Who knew feelings could be so fun?!
School visits are the best.
Often, when books are sent out to buyers I don’t get to see the reactions of the kids as they open the pages to meet the adorable Dizzy Waggles. I miss out on the authentic reactions as little ones hear the stories unravel.
It was really special for Fabienne and I to see the explosive excitement from kids when we recently visited Poroutawhao School in Levin, whose principal had purchased four copies of our book The Dizzy Waggle Who Lit the Dark.
They loved the different coloured Dizzy Waggles and had turns telling me their favourite - expressing their desire to have a snuggly Dizzy Waggle of their own at home (same kids, same).
There was a minor scuffle over who got to hold the big sign with the book characters on it, but it was easily remedied by telling the kids they could keep it to put on the wall in their classroom.
It was also amazing (and let's be honest, relieving 
) to then witness the children mesmerized throughout the entire plot. You never really know how kids will respond and their feedback can be, well…brutal.
Thankfully, kids love the Dizzy Waggles!
Our market research so far (aka, literally getting out there in the community and engaging with followers and book buyers on social media) has shown us that kids LOVE our books.
I'm a little excited when I say the feedback has been really positive and we're grateful for encouraging feedback from the likes of psychologists, social workers, primary and ECE teachers, an occupational therapist, two book awards judges, a professional book reviewer, mums and dads, grandparents, and even the odd celebrity journalist or two.
But since our audience is Kiwi kids - who we hope will learn a bunch of important tricks and insights to carry with them throughout life - their opinion matters most to us. Truth be told, children of diverse genders, ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds have resonated with the Dizzy Waggle stories.
We're excited for what's ahead...
During our recent school visit, I noticed one girl in particular who was enthralled with The Dizzy Waggle Who Lit the Dark as I read it to her classroom and Fabienne displayed illustrations of the book on a TV. The emotion in her eyes changed with each page and she was connecting with deep feeling Zozo right in front of me 
That's exactly why I wrote these stories and I can't wait to get more books out to schools and into the community this year.
Thanks! Cloe xx
