter how small or big, it is worth following it.”

Bronwyn has donated books to local schools already and plans to do the same for local libraries in the coming months.

For personal use, the book is available directly from Bronwyn at a cost of R200.

To order or to stock it, call Bronwyn on 084 573 1208 or email info@bronparsons.co.za.

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