A local author will take readers across Vancouver Island on an educational adventure with her new children’s book.
Huxley’s Island Adventures by Haley Healey follows a curious cat that gets lost on a camping trip and has to find its way home through some of Vancouver Island’s most recognizable places.
“We always hear these amazing true stories of pets making these crazy long-distance journeys back to their owners and I though how neat would it be to do a Vancouver Island journey home and represent a variety of water and land environments that we have on the Island and in the Pacific Northwest,” said Healey, adding she was inspired to write this book by her love of pets, books and nature.
Healy is a high school counsellor who has written and published multiple books, mostly non-fiction.
“This one was completely different to create – first of all because it came from my imagination. The other books are about real people and real things,” she said.
She began by looking at a map of Vancouver Island to create a route for the curious fictional cat that would allow readers to see a variety of Island environments.
“The best part of it was getting to include my favourite places on the Island. Rathtrevor Beach, Stamp River, Long Beach, Kennedy Lake and Cathedral Grove and then getting to include some of my personal favourite plants and animals,” she said.
The book includes a nature guide to teach readers about what Huxley sees throughout the journey. Healey said she was sure to include common plants and animals, such as cedar trees and hummingbirds, as well as less common ones like pink mountain heather, which only grows in alpine environments.
Victoria-based artist Kimiko Fraser illustrated the book. She has worked with Healey on Her Courage Rises: 50 Trailblazing Women of British Columbia and the Yukon and the Trailblazing Canadians series. The artist uses watercolour, digital mediums, ink and tea to create her illustrations and is inspired by plants, history and folklore.
Healey said she enjoyed creating a children’s book for the first time and sharing it with her three-year-old and nieces.
She is working on another book about trailblazing women in Prairie provinces and said a similar book to Huxley’s Island Adventure is in the works, this time focusing on marine environments.
There will be a book launch on April 26 at 1 p.m. at Country Club Centre in front of the Children’s Treehouse store. The book can be found in local bookstores such as Windowseat Books in Nanaimo and Fireside Books in Parksville.
