THE last entry in a series of Ballarat-based children\u2019s books has been released.<\/p>\n
Summer in Ballarat is the fifth in writer and illustrator Liv Lorkin\u2019s series of books chronicling the adventures of the Wendouree Pals.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel incredibly proud of what I\u2019ve done in that time. To finally have something I\u2019ve been dreaming of during that period is almost surreal,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s lots of clues and adventures and scenes of Ballarat that haven\u2019t been in the other books.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorkin said the series has \u201csnowballed\u201d following Winter in Ballarat, which she\u2019d conceptualised two years prior to its release.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had an idea to create a series of characters around Ballarat that would be native characters, something that people locally could get behind,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so sweet for me to see children reading books that are about the town they\u2019re in and can see those spots and locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe colour and the mood really change throughout each of the seasons and the little accessories the Pals wear.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunnily enough, Winter in Ballarat, because this season is so iconic here, is my most popular in the series.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lorkin said the books has helped her prepare for her next project, a novel called Sage and the Journey of Grief that\u2019s aimed at teaching children aged between seven and 10 about grief.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE last entry in a series of Ballarat-based children\u2019s books has been released. Summer in Ballarat is the fifth in writer and illustrator Liv Lorkin\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n