By Jena Carr
A Drysdale author is honouring the memory of her partner through a new children’s book, Eudena and the Dandelion Puzzle.
Following the story of a little girl who winds up the dandelion clock in her garden as she connects with nature, the illustrated book will be launched on Friday, July 5, at 6pm.
Glenda MacNaughton discovered the story a few months after her partner Patrick Hughes’ death two years ago when she came across one of his journals.
“I discovered a journal full of his writings from when he was between 18 and 20 years old, he was born in the UK, so it was when he was living in Bristol in the UK,” she said.
“There were different forms of writing in the journal, but one of the first things I found was the story of Eudena and the dandelion clock.
“It was a lovely surprise because it made me smile as I was reading it. It’s been quite a hard and sad time, so this is a project of the heart.”
When she found the story, Ms MacNaughton decided she would develop it into a children’s book with the help of illustrator Michelle Collins.
“Through some serendipity, I met up with a local illustrator, Michelle Collins. She was an illustrator looking for words, and I was a person with words looking for an illustrator,” she said.
“She’s done a couple of lovely things because she’s taken photographs I had of Patrick, and he’s become some of the characters in the book.
“So for those who knew him, they will find images of him in the book, and she (Michelle) based the little girl’s face on a picture of me when I was four years old.”
