Illustrator Vida Kelly vividly remembers the day her teenage son Arlo asked her to read the first chapter of a book he’d started writing.
They were on holiday at Makorori, near Gisborne, and the then-14-year-old had rushed back from exploring rock pools on the beach with an idea.
“I read it and thought, ‘This is really good,'” says Vida, a book designer and illustrator. She says her son’s passion for writing began at an early age.
The rocky cliffs at Makorori, where 14-year-old Arlo got his inspiration for Echo.
“He’d made his first little book when he was seven, a non-fiction one about the weather, and we printed it out for him and clipped it together. Then he started with fiction.”
As the books became more advanced, Arlo’s dad Luke, also an artist, began binding them with the sewing machine.
“We’ve kept most of them and they gradually started to look a bit more professional,” tells Vida, who lives with her family in Raumati South, near Paraparaumu. “We said that one day perhaps we could
self-publish one for him.”
Vida realised that time had come when, relaxing in the holiday home, she read Arlo’s introduction to the story inspired by the beach walk.
“I just knew instantly and could see how much he had matured as a writer.”
It took another year of writing, and feedback from friends and family, before the book, Echo, was completed.
It was published in May 2022, when Arlo was 15, and less than six months later got a Storylines Notable Book Award for junior fiction. Now it has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2023 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults in the Best First Book category.
Arlo lights up as he explains the plot of Echo is about a visually impaired boy living on the East Coast, who befriends a whale.
Reflecting on his inspiration, Arlo shares, “I was walking on the beach with my sister and as I was talking to her, I noticed my voice was echoing against the cliffs. I made a connection between echoing and whales, and when I wrote that first chapter, I was really trying to make it descriptive.
“I showed it to Mum and was really pleased she thought it might actually have potential.”
“It was really lovely to see Arlo so fulfilled,” says Vida, who has picked up multiple awards herself over the years, and worked with many notable authors as a producer, including Gavin Bishop and Joy Cowley, and also as a colourist for Roald Dahl books illustrated by Quentin Blake. “I’ve been really impressed at how he’s taken on board people’s feedback and worked so hard to make the changes.”
Quite the family affair, Vida designed and illustrated her son’s book, and one of the characters Arlo added is based on a great uncle, who makes musical instruments.
“Reading back now, I can’t imagine the story without him,” says Arlo, now 17.
The dog in the book even bears a remarkable resemblance to their family pet Archie, a Labrador/golden retriever cross.
Vida sent the book to an editor friend for feedback, who suggested entering it in the New Zealand Book Awards.
Arlo decided to fund the first print run himself by selling self-printed copies of other stories and prints of his artwork.
He was thrilled with the Storylines award last year and next month Vida will accompany him to the New Zealand Children’s Book Awards in Wellington. She’s no stranger to the event, having produced and worked artistically on a number of titles that have won.
“It’ll be really amazing to be going this year with Arlo,” she enthuses.
Her deep love of books is something Vida always knew she’d share with her children, including Arlo’s younger siblings Elsa and Finn.
Arlo with parents Vida and Luke, and siblings Elsa and Finn, plus pooch Archie.
“I’ve always read to them,” says the doting mum. “I’d sit Arlo on my knee when I was looking at manuscripts and read them out loud. As our first, he would even come to meetings with me at the publishers.”
Vida shares that Arlo is already working on his next book – a fantasy novel, which ties in with his love of history.
“His hope was to get Echo into the local library and a few nearby shops,” she says. “Now it’s all over the country and the Blind Low Vision Education Network have been in touch to say they are producing large format and Braille versions – it’s just amazing.”
To find out more about Arlo’s books and artwork, visit arlokelly.com
