Emma Bowd

Where were you born?

I was born in a small, seaside town in NSW, and was lucky to have a fabulously free and Famous Five style childhood. I’ve also lived in Malaysia, north Queensland, southern Queensland, South Australia and London, before settling in Melbourne.

What other jobs have you had?

When I was a university student, I spent one entire summer break on a tropical north Queensland island as a waitress - where I loved meeting people from all over the world. And in my career as an Occupational Therapist (OT), it was my great privilege to work with children, adults and the elderly in all sorts of large and small hospitals and home-based settings in London, for more than ten years. Before travelling overseas, I worked as an OT in the industrial rehabilitation sector, and spent many happy days swapping my slingbacks for steel capped boots, and helping injured workers return to work on the car production lines at Ford Motor Company and General Motors Holden. I’ve also enjoyed running my own slow fashion bag-making small business. I consider being a mum/parent the most important job I’ve ever had - my two children are now young adults.

What themes are recurring in your work?

Shoes! I’m a living, breathing example of my Number #1 Rule of Writing: Always write about what you LOVE!

I also very much enjoy combining my background in Occupational Therapy and Science (biochemistry and psychology) with my love for language (especially rhyme), family life, STEM, travel and contemporary culture to write fun, feel-good adventures which showcase traditional themes for modern audiences.

What have been the highlights of your career?

There’s nothing like the thrill of seeing your first published book in a bookshop in London – let alone on a poster on the London Underground! I also had a meeting with my publisher, Bloomsbury, in their London office just after JK Rowling had been in the building – which was very exciting!

It was a great honour to receive a CBCA Notable Book Award (Early Childhood) for my debut children’s picture book, Wonderful Shoes, in 2022. And I would be lying if I said that I didn’t cry when I saw Wonderful Shoes being read on Play School Story Time, in 2022! I feel very lucky to have had such a wonderful journey so far with Wonderful Shoes.

I’m very proud of the ‘Writer in Residence’ program which I helped to establish and develop at the children’s education charity, Ardoch. Since running the pilot program in 2016, I have written six books with six primary schools in Melbourne’s Western suburbs, and witnessed the program expand to involve many more authors and schools across Victoria, as well being implemented in Western Sydney in 2023.

But by far, the biggest highlight for me is fostering a love of literacy in children who are reluctant readers and writers. And seeing them stand up in class and proudly read aloud their work, often for the first time ever, is extremely rewarding.

Where have your works been published?

My books for adults (non-fiction and fiction) have been published in the UK, US, Australia, Netherlands and Germany. To date, my children’s picture books have been published in Australia.

What are you passionate about?

I am absolutely passionate about children having equal access to education opportunities and becoming literate members of society – irrespective of their postcodes. And I am equally passionate about getting picture books into the hands of as many children as possible, in the early years before they start school, to facilitate and enhance their literacy journeys at the earliest possible stage.