Newport author Margaret Dugdale has enjoyed sharing her love for classical music with children through her new book for young readers named ‘Hamish and the Double Bass’.
She helped launch the second hardback edition at a special event at the Newport Community Hub on November 13, with young readers celebrating alongside renowned double bassist Hamish Gullick and Telstra ARIA Music Teacher Award winner Zoë Barry.
“She got them up conducting,” Ms Dugdale said.
“It was beautiful.”
She said the book came out of her experience as a therapist specialising in mother and infant mental health.
“It took a few years to write this book,” Ms Dugdale said.
Incorporating whimsical rhymes, ‘Hamish and the Double Bass’ tells the story of a young boy who loves going to concerts and stumbles across a double bass which is too big for him to play.
Ms Dugdale said she wanted the book to be a celebration about the power of music and friendship.
“There aren’t many books for children about classical music and the celebration of making music with friends,” she said.
“I think it’s a joy you carry all the way through life.
“The book also communicates that it takes time to learn an instrument.”
Ms Dugdale said illustrator Becky Stout also helped bring the story and vibrant locations such as the Princes Bridge, the waterwall at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Sydney Opera House.
“She is an extraordinary illustrator,” she said.
Ms Dugdale said she was working on her second children’s book named ‘Oomsky and Yeyo’.
Copies of ‘Hamish and the Double Bass’ will be available at local bookstores, such as The Sun Bookshop in Yarraville and The Chestnut Tree Bookshop in West Footscray.
Details: www.storytellingbooks.com
Matthew Sims
