A Moray childminder became aware of difficulties in explaining to children why a cat she had adopted was so nervous in their presence.
Her answer was to create a story around Nemo the indoor cat – and now the idea has become what she hopes will be the beginnings of a successful career as a children’s author.
“Nemo and Giraffe” is based on the antics of Nemo the real life indoor cat and is the first in a series of books whose aim is to help young children form positive relationships with cats and all pets, learning how to care for them from a very young age.
The series will strive to teach valuable life lessons including those of friendship – and will also aim to promote animal rights and welfare.
The book is the work of Lee Hunter who works daily with children under five years of age in the comfort of her own home in Elgin. Lee said: “I believe that if children can understand and be aware of the appropriate treatment of animals at a young age it can stay with them and benefit them throughout life.
“I’m currently a local childminder and work daily with children, but a great struggle for me within my childcare setting is teaching the children to be considerate of our cat, Nemo, and how he may become frightened if they scream, jump or grab him.
“By promoting their awareness of his feelings they are able to not only improve their behaviour but also their awareness of themselves and others.”
Lee initially gained funding for her book project through a successful ‘Kickstarter’ online crowdfunding campaign. She explained: “That allowed me to employ an illustrator and start the process of self-publishing.
“I now have the book stocked on Amazon Worldwide in both a paperback and Kindle edition. It is also available via Createspace and will be available for expanded distribution through Createspace Direct and Ingram.”
People can use link to the Amazon store for a preview of “Nemo and Giraffe”
More information on Lee’s work can also be discovered on her childminding website.