AUTHOR Daniel Corcoran has written two books purely to make children laugh, but they’re also helping a worthy cause.
The Williamstown resident has written and illustrated The Iddly Widdly Fiddly Poo as a way to contribute to the Elise Sneddon Foundation set up by his friends whose daughter died in 2005 following complications in delivery.
The foundation raises funds to support the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital where Elise spent her short life.
Wanting to help, Mr Corcoran decided to write the book and donate all the proceeds from the sales of the hard cover and ebook to the fund.
He enjoyed the process so much he decided to write anther, The Iddly Widdly Piddly Pop-off!, which was published earlier this year.
The proceeds from the second book will help market the first book to generate more sales for the foundation.
Mr Corcoran is the first to admit the books deal with taboo subjects of poo and farting, but he says these are things that make children laugh.
“Basically, the premise for creating these books was for kids to have fun. There’s no moral message, no educational message; it’s purely for them to have fun,” he says.
Two of his biggest critics, his daughter and son, aged 9 and 4, have given the books their tick of approval.
“My two young kids have provided probably the best editorial advice of anyone. To me, they are the target audience.”
Mr Corcoran says he’s more of an illustrator than a writer and as such does things a bit back to front – doing the drawings first and fitting the story around them.
“Whether or not it’s the right way to do it, I loved the process,” he says.
“My forte is not writing, it’s drawing. As I develop the pictures and illustrations, the story develops.”
For details, visit elisefoundation.org or characteristix.com.au
