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London Jewish mum and daughter team up to create children's book
Joanna Gutkin, 36, from Hendon wrote The Elephant and the Goldfish while her daughter, Maya, eight, did the illustrations
September 14, 2023 11:39
Joanna Gutkin, 36, from Hendon wrote The Elephant and the Goldfish while her daughter, Maya, eight, did the illustrations
September 14, 2023 11:39A mother and daughter duo have pooled their talents to self-publish their first book.
Joanna Gutkin, 36, from Hendon, has written a children’s book, The Elephant and the Goldfish, while her daughter, Maya, eight, did the illustrations.
The book, which has received positive reviews, is written in rhyme and centres on the codependent relationship between an elephant and a goldfish — an animal that always remembers and an animal that always forgets, according to popular belief.
Joanna had harboured dreams of becoming a writer since she was five, telling the JC: “I always knew I would be a writer, but when I had kids, I found myself surrounded by kids’ books, particularly by Julia Donaldson, whom I love, and so the idea just evolved from there. It started as a small thing in me and took a while to actually write and go to agents.”
A collaboration between mother and daughter was not originally intended, but Joanna, who has written other books, which Maya is now planning to illustrate, spent nearly a year trying to find a literary agent to help her find a publisher.
“I didn’t realise just how hard it would be to land an agent, and when it didn’t happen for me, I wasn’t sure where to go.” It was only when Maya’s teacher, who recognised her artistic talents, suggested to Joanna that Maya could illustrate the books that the idea for self-publication came to her.
Despite not being the initial plan, the final outcome is much more special to Joanna than it would otherwise have been, she said. Being able to publish a book with her daughter “feels even better than if I’d been published traditionally”.
The Gutkins' book (Photo: Handout)
