Carlton’s youngest author debuts first picture book 

Emma may be Inner City News’s littlest Inner City Local, but she’s already achieved more than most children her age. 

At just eight years old, Emma became a published author with her debut book, A Week of Adventureland.

The story follows two adventurous rainbow lorikeet twins, Emma and Emerald, as they embark on a magical journey through Adventureland. 

Each day, the pair step into their Magic Elevator, which whisks them away to fantastical lands like Ice Cream Land, Chocolate Land, and Rainbow Land. Every destination brings a new and exciting adventure.

I came up with the story in my dreams and told my mum. At first, we joked about it, but we both thought it was a good idea and we decided to start writing a book.

Emma’s mum, Chunyan, revealed that this wasn’t the first time her daughter’s vivid dreams sparked her imagination. 

According to Chunyan, Emma frequently experiences imaginative, recurring dreams that she eagerly shares the following morning.

“Initially we weren’t thinking about writing this story, she had other dreams, but they were way more complicated than this,” Chunyan said.

“We thought we’d start with something simple first, but it’s amazing that she can have these dreams several nights in a row about the same the story.”

With school holidays providing the perfect opportunity, Emma and her mum spent two weeks writing the story together. 

They used AI to create the vibrant illustrations that bring the tale to life, but it wasn’t without its challenges.

“I found the AI quite challenging, because sometimes I would tell it to draw two birds and then it either draws multiple or only one,” Emma told Inner City News.

Since becoming a published author, Emma has been the talk of her school. She proudly brought a copy of her book to share with her teachers and classmates, who were amazed by her creativity and accomplishment.

Although Emma’s dreams continue to inspire her, fans of A Week of Adventureland will have to wait patiently for a sequel. 

For now, Carlton’s youngest author is focused on preparing for NAPLAN, with plans to revisit her storytelling during the next school holidays. •