Figtree dad Robert Young found his son losing interest in books – so he wrote one. Photo: Robert Young.
When Figtree dad Robert Young saw his son begin to lose interest in books, he knew he had to do something.
Rob, who works in communications, always wanted to share his love of words with his children.
His elder child was an avid reader, but something just wasn’t clicking for his younger one.
It became more evident during COVID, when lockdowns meant the family was spending lots of time together.
It’s tough for even the best picture book to compete against the allure of a screen – but Robert thought he had the solution.
“With the emergence of technology, it can be challenging to get little ones engaged with a book, but it’s so important for developing imagination and creativity,” he said.
“If you can get a child interested in reading, they’re going to be a reader for life, and that’s one of the best gifts I can give my children.
“I thought a story dad wrote might be more compelling, so I decided to give it a crack.”
Rob drew inspiration from books his children already loved.
He didn’t have an idea of what the story would be about, but when he sat down it tumbled right out.
“I wanted the story to rhyme because one of his favourite books was The Gruffalo, so it had that cadence and rhythm and fun,” he said.
“That’s where I started – ‘A frog and a dog sat on a log’ is the first line.
“It just flowed. I wrote 90 per cent of it in about three days. Before I knew it, I had 500 words of rhyming verse that told the story of a magical lemon pie tree.
“I was able to let my imagination run wild a little bit, and that’s not something we get to do very often as adults. I loved it.”
Robert spent another month or so finessing the final few lines of the story before he read it to his family.
The magical lemon pie tree comes to life and teaches the animals of the forest about the value of sharing.
Although he had written it to read to the children, his wife, Natalie, encouraged him to get it published.
The story was picked up by award-winning, independent Australian publishing house Starfish Bay Publishing and transformed into a children’s picture book. It is aimed at children from preschool to year 2, with the words brought to life by French illustrator Sandrine Olivier.
Rob said his most important readers were chuffed with the finish product.
“Inside the front cover, it says ‘For Zali and Madden’; they were over the moon,” Rob said.
“The illustrator brought it to life perfectly. It’s got a bright, vibrant feel and it’s just fun to read.”
The Lemon Pie Tree brought back the magic of reading for Rob’s son. The family now loves to read Pig the Pug, Grug, and Thelma the Unicorn, and has even embarked on the first Harry Potter book.
Rob hopes it will inspire other kids, too – and his creative streak has continued, with a sequel already written.
To buy a signed copy, head to www.thelemonpietree.com. It is also available through Amazon Books, other online retailers and bookstores.
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