Vanessa Hatley-Owen’s shares her summer reads and the beachy inspiration behind her new children’s book
Author Vanessa Hatley-Owen dreamed up the idea for her latest children’s book The Littlest Lifeguard while on a summer holiday with her children. This cheerful picture book, illustrated by Lisa Allen, is also inspired by Hatley-Owen’s childhood holidays on the famed surf beach Mt Maunganui and tells the story of a beachy keen junior lifeguard. The Littlest Lifeguard wants to work with the grown-ups but something is always going wrong and they unintentionally make a splash by knotting up lines on the floats or knocking over kayaks. Hatley-Owen, who also works as a librarian in an Auckland school, has two previously published books, including Farewell Anahera which was a finalist in the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.
Hatley-Owen shares her favourite summer memories, what's on her beach reading list and what she hopes young readers will learn from the story.
“I love the concept of the power of the word ‘yet’: instead of saying “I can’t do it”; change it to "I can't do it YET”. I think it's important for parents to remember this as well and help steer little ones towards smaller jobs the little ones can do and have patience while they try new things that may take some time to succeed in.”
How would you describe the character of The Littlest Lifeguard?
This little person is keen as a bean to be part of the team and just wants to do what the big people do. Unfortunately, they just aren't big enough yet. But they don’t give up and have a kind heart and that’s where they find their own way to be helpful.
Do you have any particular beachtime memories that inspired the story?
When I was growing up, we had many years of great summer family holidays at Mt Maunganui. Although, despite it being a fantastic surf beach, for some reason, none of us actually learned to surf. We spent hours in the waves though on the boogie boards. I wrote The Littlest Lifeguard a few years ago while on a family holiday at Pauanui, and it was those memories of fun at the beach, and watching the Mt Maunganui lifeguards training that gave me the starting point.
“A lot of my writing takes place in my head (this is also known as daydreaming or talking to yourself!) so that happens a lot. Getting it down onto paper is the harder part especially as I am a medal-winning procrastinator.” — Vanessa Hatley-Owen (pictured).
What message do you hope children will learn from The Littlest Lifeguard?
Little people love to help out and do the things they see big people doing, and it doesn't always work out well. The key is to not give up and remember that we all need time to grow and develop our skills. I love the concept of the power of the word ‘yet’: instead of saying “I can’t do it”; change it to "I can't do it YET”. I think it's important for parents to remember this as well and help steer little ones towards smaller jobs the little ones can do and have patience while they try new things that may take some time to succeed in.
Lisa Allen’s illustrations are gorgeous — do you have a favourite illustration in the book?
I love Lisa’s work; her colour palette and fun characters are amazing. She really has depicted the Kiwi beach scene perfectly, and I love the small details she’s added in the backgrounds; like the whale and the windsurfer. The first page (pictured below) is probably my favourite with the beach strewn with towels and sun umbrellas; it could be a beach anywhere in Aotearoa, and that’s brilliant.
Lisa Allen’s colourful illustrations in The Littlest Lifeguard depict Kiwi summer perfectly, says Vanessa Hatley-Owen.
Is swimming safety something you personally worry about as a parent?
Water really is a huge part of Kiwi life; we definitely wanted our children to be confident and be able to enjoy the beach or the pool; we were lucky to be able to do swimming lessons for them. It was never about turning them into champion swimmers, but making sure they knew how to respect the water, stay safe and have fun.
You also work as a librarian, how do you find the time to write as well?
A lot of my writing takes place in my head (this is also known as daydreaming or talking to yourself!) so that happens a lot. Getting it down onto paper is the harder part especially as I am a medal-winning procrastinator. Finding slots of time is easier now with grown-up kids, but is still tricky. Term holidays are wonderful things, as are weekends away with my lovely writer friends.
This is your third book, how was the writing and publishing experience for this one different to the others?
With each book, I’ve been very lucky to work with talented and creative people. It takes a team to turn text into a beautiful work of art, which is what picture books are, so the books are as much the illustrators’ books as they are mine. And the publishing team are part of it too, they have the professional knowledge and vision for how it will look. It’s exciting to see the finished product as it’s always better than what I could have imagined.
How will you be spending the summer?
The week before Christmas, we had a fun week away up in the Snells Beach area with my husband's family; some of whom came over from the UK and Australia. It was lovely to show them that part of the world. The rest of the summer will be spent with nothing planned — bliss!
Do you have a favourite New Zealand beach?
Oh, gosh… that's a really hard question! Especially when so many beaches around the motu are associated with fun family memories… I guess if you made me pick a favourite it would have to be Mt Maunganui — the long stretch of sand, the waves, and the beautiful maunga.
Which NZ authors inspire you, and are there any New Zealand books on your summer reading list?
There are so many New Zealand authors that I admire, it's hard to name just a few. In the grown-up section, I love Olivia Hayfield’s modern retellings of the Tudor/Plantagenet royal histories (and I hear another one is on the way - hurrah!), and in the kid's section, I am a big fan of Sherryl Jordan’s stories. It was sad to hear the news of her passing recently; I send thanks and blessings to her for all the wonderful tales she shared with us. I am blessed to be friends with a lot of New Zealand children’s writers and illustrators; they are all incredibly talented, and a lovely bunch of people. My reading list consists of lots of books from my library collection and I also have Sam Neill’s memoir Did I Ever Tell You This? waiting for me.
The Littlest Lifeguard tries their hardest to be helpful but is still learning the ropes, says Vanessa Hatley-Owen.
The Littlest Lifeguard, written by Vanessa Hatley-Owen, illustrated by Lisa Allen (Upstart Press $19.99) is on sale now.
