Mayo based author releases brand new children’s book

A Mayo based writer has published a brand new childrens book.

‘Percy Panda’ was authored by Ballinrobe resident, Anthony ‘Tony’ Gapper, and published by Kindle/Amazon.

The book follows the story of a toy-store's panda and his journey after being bought.

Speaking to The Mayo News, Mr Gapper said the book was inspired by his wife.

“For her first birthday, her nan bought her something special, she went to a toy shop and bought a black and white panda. The panda stayed with Laura for many years, she brought it to school for example. It got wet, was on the line and was in the washing machine.

“It was chucked away when she was a teenager, even before that, back then, her nan did a spring-clean and anything that wasn't perfect or looked tatty, or in her own mind she thought ‘surely she doesn’t want that going into adolescents, of course she didn't ask her, but it inspired me to re-imagine Percy panda myself and give him a crack at life and meet colourful characters and have adventure on the way,” he said.

This enchanting story is about a small panda bear, who is granted life by his Fairy Godmother. Soon afterwards, Panda makes friends with a rocking horse.

One day, a kind, grey-haired lady buys Panda for her granddaughter, and Panda meets the family members and their large ginger cat. This is the start of many adventures for Panda and a journey of self-discovery, which leads to the ultimate battle.

No stranger to putting pen to paper, Mr Gapper has had success with poetry. In 2015, he had several poems published in the Galway Review.

_{Anthony Gapper from London, resides in Ballinrobe.}

Aimed at children ages six to ten, Mr Gapper said he wanted the book to inspire his audience to believe in magic.

“I always want a child to believe in magic because I think that’s very important, but as well as magic there's downside, there's evil as well,

“In these sorts of stories, good outweighs bad and wins, but there's still struggles, and you have to learn from it and not take it for granted,” told Mr Gapper.

He explained how the characters come to life and unravel bit by bit, but face obstacles throughout, which ‘take time to overcome’.

He said: “They take on some unexpected stuff, like life, you don’t know what happens from one day to the next.”

Hoping to keep children inspired to read, Mr Gapper said ‘Percy Panda’ feels like ‘something they would read again and discuss with friends’.

“It’s critically important for children at an early age to want to read, and have it in them to read and have the opportunity to do,

“Don’t lose your imagination, your childhood too soon; immerse yourself in experiences and books that are colourful and vibrant and books that tell a story,” he said.

Having made books for a younger audience, Mr Gapper said visuals are very important as it is a big way in ‘which we learn’.

He added: “Visual is important for those who like to see things, the colour or shape of something,”

“It also prepares them for school and the academic journey, reading improves research skills, it’s a journey for them and for their parents and grandparents.

“Doing the voices and expressions is all part of the journey,” added Mr Gapper.

Leaving the story open for a continuation in the future, the writer explained ‘you build characters that can have future adventures’.

“You have ‘Fireman Sam’, ‘Bob the Builder’, there’s how many hours of footage of that, because they’ve got the characters and storylines, and they can put them in different scenarios because you already know what they’re like, but you’re still surprised,” he concluded.

You can find more information and purchase ‘Percy Panda’ on Amazon.