A Perth brother and sister creative duo have penned and polished their second children's book for the Christmas period.
Rest in our Nest: A Christmas Tale, written by David. C Fisher and illustrated by Hilary Stewart, is a fantastical story that explores how the humble robin encapsulates the “quintessential spirit of Christmas”.
It is the second book the siblings have published together after Catching the Contagious Yawn was released in February.
The success of that publication spurred the local pair on to team up for their second book, which will spring young ones into the festive spirit.
“This is our second book, this time for the Christmas period,” David explained.
“We have always had a nature theme running through our stories, but also a little bit factual as well.
“I drafted a narrative around the robin and the cuckoos nest.
“From there the publishers liked it and then we went through the process again and were able to get it done during the summer.
“Hilary and I were always quite keen to do something with a different take on Christmas.
“You can get a few books that are quite preachy but we have always wanted a light-hearted tale with the robin being a symbol of Christmas as well.
“The setting of the book goes on from Hallowe’en.”
David said he has approached Fun Junction Toy Shop in Perth, who expressed an interest in stocking the book, with Waterstones in Perth currently stocking the siblings two titles.
Both are available online through Waterstones, Amazon and other high end online book stores.
David credited his sister for helping bring his stories to life.
“The books are pictures in my head but with Hilary we have got a similar sense of humour, so when she read the manuscript it made sense to her,” he said.
“As soon as she started drafting I thought it was what I had in mind and we have that ability to be open with each other and chat and laugh through it.
“I may have struggled with it if I was working with someone I didn’t know, asking ‘How do you want it to look?’ or ‘Have you thought about this or that?’.
“But Hilary reads it and it all sort of makes sense to her.
“That sibling connection helps a lot.”
David also revealed: “We have got five manuscripts written and the next one has been approved to publish a third book.
“It is definitely something that has created a bit of momentum.
“It is something we are definitely enjoying working on together.”
