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Tindalls Bay author Nicky Gumbrell has released a book about her dogs which she hopes will encourage families to discuss neurodiversity, isolation, and social acceptance with children.
With illustrations by Whangaparāoa’s Elise Potter, ‘Mr Bingley Is Different’ depicts the lives of two labradoodles (Mr Bingley and Manny) with very different personalities.
According to the teaser on the back cover, “Mr Bingley doesn’t like to do things his brother Manny likes. He often feels left out. But … he can do something that Manny and his friends can’t do. And it’s really impressive!”
Designed for ages two to eight, Nicky says her story aims to help children see that what makes them different also makes them special.
“I wrote it with neurodiversity in mind, but children can feel isolated or different for many other reasons,” Nicky said, giving the example of a child relocating from another country.
Building on her background as a speech and language therapist, Nicky is now an alternative education tutor supporting children and youth who have different learning needs. Mr Bingley and Manny are a key part of her approach to helping young people gain confidence academically and socially.
Nicky and Mr Bingley made regular visits to Gulf Harbour school as part of Hato Hone St John’s therapy dog programme. After noticing that Mr Bingley behaved quite differently to ‘regular’ dogs, Nicky had the idea to write a book for children who might identify with him. A calm and gentle soul, Nicky said Mr Bingley was much better with people than at interacting with other dogs, making him a great therapy dog.
When Mr Bingley retired in 2020, he was succeeded by three-year-old Manny who is playful and always ready to socialise. Mr Bingley, on the other hand, is more comfortable standing back and observing from a distance. Nicky explained that many children will have experienced standing on the outside like Bingley.
A first-time published author, Nicky said that years of reading alongside children helped her learn what interests them. She mentioned the importance of repetitive sentence structure for the children to know what’s coming next, and she chose a font that would be easy for dyslexic readers to follow.
“Children will read books where they can relate to the story,” Nicky said. “But they will only read at the level they can speak. When I ran out of resources, I just started creating my own.”
Nicky would turn photos of a student interacting with Mr Bingley into a story with input from the student themselves. She knew the student would be able to read the book because, in helping her to create the story, the student had to have spoken the words first.
Spurred on by the success of her one-off, homemade photobooks, Nicky approached Elise Potter in 2022 after seeing her illustrations in Anna Sanford’s ‘One Day, Some Day, Today!’. With both Nicky and Elise working on the book alongside their day jobs and other commitments, it wasn’t ready until Mr Bingley’s 14th birthday in July.
“There aren’t many dogs who can say they’ve celebrated their birthday with a book launch.”
The private launch in Tindalls Bay involved friends, family and their young children. “It was absolutely delightful watching their faces as they realised it was about dogs they knew and who were in front of them,” Nicky said.
“It’s been an honour to bring this story to life,” Elise said.
Growing up on the peninsula, her illustrations are familiar with Hibiscus Coast beach and park scenes. This is Elise’s second published work, following Sanford’s book about a family preparing to welcome a foster child/sibling.
Nicky also turned to Sanford for guidance on publishing because she wanted to have the book printed locally.
“I won’t make any money on this book as I have self-published it as a personal project. I want to get the book into the hands of the children who will benefit from it the most,” Nicky said.
‘Mr Bingley is different’ can be purchased for $20 from Ōrewa Beach Vet Clinic, Manly Pharmacy, Silverdale Post Office, Hello Darling in Millwater, or Bath Boutique in Browns Bay.
Hibiscus Matters has four copies of ‘Mr Bingley is different’ to give away to two lucky readers. To go in the draw, tell us who you will gift the second copy to this Christmas. Email your answer with your name and phone number to hibiscusnews@localmatters.co.nz with ‘Mr Bingley’ in the subject line. Or post/drop-off your entry to us at 21 Florence Avenue, Ōrewa. Entries close on Friday, November 29.
