Mom’s first book for young a gentle look at kids’ moods
Illustrated work began to flow during her maternity leave
East London’s Lucia Walker has written her debut self-published children’s book, titled Grumpasaurus.
Born in Parkside but based in Johannesburg, the mother-ofthree’s book is based on her two sons and aimed at four- to eightyear-olds.
“It comes from children’s moods — my children are moody.
“When my eight-year-old gets sulky I say, ‘you’re becoming a Grumpasaurus ’— a cute way to identify a mood and that’s how the book title came about.”
While on maternity leave in 2019 with her third child, Walker spent more time with her children — and kept a closer eye on their interaction with technology devices.
“This gave me the idea for
Grumpasaurus, and I started typing away at the story on my computer whenever I had a free moment.”
The book’s theme is how children’s moods change when they rely on devices for playtime, sibling love and other forms of entertainment.
When the main character Jet’s Friday afternoon of playing on the TV and tablet does not go according to plan, he turns into Grumpasaurus, and is forced to find other ways of entertaining himself, including spending time with his brother.
“I’ve always had itchy hands to write a book, but didn’t know what type of book I wanted to write. It took my son to point me in the right direction.
“He told an acquaintance that I was a writer when she inquired what my occupation was,” she said.
On the challenges of self-publishing and distribution, Walker said initially her main aim was about leaving a legacy for her own children.
“Once the book was in production, I did research on publishers and stumbled upon an amazing publisher for kiddies’ books in SA, and I began wanting to share it with other parents and children instead of it just sitting on my bookshelf,” Walker said.
But her initial publisher of choice did not work out, and Walker continued her research and eventually decided to go the self-published route.
“I wanted it to work. My aim isn’t to make money; it’s to share the story. There are also some strict boundaries within distribution and I wanted to have control over the book,” she said.
For illustrations, Walker contacted East London graphic designer Julia Pols, who was able to interpret her vision.
“I loved the aesthetic we agreed upon and I was excited to get going.
“This has definitely been one of my favourite projects,” Pols said.
Walker said: “The story transformed during the illustration process and with every page Julia shared with me, my enthusiasm grew.”
Johannesburg counsellor Brenda Leemans, who owns the Chameleon Play Therapy centre, said she found the message therapeutic.
“It gives parents an idea on how to talk to their children about their moods. When you talk about a child’s behaviour, it’s a good idea to separate it from the child, and Grumpasaurus allows this to happen. I think it does a great job in building up a child’s selfworth.”
A writer for over 10 years, Walker has a background in journalism and public relations and is a Walter Sisulu University journalism graduate.