Imagine the beginning of time, when a lifeless, watery blue Earth is stirred to life by a loving angel. Imagine the birth of Earth's many lands and the very rocks that inhabit these newly created spaces. Imagine the journey of these rocks as they explore, expand, and settle their world - gruff, powerful, stony ... and destructive. Imagine what happens when these rocks suddenly find what is hidden within - the gem that resides within us all. Michele Surcouf has always been an adventurous explorer, often finding herself becoming one with the ocean currents. She lives on a hill overlooking the sea off the coast of New Zealand, which inspires her writing and art. The Hidden Gem is her first children's book.