It’s been a busy time promoting Same in the media all across the country.  In the past few weeks I’ve talked to 96five in Brissy, chatted with Outback Radio 2WEB, and appeared on ABC News 24 Weekend Breakfast with Matt and Miriam.  It was my first time ever on national television so I was nervous for about 2 weeks before!  This probably seemed a little ridiculous to my hubby, who used to read the news on Sky every day!  I didn’t stuff up too badly, except the moment I said ‘maked’ instead of ‘made’.  What was I thinking?  I blame hanging out with 3 year old, who regularly says things like ‘I eated all my dinner’ and ‘I goed to the shops’.  Since I said the word ‘maked’ on national television, I’ve discovered that I often used her 3 year old speech patterns, and have found myself eating ‘tussert’, wearing ‘tujamas’ and saying something is ‘tusgusting’!

Oct 7 was World Cerebral Palsy Day and I was excited to have a blog post on Huffington Post.  This got a great response with a lot of traffic on the day.  I went over to visit my brother Charlie at the end of the week and read the post aloud to him.  I was a bit worried about what he’d think, but he really teared up at the end and I knew that he was proud of it.

For the next few weeks I’m visiting some schools and preschools with Same.  If you would like me to visit your school or preschool, please get in touch through the contact page of this website.

I was so excited when my copy of The Book Curator magazine arrived in the mail earlier this month.  It was one of the very first published reviews of Same, even before the launch.

The Book Curator is published by Apt School Resources who supply books to many Australian schools, particularly private and Christian schools.  Rowena Beresford has become a friend of mine (through our shared love of children’s books) and I knew that she had a heart for Same from the start.  But it was still a thrill to see this lovely feature and review.  It was also a bit of a shock to realise that I now actually have three books out!  How did that happen?

There was also a recent review by Julieann Wallace on Creative Kids Tales which you can read in full here, but I’ve copied just a little of it.

‘Katrina Roe has written a touching story for children up to the age of 7, that explores love, acceptance and finding common ground, showing that we can be different but the same. Her story is beautifully illustrated by Jemima Trappel, who has used colour to complement the feelings of Ivy, the mood of colour changing with Ivy’s journey through acceptance. Jemima has also captured Ivy’s anxiety with perfection in her portrayal of facial expressions, to the happiness of acceptance and finding something the same.

‘Same’ is a wonderful book to open discussion about differences between all types of people. It encourages children to find in what ways they are the same as someone who is physically different, or challenged, breaking through the barrier of fear that comes with the unknown when someone appears different.’

Yesterday was a wonderful day.

While awaiting the imminent birth of my third child (any day now) I decided to take a hike on the Bay Walk in Sydney’s Inner West.  (My mum had called me the day before and mentioned that a long walk around Centennial Park had kicked off her labor with my sister forty-something years ago.)  It was a glorious day, the sun was shining, my eight-year-old was charging ahead on her bike, my three-year-old resting contentedly in the pram and even though I am currently the size of a whale, I was very much enjoying getting some exercise and fresh air with the family.

So when a text arrived from my illustrator Leigh Hedstrom, with a link to the ‘just announced’ CBCA Book of the Year Notables list, I tried not to get too excited.  It’s probably just a link relating to a mutual friend, I told myself, or perhaps one of Leigh’s books with another author…

So it was a wonderful and much unexpected surprise to see that our latest collaboration, Emily Eases her Wheezes had made the ‘Notables’ list in the Eve Pownall Award for Information Books, alongside 15 other beautiful new Australian books.  It was also pleasing to hear that the CBCA President commented that the category was particularly strong this year.  We were listed alongside books by the major publishers like Penguin, Walker Books and Allen & Unwin.

Congratulations to all the other authors who made the Shortlist and the Notables list.

As expected, many of Australia’s favourite authors and illustrators are there: Jackie French, Margaret Wild, Libby Gleeson, Alison Lester, Aaron Blabey, Freya Blackwood, Robert Ingpen and Stephen Michael King, but a special mention should go to new authors such as Clare Atkins and Lesley Gibbes – what an incredible achievement for them!  Congrats!

You can see the full CBCA Book of the Year, 2015 list here.

Starting school is a big deal for any kid, but for children with food allergies, it’s especially challenging. When my daughter, who is allergic to peanuts and eggs, started school two years ago, I had no idea what to do. We nervously handed in her Anaphylaxis Action Plan, put allergy-warning stickers on her lunch box and hoped for the best. Fortunately, I’ve learnt a bit since then so I wrote this article for Kidspot!

If you also have a child with a food allergy, here are a few tips to keep your little one safe at school.

8 tips for keeping your child with food allergies safe at school:

1. Educate your child about their allergies
2. Ask for a face-to-face meeting with the school to nut out the tough issues
3. Send a note home to the other class parents
4. Ask the teacher if you can speak to the class about food allergies
5. Find out how the school canteen really operates
6. Develop a strong relationship with your child’s teacher
7. Give your child opportunities to be assertive and permission to be different
8. Keep communicating

You can read the full article on Kidspot’s Parenting Exchange here!

And why not share the article to help educate your friends and family and keep our kids safe.