Since my children were young I have read Cowley's books. She has many titles used in schools to help children learn to read, enjoy what they read and have stories set in New Zealand rather than foreign settings most can't relate to.
So I was very keen to read this book which is a memoir. Not so much a chronological telling of her life's story but rather thoughts and stories about her life.
The thing that inspired me most about her is her generosity. The way she describes the people in her life, her journey as an author and her thoughts all seem to spill out of a generous, thankful heart.
She has travelled the world promoting children's books, children's reading and their capacity for storytelling themselves. There are many anecdotes where she meets children who struggle with reading, who have no books about their own cultures. Having first encountered this in New Zealand, she encourages them to tell their stories and write them down and read their own stores over and over again.
Cowley runs workshops all over the world and is still writing from her home in New Zealand
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