Meeting Victoria for the second time will be a thrill for young scholars.
Established author, Kathy Carre of Espanola is revitalizing a character named Victoria, a precocious seven-year-old character.
Carre says Victoria is indeed special.
“Victoria is a powerhouse! She’s a little girl with so much to offer,” explains Carre. “She learns to trust her inside voice and she teaches children how to do the same thing.”
Victoria is the stuff of dreams.
“Believe it or not, I dreamt about her,” laughs Carre. “One night, I literally dreamed about a kid with pinktails. It was so vivid, I woke up, turned on the light and started writing notes. I woke up in the morning and there was this scrap of paper with a little stick figure and a smile. Victoria was born.”
Carre was in between jobs then, having worked as an education assistant and counsellor in the local school system, so she decided to focus on this intriguing little girl.
“I decided Victoria would be full of life, spirit and strength … and she became a valuable teaching tool for teaching life lessons.
“For example, I was a young mother than and my children were being bullied by one individual, they were six and eight at the time, and had been told not to tell or else. Turned out it was a 15-year-old and I confronted the teen in the pouring rain. The kids never forgot mom standing there pointing her umbrella at this individual, who did leave my children alone after that.”
The incident became book number one: Victoria’s Secret Umbrella.
Carre wrote a collection of seven books, which were widely distributed and used in local area schools.
She says her role in the mid-1990s was to teach life lessons to school-aged children. However, when Carre retired, so did Victoria, but she was always in the back of Carre’s mind.
Carre adds with the challenges kids face these days, updating and making Victoria a relevant figure once again is the focus for re-releasing the series. They have been reformatted and are more interactive as well. The books are appropriate for up to and including Grade four or so.
“Victoria will always be seven,” says Carre. “Time has gone by, but she will remain the same, but her life lessons have been updated for the times. Readers will be able to do more this time around. For example, there is a section for journaling where kids can reflect on their thoughts and feelings. I’m so excited to re-introduce Victoria.
Carre plans to host some book readings once the first book is ready to go. The first book in the series is expected to be available by December.
