#InterviewByBook with Mikah’s Big Move by Tabitha Page

Title: Mikah’s Big Move
Author: Tabitha J Page
Illustrator: Alexander Kulieshov
Publisher: NA
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Age Range: 3-7
Themes: Anxiety, Hearing Loss, Communication, Change, Courage

Dear Mikah,
It’s an honour to welcome you to our #InterviewByBook questionnaire!

Thank you for having me!

Let’s begin with ‘the plug’! Please tell us a bit about yourself in the most enticing way possible.

As the title of my story suggests, my name is Mikah (My-Kah) and I would have to say I am one of the cheekiest monkeys you ever will meet. I love my family, my friends and my home and have plenty of adventures to share with you all. I was born deaf and my family and I use sign language to communicate, which I think is pretty cool. I am hoping to find new friends who are just like me so that I can share my stories with them.

What makes you so endearing and inspiring?

I hope that by letting Tab share my stories and life with everybody, I can inspire even just one child who is just like me. Everybody gets a bit scared/anxious sometimes, everyone gets a bit upset, guess what? So do I! It’s normal and I want to show others how I work through my challenges. Being deaf I have some extra challenges, but I get through them in my own way and at my own pace, with plenty of help from my family of course. I hope that reading about how I do things, will help other children who can’t hear to know that they are not alone and that they can still do just as much as everyone else, just in a slightly different way 😊

How do you compare to other books in your approach / themes?

I am super cheeky and am an individual 😊 Just ask my mum!

Who do you think your author is most similar to in terms of writing style? Why?

Hmmmm not sure about that one, she is unique like I am, there is no one on the planet like her and that’s just how I like it. She writes with her own voice though, she writes about her own experiences, which I think is awesome.

What do you think of your illustrations / cover image? Do you have a favourite image? Why?

I love them! Alex (the man who drew me) did an amazing job making me look just like Tab wanted and he did a fantastic job of drawing me talking with my hands. My favourite is the page where I am waking up and having a bigggggg stretch!

What kind of effect have you had on your readers so far? What’s the craziest or most heart-warming thing someone has ever said about you?

Even though my story has not been published yet (it will be soon) I have already heard of a couple of little girls who love, love, loveeee me! One of the girls has trouble with her hearing too and she watched a video about me and said ‘Mikah is just like me!’ that was very exciting, and I can’t wait for her to read all about me.

Multiple Choice Question:
Who would you most like to be in the hands of?
a. Some totally famous author like Dr. Suess, Enid Blyton or Roald Dahl
b. Some totally famous Royal like The Queen, Prince William or the Princess of Pop
c. Some other-worldly creature that can spread the joy of your book across the entire universe
d. Some random kid you sat next to at the bus stop
e. Other. Would love to hear it!

I would love for my book to be in the hands of any child who is just like me! I can’t hear and there are lots of children all over the world just the same. I really hope that by sharing my stories, I can help a child to feel less alone and just a bit braver.

The Nitty Gritty:
Where is your home and where can we buy you?

I live at the zoo (but not one you can visit just yet).
You can visit Tab, my writers page to find out more about me
https://www.facebook.com/TPageWriter
or her website
https://www.tabithajeanpage.com/
and I even have my own page that you can visit 😊
https://www.facebook.com/MikahCan
As soon as my book is ready and for sale, it will be in all these places, so keep checking back 😊

Thanks so much for coming along and spilling all the deets about you! 😊

Thank you for letting me drop by and chat to you! I hope to see you on my page or hanging out (preferably in a tree) reading my story sometime soon!

GUESS WHAT?!

Mikah is having an ONLINE BOOK LAUNCH! You’re all invited!

‘Mikah’s Big Move’ Online Book Launch

Friday July 6, 2018 at 5PM (Melbourne time)

@Mikah Monkey Book Launch Event Page

Tabitha Page is an emerging writer who lives in Melbourne, Australia.
She left her home country of New Zealand for a land full of new opportunities and new challenges and she found just that, in bucketsful.

A trained childcare professional, she holds a certificate in Child Psychology, a certificate and diploma in Children’s Services and has many years of childcare experience.

Caring for children with various illness and disabilities, living with her own autoimmune disease, other conditions and with her love for writing, Tabitha decided that sharing her experiences and thoughts was the perfect choice for her and for readers.

A writer, book lover, amateur photographer and someone who loves to be creative, Tabitha has self-published a calendar of original quotes and images and shares quotes, poems and images via her social media.
She spent the better part of 18 months writing for an online review website and has been published in the ‘Toy Chest’ ‘Sea Shanties’ and ‘X and the pony’ children’s anthologies. She also has work due to be published in ‘Celebrations’ ‘Warriors’ ‘Valentines’ and ‘Colours’ anthologies by Prints Charming Books.

Tabitha has a children’s picture book (self-published) coming out in 2018 (Mikah’s Big Move) and has written other picture books which she hopes will be published in the future. All have at least one character with a challenge/illness/disability and relate to experiences she herself has had.
With these books, she aims to inspire and bring about more awareness and acceptance of those who are a little different from the majority, but no less important and special.

#InterviewByBook #MikahsBigMove