As if to prove a point, Belcher looked out to the beach and saw people gathering pipi.
“I said look at what they are doing, they are shuffling to the left and shuffling to the right and as I was saying it I was thinking, ‘hang on, there’s a little story there’ and after she had gone I started scribbling down some notes.”
When the next Share the Love came around, she took out her notes, had another look, then sent them to Scholastic.
“I didn’t ever dream that anything would come of it.”
But it did.
Scholastic engaged Wellington illustrator Lily Uivel.
“She seems to be very popular for illustrations at the moment,” says Belcher, who likes the way Uivel has shunned the usual dominance of blue that is common on beach and sea-based story books.
“I was also very lucky that they had it translated into te reo as well.”
Te Pikari Pipi is the title in te reo Māori.
Belcher says Share the Love is a way of submitting manuscripts and knowing they will be read.
“It’s really hard when you’re writing to send submissions in to publishers and get them to read it because they get literally thousands.”
She says it can provide a kick-start for those just starting out.
Having been a teacher, Belcher says she knows the importance of rhythm in engaging children.
“I like bouncy patterns and you get that rhythm and musical ups and downs and that’s what I’ve got with this [book]. Because it bounces along it works to read it aloud.”
She has written about 30 educational books and six trade publications.
The launch of Pipi Dance will be at Te Puke Library on February 29 at 3.30pm.
“That way I can get support for my book and also support the library.
“We’ll get children to bring in a decorated shell, or there will be the opportunity to decorate a shell and we’ll put them in a box and pull out a couple of shells to win any of my books - to make it a bit of fun.”
