Becoming a published author is a dream that many secretly harbour, and few realise.
But a group of students from Armadale Primary School have done just that.
There was standing room only last Wednesday at the book launch of Wild WA – a collaboration between local artist, writer, and teacher Sophia Lark and 60 Year 4 students from the school.
The project became feasible through a state government Creativity for Schools grant.
For two terms the children worked with Sophia crafting striking pastel illustrations of wildlife endemic to Western Australia, and accompanying poems.
They also liaised with the Kanyana Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre to gather facts about each creature.
The result is a vibrant 132-page, A4-sized, full-colour, alphabetised anthology which documents our unique fauna through the eyes of children.
“Wild WA is an attempt to speak for the earth,” Sophia said.
“This project has allowed me to combine my love of art, and of children’s books and the environment. It has been an absolute joy and a privilege.
“I’m so proud of these kids – they really exceeded all expectations.
“The most rewarding part of this project has been watching [them] stand back after finishing their artwork, with joy and pride in their eyes, and be able to say ‘I did that’.”
The finished book really is testament to each child’s creativity; each student had autonomy over the animal they chose and how their page looked. And most went through around 10 drafts of their work before they were satisfied it was ready for publishing.
Ayvah Brown was pleasantly surprised to see her beautiful depiction of a motorbike frog showcased on the front cover.
“At home I was drawing frogs 24/7 to prepare myself,” she said. “I saw the picture in my mind first and then started with the outline of the frog and built up the layers.
“I’m excited and also nervous to see what people think about the book. I hope they think it’s amazing that this was made by students.”
The book was officially launched at the Armadale District Hall by the founder of The Literature Centre and Writing WA Chair Lesley Reece AM. And each student was presented with their own copy of the book by Education Minister Tony Buti.
“This is yours to have and to hold and to pass down to children in your family for generations to come,” Lesley Reece said.
“I can honestly say that nothing has made me as nervous or as joyful as launching this book today. Because I’m launching a book made by the people who will write our stories of the future.”
Ms Reece said she was thrilled to see a children’s book of this calibre making its mark on the local literature landscape and applauded Sophia Lark’s determination to see the project through to completion.
“Sophia had a vision to show these children that they could be authors and illustrators,” she said.
“She’s a gifted artist, and writer, but she’s also a gifted teacher too; she knew how to get the children to produce their best work.
“It’s an exceptional book of exceptional quality. Really, it’s a pro forma for how these sorts of projects should be done.”
Next year Sophia plans to produce another book with students from the Gwynne Park Education Support Centre.
Wild WA will soon be available at local libraries, and for purchase. To find out more, visit https://sophiazielinski.wordpress.com/
Photographs – Richard Polden
