When newly minted children’s author Brandee Bublé has the opportunity to read her work to an audience, she sometimes has to pinch herself to prove she’s finally a published author.
“I imagined it was going to come one day in the future … maybe. I never really believed it would happen like this,” said Bublé, the younger sister of international singing star Michael Bublé, who will be reading from her debut book O’Shae the Octopus Feb. 9 as part of the Children’s Arts Festival at the Richmond Cultural Centre.
After changing publishers — the book about a 10-armed octopus who discovers his differences provide him with some special qualities — debuted last summer.
The reason for the switch was the initial publisher’s attempt to try and have Bublé re-write her story in a plain fashion rather than the rhyming verses she had submitted.
But that would have strayed too far from her original intent and the very inspiration she had for developing the stories in the first place.
“I always used to write stories for kids in rhymes,” said Bublé who worked for many years as an educational assistant for young, special needs students. “It was always fun that way. It made it more engaging to have that rhythm.”
When she stopped teaching to start a family and become a full-time mom, Bublé continued creating stories for her own children, reading them at bedtime.
Inspiration for using animals — especially sea creatures — for characters in her stories came from spending long hours as a child on her father’s fishing boat.
“It’s not only from that. To this day, if I see little tide pools I am absolutely obsessed seeing all the life that’s in there,” she said. “There’s just so much in the ocean you can’t see, but can imagine.”
And Bublé imagined a story where O’Shae, named after her son, was an octopus — with a difference.
“He’s a little different. His mom keeps telling him that he’s special,” Bublé said. “Then he encounters some bullies at the playground, but with the help of his friend, Shelton the Shark, he starts to believe in himself and realizes he can something really cool with those 10 arms.”
The central message the story sends is to celebrate the differences in life.
“We need to focus on the positives in life because we all too often seem to dwell on the negatives,” Bublé said.
Being invited to read her work to young children is a huge plus, said Bublé who was diagnosed with dyslexia in Grade 1 and had to be held back a year, as a result.
“I remember all the things I had to do outside of school to get where I was supposed to be. And now my daughter, Jade, has been diagnosed, as well. So, being able to read to an audience is an overwhelming feeling, knowing that the label of dyslexia didn’t stop me from reaching for the stars.
“And that’s great for my daughter to see that, too.”
Bublé also loves reading to young audiences because they are often some of her best critics.
“I love it. Little kids and their little minds are great. They always give me some input of what they think about the story,” she said. “I love that it’s a great discussion starter for them.”
Bublé will be at the Cultural Centre Performance Hall at the Richmond Cultural Centre from 12:30 - 1 p.m. for the, reading, plus some fun and interactive activities.
