Please welcome author Vanee Apoolingum back to Frog on a Blog. Vanee visited back in 2018 to share the inspiration behind her picture book Derek The Flying Dodo. You can read that post HERE. Last month, she released a second book starring the lovable little dodo bird, entitled Derek The Flying Dodo: The Next Big Adventure, which also features colorful and bold illustrations by Daniel McCloskey, some of which can be seen below. Vanee’s returned today to speak a bit about her experience writing a sequel. Let’s hear from Vanee!

When I started writing my first book, Derek the Flying Dodo, I had so many wonderful ideas forming in my head that I knew instantly that it was never going to be just one book. I wanted to take young readers on a magical journey where they could follow this unique Dodo on some truly amazing adventures, and just one story was never going to do it justice. I started working on the sequel at the beginning of this year, and I had so much fun writing it.

Derek and his best friend Aaron took centre stage again, and I also introduced some new characters, such as giant tortoises, a parakeet, a dolphin, and some mean treasure hunters. The locations and characters in both of my books are heavily inspired by the paradise island of Mauritius, where I grew up. The vibrant and colourful Mauritian landscape can be seen throughout the book, and I am sure young readers will find the illustrations captivating.

I wanted the next book in my series to be more action-packed, where Derek is met with several challenges, such as flying through a terrifying storm, nursing a broken wing, and getting trapped on a ship with nowhere to go. The story is very much about perseverance, friendships, and the power of believing in yourself.

Through this next book, I wanted to show young readers that we all face challenges on our journeys, and sometimes we might need a little hand from our friends to overcome those challenges. It is okay to ask for help, as we all need it at some point. The story very much shows that we all make mistakes and that no one is perfect. Mistakes give us the opportunity to learn and grow.

So I really hope that children who enjoy action and adventure books will love Derek the Flying Dodo -The Next Big Adventure. I hope they will have fun reading it as much as I had fun writing it.

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Vanee Apoolingum was born and raised on the paradise island of Mauritius. She grew up in beautiful, exotic surroundings, where she spent countless nights listening to enchanting stories about the dodo. As much as she loved listening about the native flightless bird, she loved writing about it even more. Derek the Flying Dodo series was inspired by her love of adventures, where she always dreamed that the impossible could happen.

She has now swapped her sunny, exotic location for the slightly cooler English landscape, where she lives with her husband and two boys. When she’s not busy writing or baking with her boys, she’s out and about, still trying to catch a glimpse of Derek flying in the beautiful bright blue sky.

You can find both books in the Derek the Flying Dodo series on Amazon.