Final chapter for seasonal series

THE last entry in a series of Ballarat-based children’s books has been released.

Summer in Ballarat is the fifth in writer and illustrator Liv Lorkin’s series of books chronicling the adventures of the Wendouree Pals.

Lorkin, who released the first entry, Winter in Ballarat, in July 2021, said the series, which has also been set during Christmas and other seasons, has been a huge 18-month undertaking.

“I feel incredibly proud of what I’ve done in that time. To finally have something I’ve been dreaming of during that period is almost surreal,” she said.

“In Summer in Ballarat, Lynnie, one of the characters from the Wendouree Pals, is having a summer birthday and the characters have put notes around her favourite watering holes.

“There’s lots of clues and adventures and scenes of Ballarat that haven’t been in the other books.

“For me, this really completes the series. I always try to make the endings a celebration, and this is like a celebration of all the characters that have solidified into the series.”

Lorkin said the series has “snowballed” following Winter in Ballarat, which she’d conceptualised two years prior to its release.

“I had an idea to create a series of characters around Ballarat that would be native characters, something that people locally could get behind,” he said.

“It’s so sweet for me to see children reading books that are about the town they’re in and can see those spots and locations.

“The colour and the mood really change throughout each of the seasons and the little accessories the Pals wear.

“Funnily enough, Winter in Ballarat, because this season is so iconic here, is my most popular in the series.”

Lorkin said the books has helped her prepare for her next project, a novel called Sage and the Journey of Grief that’s aimed at teaching children aged between seven and 10 about grief.