Evie And The Bushfire (2021)

Evie and the Bushfire is a new picture book that tells the story of Evie, a spirit girl who embodies hope. She doesn’t want to believe that hope can be destroyed in the aftermath of a bushfire.

It is clear that a lot of effort went into the pencil-drawn illustrations. They are very detailed, and are full of browns, blacks, yellows, reds, and oranges. Evie is always coloured white, symbolising her hopefulness, purity, innocence, and simplicity. Jet James, the artist behind the drawings, displays quite a talent.

The text is not quite how I would have written it, but it is still a good read.

A Q&A with Becky Westbrook, the author of Evie and the Bushfire

How would you describe yourself?

An eternal dreamer!

Evie.

Tell me a bit about your background.

I am blessed with an inspiring husband and three beautiful, nature-loving children. The kids are at great ages and we are enjoying doing many outdoor adventures with them.

I’m a student of life! I’m a trained tour guide and swimming instructor, but I believe my greatest education has come from travelling, reading, and learning from others. I love learning about a variety of things.

I volunteer for Birdlife Australia in my spare time. Protecting wildlife is one of my greatest passions.

When did you first start writing? When did you decide that you wanted to ‘be a writer’?

I started writing stories as soon as I could write! I loved to come home after school, lay on my bedroom floor and write chapter after chapter of stories that I created in my imagination. I always knew I wanted to be a writer even as a young girl. It took me until I had children of my own to finally have the courage to commit to my dreams.

Who would you say are your writing influences / inspirations?

I grew up reading Enid Blyton, John Marsden, and in my teens, I discovered all of Dad’s Wilbur Smith books, which enthralled me with all the adventure and faraway places. I love how Enid brings magic into children’s lives in her books and creates impossibilities amongst ordinary lives. Mum and Dad always had the house filled with books of all kinds and for all ages, which has certainly influenced my own reading and writing style.

How would you describe the story of Evie and the Bushfire in your own words?

Evie and the Bushfire is a story of hope and resilience after disaster. A touch of magic in a very sensitive story hopefully helps to guide readers to the largely positive message of the book.

Evie and the Bushfire deals with bushfire recovery, resilience and trauma. What was the fascination and reason for you to attempt these topics?

My home, Kangaroo Island, was devastated by bushfire last summer and it affected every single person I know on the island. Most of my friends lost everything, and most of them have children at a similar age to my own. I knew some of them were struggling with the enormity of the disaster, just like other children around Australia, and even around the world now too. One of my good friends told me she just wished there was a book that she could read to her children to help them recover. I thought if I could write a book that could help even just one kid, or their parents, to get through such a huge trauma, then it would be worth it.

I also saw our community come together in such a way that I felt it needed to be honoured. I felt like they all needed to know about all the incredible things that fire can’t take away. Evie and the Bushfire is for the parents reading it as much as it is for the children.

Evie is a spirit girl who lives around the edges of community. Why did you choose to create her this way, and what was your muse?

I felt I needed a person or animal to represent hope, to show how it is usually present in everyone’s life and how it can be taken away through trauma. Following Enid Blyton’s lead, I wanted to create someone who was a bit magical but also connected to nature as we all are. Evie is hope. The community knows hope (Evie) before the fire, yet after the fire she doesn’t exist to anyone as they witness the enormity of the destruction. This is truly how it felt on our island home. As the days and weeks went on, hope did start to trickle in for our community as we received a home-cooked meal, witnessed the generosity of neighbours, saw a green shoot, or heard a bird sing. I felt that Evie could best represent hope coming back into the hearts of the people as she could be seen again. Jet James illustrated this incredibly through his artworks, too.

Evie and the Bushfire is a book for young children about a serious and emotional subject. What do you hope it gives parents and children alike?

A lone fireman battles a devastating bushfire.

I really hope that the ultimate message that comes through is that of hope and community. I also hope the book acknowledges the courage and bravery not only of the adults of our community, but also the children. I saw a lot of brave children in our community after the fires and they are all so inspiring. I didn’t want to shy away from how traumatic the disaster was either, so the book does include the destruction of a horrifying bushfire, and it has to really honour what people have been through and how incredible they are.

What are your writing habits?

I would say I’m a sporadic writer but an everyday reader! I write when I really feel something. I have tried to write everyday but then it feels like a chore, a ‘must do’. I write with inspiration.

Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? And if so, how do you overcome it?

Yes, of course! I have found the best way to overcome this is to change the environment. If it’s not happening at the kitchen table, then I’ll move to the front deck, or better yet, in the bush with the birds cheering me on!

Have you had any interesting or surprising reader responses to your work?

My favourite response to Evie and the Bushfire was that of my good friend whose children needed something to read to help them after their experience of loss. She said, “We snuggled up on the bed together, we read the book, we cried together and learned and loved.”’ Isn’t that what healing is all about?

What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in what you are writing, then no one else will.

Becky Westbrook

Becky Westbrook was born and raised on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Her childhood was spent hiking, swimming, and exploring wild places. She began writing stories as a young girl. After becoming a mother, she was inspired to write stories for them that would fill them with a love for wild places, hope for their future, and compassion for others. Her first book Children of the Wild is based on many of her own childhood experiences in nature and is a testimony to protecting the few remaining wild places left on Earth.

Jet James

Jet James is an award-winning Australian artist recognised for printmaking, painting, and mixed media artworks. Jet has won many accolades including a shortlisting in the National Youth Portrait Prize of Australia, Winner of the Charles Ware, National Young Artist Award. In 2015, he was selected as one of the leading printmakers for an exhibition in New Zealand.