By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
A UNIQUE Geelong book project combining the wisdom of the old and the enthusiasm of the young has become a sell-out.
The book, called William Wiggle Will Not Sit Still, was written by residents of Belmont Grange aged care facility and Breakwater Preschool children were the illustrators.
Belmont Grange lifestyle coordinator Liz Toffoli said the successful project generated “amazing” results.
“Quite a few of the residents were resistant at first because they said they had never done anything like it before,” Ms Toffoli said.
“We ran a story construction workshop with award-winning children’s author Lee Fox and then worked on characters, scenarios, sentence construction and fleshed out the story.
“By the third workshop their confidence just built. They just couldn’t believe what they were achieving together.
“It has been wonderful seeing people taking ownership and pride in the parts of the book they helped create.
“They got so much joy from having the kids around and the kids were delighted about the whole project.”
Ms Toffoili said the project had strengthened community connections between the aged care facility and the preschool.
Another print run had been ordered after the first 130 books virtually sold out, she said.
The project had inspired both old and young so much that a sequel was on the cards, Ms Toffoli said.
“The residents have been tackling other literary projects now and they are keen to keep writing about the escapades of William Wiggle.”
The book is available for $12 from Belmont Grange, 36 Church St, Grovedale.
