Author of the Month - Sienna R.
We’ve got a great story lined up for October. Our featured story is “Chompy’s Adventure” by Sienna. Sienna shares a touching story that sheds light on real-world events. Embark on an adventure alongside Chompy, the koala, as they navigate through the Australian forest in a quest to reunite with their mother.
Chompy is a 7-month-old koala joey. Chompy lives with their mum in their favorite eucalyptus tree. Chompy loves to ride on their mum’s back and snuggle on her belly to keep warm.
Chompy and Mum live in the open woodland in Queensland, Australia. Australia is one of the largest countries on Earth, and is the only country that covers an ENTIRE continent!
Climate change is creating hotter conditions… many things are changing. One morning, Chompy and their mother woke up to the sound of blazing flames… it was a fire and they were surrounded by thick black smoke. The smoke was so dark it was very difficult to see anything and poor Chompy fell out of the tree onto the ground and ran.
Chompy finally finds a safe place in the open woodland but they are all alone and feeling scared. Chompy couldn’t see their mum anywhere. There were so many questions running through Chompy’s mind. What would they do? Were they going to find their mum?
Chompy’s stomach is rumbling… but Chompy doesn’t know how to climb up the tree quite yet to get to the eucalyptus leaves that are high up. While Chompy was thinking, they did’t notice a ringtail possum staring down at them from the tree. The possum scurries down to introduce himself as Percy.
Percy wants to help Chompy! Percy let Chompy climb on his back and told Chompy to use their razor-sharp claws to grip the branches and to pull up. Chompy makes it to the leaves! Lunchtime!
Percy asks Chompy where their mum is, so Chompy shares the story about the bushfire and their missing mother. Chompy really misses mum and really wants to find her. Percy offers to help! They start their journey and as they are wandering, they come across a big lake.
Chompy has never seen a lake before but is very confident about their swimming ability. Chompy jumps in and splashes around but realizes they can’t get out. Chompy’s getting tired but Percy comes to the rescue again!
Percy is able to find a long tree branch and pushes it down to the lake so that Chompy can climb on it. Chompy was safe and dry and they resumed their search. They looked high and low, day and night but still couldn’t find her. But they were not going to give up!
Time passes but Percy never leaves Chompy’s side. They become the best of friends. Percy teaches Chompy how to survive in the wild and they even live in trees right next to each other.
Early one morning, Chompy is awoken by the sound of a rumbling car engine. A woman steps out with a crate with a koala inside. Chompy couldn’t believe it! It was their mother!!
Chompy runs straight down to see their mother and gives her the biggest hug! Chompy found out that their mum had been injured in the bush fire, and was rescued by very kind people who looked after her until she was all better. They could be a happy family together again!
Thank you Sienna for sharing your story with us! “Chompy’s Adventure” reminds us that taking care of wildlife is important and who doesn’t love a cute koala!
Keep reading to find out what Sienna shares with us in her interview!
Read the Full Interview:
Where did you get your Lulu Junior kit? Who gave it to you?
It was a gift from my parents for Christmas, they ordered it from Amazon.
Where did you get your idea for your story?
Koala’s are my favorite animal and I have read about the dangerous wildfires that have happened in Australia, especially where the Koalas live and I wanted people to know about it.
How does it feel to be a published author?
It’s the best feeling, I am so happy with my book. I am going to give copies to my friends and my family.
What's the one piece of advice you'd share with another young writer?
Make sure to do a good writing plan but also plan your illustrations.
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Reading is my favorite hobby, it makes me happy. I also do ballet and piano every week.
Do you prefer writing or illustrating? Why?
I love both, but illustrating is a lot fun, I like to draw what I imagine the characters to look like
What's one of your favorite books?
The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer.
How do you like to set up your writing/drawing space?
I set up my kitchen table with everything I need. For the illustrating, I like to put all my colors in front of me that I need for that picture.
What inspires you to write or draw?
The books I like to read inspire me to write my own.
What do you want people to remember about your book?
I hope people learn a lot about koalas and the dangers of the wildfires in Australia, so that maybe they can help find a way to save the koalas.
