A LOCAL author says she is “blown away” by the response to her first picture books which are helping children develop their numeracy, reading and imagination.

Karen Chaplin, who lives in Lydney, published her first children’s book ‘I am Dog’ back in 2020, for which she received “great feedback” locally and sold nearly 200 copies in the first six months.

Now, two years on, she has produced a follow up - ‘I am Mouse’ - using the same concept, and is aiming to raise further awareness.

Readers of the books embark on a journey as either ‘dog’ or ‘mouse’ and must make decisions as they go, such as ‘go to the park’, turn to page 5, ‘feeling hungry’, go to page 7, or ‘visit the moon on a rocket ship’, go to page 9.

Karen describes the books as “a fun way to prompt children in making decisions”, as well as giving them confidence with their numeracy and reading.

She came up with the idea some 17 years ago, but says that, in the midst of raising two young children, “there just weren’t enough hours in a day” to bring the idea to life.

“I wanted to create a book that encouraged children to make decisions and to help with numeracy”, she said.

“To be fair, I wanted to buy a book like this when my children were little but it wasn’t on the market.

“So, now my children are older and I have slightly more time on my hands, I decided to create it myself.”

Karen previously spent many years working in primary schools, giving her further first-hand experience of her target market.

She says her family and colleagues have been very supportive of the books, coming up with “loads of different ideas, animals, insects, and different adventures.”

When ‘I am Dog’ was released two years ago, she even visited a local school to gauge the response from her audience, and said the children “loved being dog and going on adventures”.

“The reviews were amazing and it’s such a buzz when a child tells you it’s their favourite book - there’s no better feeling. Even adults with special needs were loving it”, she said.

“I decided to go on and make ‘I am Mouse’, because of Mouse’s size the adventures are very different.

“As Mouse you can decide to go underground into tunnels, into a rotten tree or explore the abandoned house... the choice is yours.

“But, be warned, you have to be brave to be Mouse.”

The books are available to purchase on Amazon.

Karen is also running a competition to help promote the ‘I am Mouse’ release, with a prize bundle including Puzzlewood tickets, a £25 Amazon voucher, signed copies of her books and a cuddly dog and mouse.

For more information and to enter, go to www.facebook.com/iamdog2020.