Why I wrote Little Glow
The inspiration for Little Glow came from a number of different ideas that percolated in my mind over many months, if not years. The real catalyst was reading articles during the COVID-19 pandemic about how lockdown, and the subsequent move to home working for many, was really beneficial for introverts and suited people who liked calm and quiet. This sparked thoughts about how the world is so geared for extroverts and I felt introverts deserve to be celebrated and recognised as just as important.
For a long time, as a mum of 2, I felt a lot of pressure to take my children to dance, gymnastics, sports clubs and other activities like that. As they grew older it became clear they really didn’t enjoy attending these classes and much preferred spending time at home. I would say my youngest is definitely a real introvert and took no pleasure in attending groups. I finally stopped pushing them into doing things they didn’t enjoy and felt a real sense of relief. The change had to come from within me to accept that my children are fine as they are.
Over the years, my children have told me about the loud, extrovert children in their classes that are always picked for various rewards, to respond to questions, and deemed “the favourites” of the teachers. We would get frustrated with teachers telling them they should put their hand up more and join in more. I believe the world needs to ensure introverts are able to contribute as much as extroverts in a way that they feel comfortable with.
And so the idea developed into a character that wished to be an extrovert all the way through the book until they realised they had an equally important place in the world.
Alongside the main idea about introverts, I was also keen for the book to be inclusive so that all children could see themselves in the story and illustrations. My children are White and Indian and it’s actually not very often you see a mixed race family in a children’s picture book, so bringing a multi-cultural aspect was important.
This sparked ideas about the use of light within different cultures, religions and community events as a means through which we could tell the story, and the light itself was the perfect metaphor for an introvert. Through our celebrations we see brilliant fireworks, colourful lanterns, birthday candles become wishes, shooting stars and other extravagant lights. But we also use simple candles to signify hope and remembrance, and those simple lights are just as important as the others.
By having Little Glow as the main character set in a house set in a multi-cultural street, we were able to pull together a real variety of characters to ensure families reading the book can identify with the book, as well as introducing cultures that may be less familiar.
I want readers to come away with a sense of love, hope and community spirit. I hope readers recognise the message that we all have our own light within us, whether that’s an extroverted explosive firework or an introverted simple candle, and we all matter equally. I also hope people who are often underrepresented in stories (e.g. disabled children, single sex parents, multi-cultural families) see themselves and feel encouraged that authors/illustrators are working to make the world of books more inclusive.
