Childhood innocence is precious...
I love how funny and spontaneous children are, and how they respond to the world with wonder, love, and enthusiasm. Childhood innocence is precious, and we need to do all we can to protect our children from growing up too fast. I wrote Angelina Ballerina when my two daughters were four and six years old, and I was really struck by how much my girls were changing and learning every day. I started writing stories with all the challenges of childhood in mind: friendship problems, being sick, feeling jealous, angry, disappointed, etc. There are so many huge events and emotions when you’re growing up. I hope my books encourage children to talk about their feelings and learn to cope with them, and enjoy life too. Angelina and Twinkle are both joyful characters, and it makes me happy to think that my books inspire young children to enjoy dancing and playing like sparkly little ballerinas and fairies.
