AFTER spending 10 years as the owner of the Giant Koala at Dadswells Bridge, Angela Castell has penned the journey of a koala and his other Australian friends in a new book.
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"Having the Giant Koala, I had to tell a story about a koala - and that is what I have done," she said.
Mrs Castell, 75, released her first book, called Mozzie, on March 29.
The illustrated children's book, available worldwide, portrays iconic Australian animals.
Mrs Castell originally lived in Horsham and moved to the Adelaide Hills two years ago.
She said her experience living in the Wimmera inspired her to write the book.
"Within the Wimmera, there are so many native iconic animals - the koalas, kookaburras, kangaroos and emus. My book Mozzie includes all of these animals," she said.
Mrs Castell said the title of her book reflected its Australian references.
"The name Mozzie is so iconic and a koala is so iconic. So a mosquito biting a koala, to me, was very Australian," she said.
Mrs Castell said readers had responded well to the book.
"The Adelaide Zoo had a teddy bear picnic day. They had asked me to go to the picnic day and read my story to the children there," she said.
"I had interview requests from America and from England. I am really thrilled."
Mrs Castell was a teacher for 34 years before she owned the Giant Koala. She said her experience as a teacher inspired her to start writing.
"Being a teacher, telling stories is just part of me and what I am," she said.
"You understand how children learn and how little children, especially, love repetition. They love becoming involved with the characters of the books. They like simple words, words that they can learn.
"I wanted to help children learn and encourage parents to read to their children because reading and learning to read are the cornerstone of education."
Mrs Castell will sign her new book for the Wimmera residents on July 19 at Horsham Plaza.
She is drafting her second book in the series, based on the same characters.
"It's going to be about how each Australian animal is special in their own ways," she said.
Mrs Castell is retired and said aside from writing books, she enjoyed gardening and baking.
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