Jess Leffley-Middleton always wanted to be an artist, but she never envisioned she would one day be a published author and illustrator.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
This year, 'I is for Ibis' was launched by self-publishing and has been loved by local school children.
"I've sold about 300 copies so far," Ms Leffley-Middleton said.
"And I've got the order that's coming in - 10 per cent of those are already pre-ordered."
READ MORE:
Ms Leffley-Middleton grew up in the Lithgow area, moved away and returned after a few years.
It was when she had her daughter that Ms Leffley-Middleton decided to educate her about native birds.
l had a C-section, and I wasn't meant to do much, but I always like to be doing things," she said.
"I'd been drawing birds, so I thought I'll make a poster for my daughter's bedroom of Australian birds."
According to Ms Leffley-Middleton, it was a more challenging task than she had originally anticipated.
"It was actually incredibly hard to find one for each letter. So it turned into this massive research project. And so I did the A to Z poster," Ms Leffley-Middleton said.
"When people were asking me about the poster, I was telling them all of these facts about these birds, because I had to research it, just to get the graphic."
The poster idea evolved into a book at the suggestion of a friend, which Ms Leffley-Middleton considered due to her past as a librarian.
"I was a primary school librarian, and I love making really silly rhymes about things.
"So I was like, I'm gonna give that a crack."
Ms Leffley-Middleton said she wanted to make her book memorable, and what better way was there to do it than making the title bird the beloved "bin chicken".
"The verse I wrote in the book for the ibis is one I wanted to stand out," Ms Leffley-Middleton said.
"I is for Ibis, bin chicken some might say, but they've only dived in bins for food since their wetlands were taken away."
Ms Leffley-Middleton said she was an avid lover of birds and passionate about their survival.
"I'm a particularly big fan of a lot of the birds that people don't like or have really negative connotations towards," Ms Leffley-Middleton said.
"I just think it's so amazing how the human race can do all these horrible things to nature, and then somehow, it's this animal that becomes the villain."
Ms Leffley-Middleton has been touring local schools to undertake presentations and readings of 'I is for Ibis' to the children, which has been well received.
"It has been amazing. So I had Cullen Bullen last week. They really loved it and I had some really great questions," Ms Leffley-Middleton said.
"Apparently, since I was there a lot of them have been trying their hand at being an author, or drawing birds.
"I've been getting lots of really positive comments, messages and emails from parents and teachers as well saying that they're inspired and encouraged, which is super cool."
Ms Leffley-Middleton said the Book Week presentations have been incredibly special for her because she was able to showcase the book she had written for her daughter.
"To me, Book Week's like Christmas, I love it. Dressing up and everything.
"So, I wrote this book for Ziggy and have the first Book Week with my first kids book, it's incredible."
Ms Leffley-Middleton's next goal was to take 'I is for Ibis' to a national scale.
"I want to even go to schools in the mountains or out west as well to do the author talks as well," she said.
More information on 'I is for Ibis' can be found at Bird Girl Creations online, www.birdgirlcreations.com.
Reidun Berntsen
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
Reidun is a Journalist and writer who lives in a country town 3 hours from Sydney, Australia. From a young age, Reidun has been in love with words and the infinite possibilities they bring. Stories, features and poems have been a major part of her writing career.
