Maltese holiday inspires children’s book

Thursday 14 August 2014

A Jersey-based woman has written her first book based on the creatures and landscapes she encountered on holiday in Malta.

Emma-Louise Nash, 29, decided to write the ‘Gozie and Friends’ five years ago while visiting her mother who lives on the island of Gozo.

The books are set in a villa called Razzett Lelluza, in the village of Xaghra, and feature a dragonfly called Gozie, and his friends.

Emma said: “It is such a beautiful place and the villa is surrounded by wildlife. Every day we would get different creatures dropping by. There was always a dragonfly and stray cats. I was so inspired by this that I decided to put pen to paper and write about it.”

Illustrated by Piers Bois, the books are aimed at three to nine year-olds and explore the values of ‘friendship, teamwork and the rewards they can bring.’

In the first book, ‘Gozie’s Eventful Day’, Gozie’s wings are stolen by a kitten called Mixie. His friends have to work together to find a way to get them back. The second book, ‘Henry’s Visit’ sees Gozie and his friends meet Henry the snake, who travelled to Gozo from Malta in the mouth of a bird.

Emma, who was born in London but who has lived in Jersey since 2008, initially wrote the book as a present for her mother. She said: “When I wrote the first book five years ago I didn’t think I would publish it. I finished it about a year later and got the illustrations done. Then I showed it to my godchildren and to some friends’ children and they really enjoyed it. So I decided to bring it to a wider audience.”

As well as working in customer relations, Emma is planning more Gozie adventures to add to the series.

Gozie and Friends in Gozie’s Eventful Day and Gozie and Friends in Henry’s Visit (£8.99, paperback), are available from selected bookshops and to order through www.emmalouisenash.com