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| Author Lisa Manzione |
Lisa
Manzione is the author behind the series The
Adventures of Bella and Harry. Today, she tells KBR why the series came
about and how it’s taken on a life of its own!
In today’s world families just don’t have the
time, or sometimes the financial means, to see the world. This was the
inspiration behind my series of picture books with illustrator Kristine Lucco, The Adventures of Bella & Harry.
The series began in late 2011 as
a fun way for children to learn about other countries, cultures and customs. As
two working mums, Kristine and I were chatting one day about the fact that many
children just don’t have any knowledge of the world in which we live.
Fortunately, I have been travelling the world as long as I can remember, and
Kristine is a great illustrator, so we put our minds together and came up with
an idea!
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| Illustrator Kristine Lucco |
We wanted to use characters that
children could relate to. Bella is actually my daughter’s Chihuahua, and if
Bella could talk, she would know everything! Of course, Bella couldn’t travel
the world alone, hence the creation of Harry, her fellow Chihuahua. Through the
eyes of these two cute Chihuahuas, children aged 5–10 can gain an appreciation
of other cultures just by reading and travelling along with Bella, Harry and
their family. The stories are told in a humorous way, so the child has fun
while learning about different foods, landmarks and just a little bit of
history.
So many of us living in countries
such as Australia and the United States have family history that traces back to
Europe, so the series is also a great resource to begin a discussion about your
family roots. It helps youngsters to understand where their family came from
and, hopefully, stimulates their minds to explore more about the world on their
own, whether through the use of the internet, family discussions or different
books about the world.
Instilling tolerance of other
customs and cultures was another huge inspiration for the books. As avid
travellers abroad ourselves, we loved exploring the many different cultures and
customs; we thought it would be a great idea to expand children’s minds to be
more accepting and more inquisitive about other cultures at a young age and
therefore hopefully eliminate any stereotyping or uncomfortable feelings about
someone who might not be just like them.
To accompany the series, the Bella and Harry website was launched. Packed
full of activities, it gives children a new way to interact with the characters
and also keeps them up to date with what Bella and Harry have planned next!
Fortunately the books have been
embraced as not only fun, but also educational in a way that leaves children
wanting to know more about countries, cultures and landmarks. And maybe … just
maybe … a couple of Chihuahua puppies as well! So, for all the little world
travellers out there, pack your bags for a fun adventure with Bella &
Harry! We’re off to … Paris, Venice, London, Cairo, Athens, Barcelona,
Edinburgh, Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem!
The Adventures of Bella
& Harry books are available from the website as
well as online retailers.
