Poppy Makes Pockets by Jemima Parker,
ill. Karen Erasmus
Publisher: EK Books
Jemima Parker writes about her debut picture, Poppy Makes Pockets for Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog
Walking without pockets: The inspiration behind Jemima Parker’s debut picture book, Poppy Makes Pockets.
When my niece was young, we loved to go walking. Long, rambling walks around the block or to the local sports oval, getting to know the neighbourhood together. Our explorations were punctuated with regular stops. Moments of wonder and close inspection. The discovery of treasure: A glossy feather, a heart-shaped pebble, or the perfect stick. A precious object that helped catalogue my niece’s experience of the world around us.
At first, my niece would hold onto her find, poring over it as we set off again. But soon, both of her hands would be required to investigate something else. The rough bark of a tree. The soft fur of a friendly pup. Or another treasure that absolutely must come home with us. An acorn. A leaf. A seedpod.
An urgent cry of, ‘Carry this, please!’
Then a treasure would be pressed into my hand with a fervent request that I mustn’t lose it. And on we’d go.
On a good-treasure day, this might happen several times. Until eventually, we’d turn and head for home, our hands full of the day’s finds.
Sometimes, there were distractions on the way back. A stop for a coffee and a babycino, or a dash to the nearest toilet. And sometimes, these distractions led to a little pile of much-loved treasures being left behind.
A look of horror would cross my face as my niece would ask at home for her special rock – and I’d realise with a sinking feeling it had been left behind. At the café, resting beside the sink in the public restroom, or on the pavement where we’d stopped to tie a shoelace.
Our good-treasure day would turn to a bad-treasure day, just like that.
‘Pockets,’ I’d mutter, observing our almost-always pocketless outfits. ‘Why don’t we ever have pockets?’
So, for my niece’s next birthday, I made her a special pair of treasure-collecting trousers. They had two large, brightly coloured patch pockets – perfect for carrying all her treasures. My niece was delighted. And even better, was empowered to collect and carry whatever she wanted to – making for many good-treasure days.
Observing that so few of my niece’s clothes had pockets, then watching her enjoy the pockets I had crafted for her was the spark behind my debut picture book, Poppy Makes Pockets.
What if, I thought …
What if there was a little girl that loved walking and collecting treasures, but like most girls, never had practical pockets to carry her findings? And what if, she got creative, making her own pockets? Then what if she got so creative, she made pockets for her whole neighbourhood?
Enter Poppy, and her pocket-making adventure!
As someone who has been sewing and reading for as long as I can remember, Poppy Makes Pockets brings together two of my passions – textiles and books. It introduces kids to upcycling, celebrates community, and most importantly, promotes the joy of pockets.
My hope is that Poppy and the wonderful ‘How to sew your own pockets’ endpapers by illustrator Karen Erasmus will empower young readers to create and enjoy their very own pockets.
Poppy Makes Pockets at EK Books
Jemima Parker is a Canberra-based creative working across disciplines. She is a visual arts and law graduate, and spends her days as a communications professional. Jemima is passionate about writing and illustrating for children. She loves dogs, telling stories and coffee – all the coffee. Her picture books are coming soon with Scholastic Australia and EK Books.
Visit Jemima at: jemima parker
Thanks to Romi Sharp, Publicist KEAN & Creative
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