By Jessica Anstice
Berwick author David Chalmers is celebrating the release of his first children’s book today, 28 February.
The Boy with a Fox on his Head is for children of all ages and explores the idea of bringing his son Rio’s fantasies to life.
“The inspiration for writing the book came from being a full-time dad,” Mr Chalmers said.
“We would spend hours deep in adventure reading books and playing games together.”
The Boy with a Fox on his Head is the first book Mr Chalmers has written about his son and his soft toy fox, known as ‘Foxy’.
“Foxy was always with him and he was literally never without it, in fact there was a six month period where he wanted to have Foxy permanently on his head no matter what he was doing,” Mr Chalmers said.
“He (Rio) became known in our family as the boy with the fox on his head.
“I wrote the story based on these true events.”
Mr Chalmers has written two more books which he hopes to have published this year.
“I feel extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with my son and being able to inspire his incredible imagination has been such a privileged experience,” he said.
“It is something I wish for all parents and I am grateful to be able to share this story with everyone.”
A special edition copy of The Boy with the Fox on his Head was donated to the Berwick library.
“It is a dream of mine to write children’s books full-time and share the wonder of a child’s imagination with the world,” he added.
The book is available on Amazon, Booktopia, Waterstones and the publisher’s website Austin Macaulay.
