LAURETTA REID, 29
Zoom! (2003)
Zoom!, a book about a girl who wreaks havoc in a “nice, new 92-speed, black, silver and red dirt-bike wheelchair,” was based on a story written at the request of six-year-old Lauretta Reid.
ROBERT MUNSCH was my favourite author. My mom was attending a conference for work, and Robert happened to be a guest speaker at the event. I had written him a letter to ask if he would be willing to come up with a story for me about a kid who uses a wheelchair, like I did. I included a photo of myself in the letter and my mom passed it on to him.
All the stories I had read about kids with disabilities had some sort of moral to them—“I can do what you can do” sort of thing. Stories like that make it seem as if the disability is the most important thing about the person. It’s a positive message for kids, but I just wanted to read a fun story about a person with a disability.
A few weeks after my mom gave Robert my letter, we received the first draft of the story in the mail. I didn’t think it would eventually be published as a book. At one point, we attended a live storytelling event and he recognized me in the audience. He said if he ever turned the story into a book, he would dedicate it to me. Every once in a while, we would get a new draft in the mail. He would include a note saying he had made a few changes and ask what I thought of them.
In 2003, Robert emailed to say the story was going to become a book, and asked if he could come meet me and my parents to take photos. He spent the weekend with us and visited my school. He was incredibly friendly and giving. Everything that shines through about Robert in his books is exactly who he is.
After the book came out, I attended lots of signings, interviews and fundraisers. That experience opened doors for me. It was surreal. Suddenly, I was going places and getting recognized as the girl from Zoom! It was as though people saw me in a different light. I wasn’t just a person in a wheelchair anymore; I was the kid in the book. It didn’t matter anymore that I have a disability.
‘All the stories I had read about kids with disabilities had some sort of moral. I just wanted a fun story.’