Balingup Primary School student Tessa Boswell beat out more than 5300 students from across the state for her artwork to be featured in a new picture book published for National Children’s Book Week recently.
Tessa’s illustration was one of 21 chosen for the book, If I Met a Baboon Who Lost His Balloon written by teacher and author Sean Avery, through Therapy Focus’ annual art competition.
Tessa said she was ‘very surprised’ to have her artwork chosen for the story.
“I was looking through the book and saw all these great drawings and then I got to mine, and I think it was pretty great too,” she said.
As part of the Book Week celebrations, Tessa and her family had the chance to travel to Perth for the launch of the book, allowing her to meet the other winners.
Mr Avery said the book, which used rhyming narrative, focuses on themes of inclusion by following the journey of a hero who helped different animals with their problems.
“In a digital world where people are feeling more lost and lonely than ever before, I feel it's so important to help remind people that they matter,” he said.
“Drawing pictures to compliment words is a wonderful way to deepen understanding. I'm always excited to see the many different ways kids interpret words and themes like inclusion in a story.”
A complimentary copy of If I Met a Baboon Who Lost His Balloon will also be made available to every primary school across the state, thanks to the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation.
