I have been working on this book for about four years, beginning with Feets and finishing it just in time for Bean to enjoy. I admit, Bean cracked her colours a month or two before I could show her the finished book, but she has hugely enjoyed having a book featuring our shoes and family, requesting it about three times a day for the first week or so.I'm pretty happy, all in all. There are plenty of imperfections, but I was keen to let go of some of the perfectionism that takes hold when something starts to go well. And I was determined to finish!
My biggest learning curves ... it really is time that I started making a dummy book to test the colours and space before I make the actual thing. So much of the success of this book is down to luck, and there are a few pages that have just a bit too much space in them. More practically, I've discovered that poster paint tends to peel after a time. It's not designed to be used in enduring hand-made children's books!
And my next steps ... well, I think it's time to move on from board books - my children are growing up fast. This is pretty daunting - I'm going to need a lot more than eight pages in my next book!Before I do so, I plan to make three copies of the book to share with a couple of other special children.
I will share the full story soon.
