KEY POINTS:
All Black hooker-cum-artist Keven Mealamu is worried about some of the armchair critics' assessments as he launches a new book for charity.
Mealamu has illustrated the children's book Room 22 and Jumbo, the Monster Caterpillar, and will today be reading the story back to its school-age authors.
Author John Parker helped Massey's Colwill School pupils put the 32-pager together this year after the class submitted its winning concept to real estate firm Barfoot & Thompson's Magic of Reading competition.
Mealamu said he couldn't wait to see what the 30 children aged 9 to 11 of room 22 thought of the finished product,
though seeing his 7-year-old son Samuel's reaction to the story of a greedy caterpillar that causes havoc was also special.
"I got him to read the title and then I showed him my name down the bottom. He had a cheeky little smile on his face, he looked pretty proud. He loves the book."
A reading ambassador to Starship hospital, Mealamu said he had always dabbled in drawing, but completing the work over four months - including while on tour in South Africa - had its moments. He reckons there were times the creative urge disappeared.
"It's like anything - I'd get on a bit of a roll and do quite a few pictures and then I couldn't do any more for a week."
On the days when things did flow the project was great fun, he said.
"It's really nice being able to do something different, especially to get away from rugby."
The $10 book goes on sale today. Trade Me will auction original illustrations, as well as 20 signed copies of the book. It is hoped that more than $30,000 will go to the Starship Foundation. Starship will give overnight patients a copy.
