Children's book author Ashley Spires draws inspiration from real life
Wanyee Li | CBC News | Posted: April 25, 2016 1:47 PM | Last Updated: April 25, 2016
'I pinch myself everyday — I can’t believe I get to do this for a living.'
Children's book author and illustrator Ashley Spires says telling stories that give children the confidence to pursue their dreams is an especially rewarding part of the job.
She will be touring schools on Vancouver Island leading up to her presentation at the annual BookFest on May 7 in Nanaimo.
Spires has written and illustrated 12 books so far, and has helped illustrate a number of other books.
Parents may be familiar with the author, whose books have become commonplace in schools and libraries across Canada.
It's the career the Ladner resident has dreamt about since she read her first Roald Dahl book when she was nine years old.
"I pinch myself everyday — I can't believe I get to do this for a living," Spires told North by Northwest host, Sheryl MacKay.
'That book came from me'
Spires says ideas for Small Saul, Binky The Space Cat, Overscheduled-Andrew came from real-life experiences about childhood bullying.
The Most Magnificent Thing, her book about overcoming the downsides of perfectionism, hits especially close to home says Spires.
"That book came from me."
She hopes the story of a girl who learns to never give up on making the 'most magnificent thing' inspires children.
"It's amazing, especially when it's a topic like this that I believe in," said Spires, about writing and illustrating books for youth.
"If I had grown up reading books like this — about how you might not always get it right but it doesn't mean you can't do it — if I had had that knowledge, who knows maybe I would have landed in this career just a little bit earlier."
Something for the parents
Spires says she tries to include some inside jokes for parents too in her books.
"If there's something in there for the parents, just like Pixar does with their movies...there needs to be that two-level humour so that everybody can enjoy it," she said.
"So yes, I 'snuck' quite a few things in there."
With files from North by Northwest