Interview with Shelly Higgs!
It’s a pleasure to talk again with multi-talented debut picture book author, actor and playwright, Shelly Higgs about her empowering and heartfelt new release, Poppy’s Monster; a reassuring and colourful book about overcoming anxiety.
Congratulations (again) on the release of Poppy’s Monster, Shelly!
Anxiety comes in many forms, and you’ve brilliantly highlighted a few ways this can feel to young children through your character, Poppy. What do you hope readers will take away most from this book?
Poppy has a monster that takes up all the space in her head and crams the good thoughts out. When he’s around, her legs start to wobble, the noise turns up and her heart beats fast. The only thing that makes him go away is holding hands. But Poppy can’t hold hands forever. This story is about resilience, strength and the power of imagination. I think this book can act as one little step towards acknowledging that sometimes some things are harder for some people than they are for others, and that’s okay. I love that it permits children to take charge and help themselves – because I think we all need to do more to empower kids at a young age.
How did this story come about from your own personal or family experiences?
My daughter Evie found it difficult to go to school (and this was during Covid times!). Nothing worked to abate her anxiety. We had to hold her hand and physically hand her to the teacher on duty. We used to talk about her having a little fear monster in her head and that she needed to boss him around and shove him in the cupboard so he didn’t have control all the time. Evie loved the idea of a monster cartoon in her head, but it still didn’t help. Then one day, Evie’s older sister (watching yet another morning of crying and anxiety) grabbed her by the shoulders, looked her in the eye and said – ‘Evie, you don’t have to shove him in the cupboard. Just take his hand and walk in with him!’ It sounds really simple, but that slight change from not fighting it, to accepting her fear made all the difference. She went in by herself every day after that. It still gives me goosebumps remembering it.
Why do you think it’s important for children to recognise their fear or anxiety, and how might they approach this positively?
Every single person experiences worry, fear or anxiety at some stage or another. I think this book resonates because it gives a very visceral understanding of what that feels like in our bodies and it acknowledges that it is normal for us all to sometimes feel afraid. For those kids who have a lot of worries, recognising they are not alone will help them feel validated, and they will be able to discover another tool to help.
Your illustrator, Francesca Costa, has done a superb job of bringing to life this once arbitrary monster character (without being too scary!) and turning the journey of overcoming anxiety into a colourful and playful experience. What do you love most about her work, and what was the collaboration process like?
It was difficult being so separate from the illustration process, as I’ve worked in theatre for the past 20 years, and that is much more collaborative. However, I love how Francesca’s illustrations show the monster hiding in the shadows until Poppy visualises him, and that’s when we first get to see him properly. The cover design is great. I think night time can be a universally scary time for children, and I love that Poppy is holding her teddy close, with the sense of a big presence next to her. Sometimes not knowing is much worse than being able to face what you’re afraid of head-on.
What do you hope your plays, stories and writing brings to your audiences?
Through my stories I want children to feel validated, to feel empowered, and most importantly I want them to embrace their most powerful tool – their imaginations.
Thank you, Shelly! The power of imagination is such an important tool! Congratulations on imagining up the journey of Poppy’s Monster! 🙂
About the Author
Shelly Higgs first entered storytelling by telling fibs as a child. It’s not clear whether her parents believed these lies, but they were unsurprised by the career choices that followed: actor, theatre director, playwright, dramaturg.
Shelly has entertained audiences as a giant frog, wrestled words of acclaimed playwrights, led theatre shows across Australia, and won numerous awards for photography. She has just completed her first feature film (in the thriller comedy genre and very inappropriate for children) and lives in Canberra, Australia with her 4 kids, husband and a menagerie of pets. She has just completed a Graduate Diploma in Psychology, and is currently inspired to combine her understanding of people with the power of imagination.
Please find Shelly Higgs at her website: www.shellyhiggs.com and on Instagram.
Please find Francesca Costa at her website: Francesca Costa Illustrator – Illustratrice di libri per bambini
Poppy’s Monster is available for purchase through Shelly’s website. More information at Starfish Bay Children’s Publishing.
Come and take Poppy’s hand on this comforting journey with Poppy’s Monster and Shelly Higgs, empowering readers across the blogosphere!
#authorinterview #poppysmonster #anxiety #acceptance #picturebook #justkidslit
To join in this promotion or for book marketing enquiries please contact info.booksontour@gmail.com
