What started off as a reminder to Ottawa writer Amanda Bernardo to listen to the little voice in her head and follow her dreams has now turned into a book meant to inspire people of all ages.
“Every time someone asked me, ‘Where do you see yourself in the next five or 10 years?’ all I could say was that I wanted to write something inspiring,” says Bernardo, a paralegal by day.
With the help of local graphic designer Samantha Clusiau-Lawlor, Little Voice, a rhyming children’s book, will be launched at the Raw Sugar Café on Somerset Street West on Dec. 15.
Though its large text and colourful graphics are targeted towards children aged six to12, Bernardo says that anyone who picks up Little Voice can find reinforcing messages of “perseverance and positivity” within its 48 pages.
“Little Voice is intended for anyone that’s looking for inspiration in life,” says Bernado.
Little Voice can be purchased at book launches or online through its website. A portion of the proceeds will go to the “Little Voice – Forget Me Not” project, an initiative in support of the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada.
Bernardo says the inspiration stems in part from her volunteer experiences with the Ottawa Network for Education, an organization committed to improving public education in the city through initiatives such as reading programs.
“At the time I was writing this, I kept thinking about the things the students had talked to me about – not having the courage to be creative, feeling scared and not being motivated to read – and what they were feeling at six years old I was kind of feeling at 24,” says Bernardo.
After deciding to take full control of the production process, Bernardo parted ways with her publishing company and reached out to local artist Clusiau-Lawlor.
“It’s funny because two days before Amanda had contacted me, I was telling my mom about how much I wanted to illustrate for kids books and then out of the blue, there’s a message from Amanda,” says Clusiau-Lawlor.
“I want readers to be reminded of the little voice they have inside them and hopefully that in turn inspires them to do something like I did and chase a passion they once forgot or maybe they just lost hope in,” says Bernado.