Thursday, October 12, 2017
AFTER teaching herself to write and with a little encouragement from her father, Marion Day is becoming a household name in New Zealand literacy circles.
Ross McCullough
TWO new children’s books are being launched at Opotiki Paper Plus next Wednesday evening by former Eastern Bay woman, Marion Day, with children and their families from Opotiki invited to join in the celebration.
As well as talking about her newly published books, Uncle Tappit aimed at children aged five to seven and The Chestnut Mare, for those aged eight to 11, there will be light snacks, giveaways and fun activities.
Uncle Tappit, featuring illustrations by Robyn Hoglund, centres on a girl called Hannah who refers to her tablet search engine as Uncle Tappit because she loves that it opens the world to her.
But her mother wants Hannah to spend less time on her tablet. Enter her uncle who shows Hannah what the real world outside can be like.
The second of Day’s new books, The Chestnut Mare, is set on a farm where Amy loves to stay during her school holidays.
Surrounded by animals, and able to ride her beloved chestnut mare, Amy views the farm as a safe-haven.
That is until tragedy strikes and Amy learns some of the harsh realities of country life. But there is an unexpected turn when Amy helps a frail newborn foal that carries a legacy of love.
Since learning to write, off the back of compiling her father’s autobiography at his insistence, Day hasn’t looked back. She said on her website, that for the past 10 years there has always been a story in the process, or in the front of her mind.
Day taught herself to write and is now a New Zealand author of some note.
She has won adult and children’s short story competitions, and was shortlisted in the 2011 Storylines Joy Cowley Text Awards.
Recently, she said, she was honoured to have her poem Heightened Tones accepted for the just published Birds Words anthology, celebrating the birds of Aotearoa and featuring an impressive line-up of renowned writers that includes: Frank Sargeson, Witi Ihimaera, Janet Frame, Sam Hunt, Brian Turner and more.
Another of her achievements has been winning the National Rural Women’s Ministry for Primary Industry’s short story and photographic competition, and she has had one of her pre-teen stories included in a Level 1 Literacy Learning Workbook - an ESA New Zealand textbook for secondary students.
Day began writing full time after moving to the Marlborough Sounds in 2010.
The launch of her new books both printed in New Zealand by CreateBooks will take place at Opotiki Paper Plus between 5.30 and 6.30pm next Wednesday.
Children are to be accompanied by an adult.