Review : the little raindrop

The little raindrop is published by Top that publishing and writen by Joanna Gray.  It tells the story of the journey of the little raindrop as he falls from the sky.  It is a beautifully written story which my girls both enjoy.  The illustrations in the book are in a soft pastel and beautifully complement the story.  My girls and I enjoy reading the little raindrop and it is fast becoming one of the girls favourite.

the little raindrop

I was very lucky to meet Joanna at one of her book signings and we arranged an interview

Looking back on your experience from concept to publishing what has been your biggest unexpected positive experience?
This is my first book so I didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the publishing process.  So much of it has been enjoyable, the initial email to offer me a contract, the first time I saw the illustrations, and of course the best moment was holding my book in my hands for the very first time. However, in hindsight, all of that was really to be expected.

The thing that has amazed me, continues to surprise me, and is the most unexpected, is the level of support I have received from people. My family and friends have been fantastic, but so have my work colleagues, friends of friends, and amazingly, (to me at least) complete strangers on Twitter.  I only recently joined Twitter and have found some fantastic people on there.  There is a real sense of community and I have enjoyed becoming a part of it.

What are your 3 children's 'Must read books' and your 3 adult 'Must read'?
I don’t really want to have ‘Must Read’ books as everyone is so different and different things appeal to different people.  When I read adult books I read purely for the love of the story, and to get away from the real world for a while.  I tend to read fantasy books so, for me, any Juliet Marillier or David Gemmel book is a ‘Must ‘Read’ but I appreciate they are not for everyone.

Similarly with children’s books, I love any that make my children laugh or engage them in any way.  The three that we’ve read time and time again that I still really enjoy reading are; “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt” by Michael Rosen, “Tiddler the Story Telling Fish” by Julia Donaldson and “Morris the Mankiest Monster” by Giles Andreae.

If you could have anyone in the world read your book and record it to audio book whose voice would you like?
We love audio books, in fact I’ve heard “Tiddler” more times than I’ve actually read it as we listen to it in the car a lot.  I’ve found the voice of the person reading the story can totally my perception of a book, in either a positive or negative way so it would have to be someone pretty cool.  This is a bit random but I’d like P!nk to read it.  She is an amazing artist and can do such a range of songs, it would be great to have her try something a bit different with a book.

Who would you most love to sit next to at a dinner party?
My husband!  At the moment we are both really busy and it would be lovely to sit down for a meal with him and talk without the children around!

What was the inspiration that drove you to make the decision to pursue a dream?
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to write a book but as I grew up I became more mathematically focussed (in my ‘real’ job I’m an analyst) and I found I didn’t have the ideas I needed to write a book.  Then, after having my eldest son and spending countless hours enjoying reading books to him I began to start thinking about writing again, and ideas starting floating around in my head.  The Little Raindrop was an idea that came to me as I was trying to get to sleep one night.  I’d noticed that all children grow up knowing a caterpillar turns into a butterfly so I was thinking about all the other amazing things that happen in nature, and it all went from there.


What advice would you give to those wanting to publish their own books?
Just having an idea and writing it down on paper isn’t enough. Research how to write a book, re-read your story after leaving it for a day or two, and then get as many people as possible to read it once you are happy with it.  You are never going to get it right first time so be open to constructive criticism. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but believe in yourself and don’t give up.

Looking back over your publishing journey finish the sentence, This Day I Love......
Reading my story to children and interacting with them

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