Village Raw - ISSUE 15

VILLAGE RAW
FROM PAINT TO PRINT
How lockdown closures led an 81-year-old to a new career.
Words by Sharon Goldreich.
Giggy & Bab
MADE IN ENGLAND
While the country was plunged into lockdown, Margaret KM Andrews,
aged 81, embarked on her new career as a children’s writer
and illustrator. It all started when her art group, run by the charity
Guideposts, could no longer meet due to the pandemic - yet her
unflagging artistic drive compelled her to keep painting. Her illustration
of a pink hare, gazing longingly at the moon, proved particularly
popular once posted on Facebook. She named the hare Pink
Patsy and promptly reimagined her as the protagonist of a picture
book. She was supported by her daughter Wendy Gallagher who
helped edit the story and they set up their own publishing company,
Magmay Books. The mother-and-daughter team have formed a
prolific creative partnership. Between them they have owned different
shops in Muswell Hill for 40 years, and we meet at Wendy’s
key-cutting business.
It was Wendy’s daughter Jessie who helped inspire the first
story, swiftly turning Pink Patsy into a family preoccupation and
series of books. The four titles released so far, aimed at children
aged 3-6, have garnered enthusiastic responses from kids, parents
and teachers alike for their stunning illustrations, imaginative storylines
and valuable messages, such as caring for others and for
the environment. As well as the bright pink hare, a motley crew of
charming animal characters appears in the stories. There’s Bird, the
green-cheeked conure parrot; Tiger, the wise silver tabby cat; Max,
the brave booted mouse, and other companions - even the sun,
moon, rainbow and flowers have voices.
Besides satiating Margaret’s need to paint on a daily basis,
this project holds particular resonance for Wendy who struggled
with dyslexia as a child. Through her own experiences and while
volunteering at her daughters’ primary school, helping children
with learning difficulties, she became aware of strategies that
help readers follow text more easily. Wendy has implemented such
reader-friendly devices in the books, in the layout of the text on
the page, breaking it down and using different colours to distinguish
between the respective characters’ dialogue. Onomatopoeic
words are bold and printed in different fonts. This sensitivity to the
reader, she hopes, will entice children and provide them with confidence
to follow the text and start reading rather than just being
read to.
With a fifth book - on the theme of counting - awaiting publication
in February and a new lead character, the farm-dwelling Bobby
Blue - “a hare that likes to repair”, about to join the ranks of Patsy
and her friends, there’s no stopping Margaret and Wendy. Pink Patsy
and Bobby Blue soft toys are presently in the making, while the pink
hare continues to capture the hearts of her young readers, and one
cannot fail to be inspired by the passion and mutual admiration her
creators exude.•
The Pink Patsy books are available to purchase from the Muswell Hill Children’s
Bookshop. For online stockists, visit www.magmaybooks.co.uk or email
info@magmaybooks.co.uk.
Meadow
Education
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www.giggyandbab.co.uk
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