FORMER Hamilton woman Lee-Ann Kim visited several local kindergartens and primary schools on Monday to freely gift copies of her authored book, ‘The Story about a Zippy’, accompanied by homemade sensory toys of the story’s characters.

Ms Kim said she had been working in welfare for a long time and wrote the book with a strong desire to increase societal wellness and equality within the health and welfare sector.

She said she was particularly motivated by the challenges and stressors children had experienced readjusting post-COVID, by promoting learning and growing with the creative arts.

The township of Hamilton is included in her book, a story about a monster on an adventure in Australia, with special activities for children within.

“I am really happy to gift the Zippy creatures along with ‘The Story About a Zippy’ … the opportunity to support and add wellness to the lives of others is one of my greatest passions,” she said.

Ms Kim said she was especially passionate “about helping young people and children develop understanding, self-awareness, personal resilience, and healthier ways of relating to life”.

The Zippy creatures are handmade with new and occasionally recycled materials, each one very different, with their own personality.

As part of her visit to Hamilton, Ms Kim went to the Hamilton Library and has been invited back to do some arts activity programs with Zippy in the future.