Mrs P
Finding it hard to get to sleep?
Ever been afraid of the dark?
Meet Jessie, an eight-year-old girl who is very scared.
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Alone in her room at bedtime, Jessie creates a unique way to cope with being frightened and lonely…
Finding a secret magical place, she explores ways to deal with her worries alongside an unusual furry friend.
Imagine that…
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Wriggle down and join Jessie and her friend JoJo, as they meet the ‘bother-bugs’ and learn about true friendship.
The book can also be purchased at Austin McAuley Publishers, Barnes & Noble and Waterstones.​
Reviews
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Super book to help children navigate difficult emotions.
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This really is a beautifully written and illustrated children’s book.
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With an underlying message of how to make sense, and understand difficult emotions. I must for every family, in my opinion!
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This is definitely a book that will be passed down the generations in our family.
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Simply beautiful!…
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Mrs P has created two magical characters in Jessie and JoJo, and their story will no doubt help many children (and perhaps a few grown ups too!) in navigating their way through tricky or uncertain times.
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Beautifully illustrated also by Mrs P, Jessie and JoJo are brought to life for the reader, their story gently unfolding and allowing the reader to become part of the very important conversation within.
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A joy to read for young and old, Jessie and JoJo would be an asset in family bookshelves, school libraries, and childcare settings alike!
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Putting pen to paper
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‘Jessie’, in principal, is a much much younger Mrs P… afraid of the dark herself, she created her imaginary friend JoJo.
Fast forward to having children of her own, she shared her coping strategies, when she was scared, alone in her darkened bedroom. Mrs P’s pastoral support for children in school further encouraged and enriched her understanding of the anxieties and challenges that children struggled to talk about. This knowledge, coupled with her own experience, motivated her to realise her long-standing mantra of ‘I’ll write a book one day’!​
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With the support of her sons, family and close friends, she did just that.​
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Then the challenge of how she would relay her intricate descriptions of what her imaginary world looked like…​
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The solution – she decided to illustrate the book herself.
Jessie's namesake came from a very significant addition to Mrs P's family; Jess joined the rowdy household and unofficially became part of her brood in 1994.
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Ella, pictured, was a helpful drawing aide to develop the movement and expression of the character.
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Tula, the Cat, became an optional prop in the absence of a real kangaroo!
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bother-bugs
"Mumma-Roo calls worries Bother-Bugs
Big, medium and small - don’t let them make you feel sad or scared"
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Bother-Bug Box – a true tongue twister. Pictured, Mr and Mrs P work through lockdown creating the box. Somewhere to bounce those bother-bugs off to…
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Bother-Bugs beautifully recreated by Sue Smith, knitting genius
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Thank you to the book's publishers​
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