OVER her 17 years of teaching at local kindergartens Olivia Coates learnt the language of young children, knowledge that has helped the budding writer to craft her debut children’s book.

While most people have strong memories of reading picture books, being read to, or both – and everyone has their favourites – some might be surprised at how much time and toil goes into a story less that 500 words long, and how cut-throat the publishing world can be.