The Quick Six Interview with Renee Irving Lee on Rosie Leads the Way

Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Renee Irving Lee!

It’s a pleasure to welcome Renee Irving Lee to the blog to discuss her beautiful and important story on overcoming self-doubt and realising your own beauty and strength from within – Rosie Leads the Way! Thank you, Renee! 🙂

About the Author

Renee Irving Lee is a children’s author and freelance writer with a passion for promoting positive language, lifelong learning, self-confidence and social inclusion. Along with Rosie Leads the Way, she has also authored the picture book The Strongest Boy. She has always loved working with children, so writing for children has been a natural progression from her work as a teacher and educational freelance writer. Her diverse background in education extends to teaching primary school aged children, young adults, and children with special needs.

Renee was awarded the Young Achiever of the Year Award by TAFE Queensland for her work as a dynamic, student focused teacher who is highly respected for her skills, intellect and dedication. Renee was also inducted into the International Golden Key Honour Society while studying for her Bachelor of Education (Special Education) where she graduated with a Distinction. Renee lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland with her husband and three children. When she is not writing, you can find Renee spending time with her family, running around on the Oztag field, climbing Emu Mountain, swimming, or sipping on a green tea!

You can find out more about Renee and her work on her website: https://reneeirvinglee.com/

Please follow Renee at the following links:

Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?

Rosie Leads the Way was written by Renee Irving Lee, illustrated by Lisa Coutts and published by Empowering Resources.

WHAT is it called and what is it about? What is your favourite part of this book?

Rosie Leads the Way

After talking with her Mum, Rosie believed she was the most beautiful girl in the whole entire world – but the day she met Penelope Pennington she wasn’t so sure.

Penelope Pennington was very different to Rosie and for some reason, Rosie thought that Penelope was absolutely perfect. She thought Penelope had the perfect hair, the perfect clothes, the perfect shoes and even the perfect cat!

So, when Rosie and Penelope unexpectedly walk home together, they both make some meaningful discoveries along the way. Was Penelope really that perfect? How does Rosie manage to overcome her self-doubt to lead the way?

My favourite part of the story is definitely the ending. Without giving away too much, the story ends in a happy, but unexpected and empowering way.

WHEN is its release / launch date?

Rosie Leads the Way will be available September 1, 2020.

WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?

I was inspired to write this book because I became increasingly worried about the message being sent by the media to our girls that being beautiful is about taking care of your appearance and that you must be perfect at all costs. I really wanted to change this definition of beautiful, so instead I decided to redefine it as having a smart mind, a strong body and a beautiful heart.

WHY is this book meaningful to you and why would its message resonate with readers?

This story holds great meaning to me because I have two daughters who I want to grow up valuing their own self-worth and embracing their own less than perfect but amazing qualities. I also have a son who I want growing up to know what a truly beautiful person looks like and acts like.

Rosie Leads the Way will resonate with readers because everyone can relate to how it feels when we compare ourselves to others. I’m sure they will also fall in love with Rosie’s character because of how she grows into such calm, empathetic and level-headed leader.

HOW do you feel about the illustrations? Do they convey the feeling or mood you envisioned?

I absolutely love the illustrations by Lisa Coutts. She has really brought the characters to life with her unique style and love of pastel artwork. I particularly like her ability to capture both the emotions of the characters as well as the essence of the storyline.

How have you promoted this book and how can we find it?

Due to COVID 19, most of the promotions will be mainly online through social media.

We will also be promoting to schools and early learning centres as there are extensive teaching notes and learning resources that are aligned with both the Australian Curriculum and the Early Years Learning Framework attached to this book. The creation of these resources was supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. They are available through my website https://reneeirvinglee.com/

You can purchase a copy of Rosie Leads the Way through Empowering Resources:

http://www.empoweringresources.com.au/current-releases

Or all good book stores on Sept 1, 2020.

Thanks so much, Renee! 🙂

Rosie Leads the Way is available to purchase at: Empowering Resources | Booktopia

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