Kids on the coast

It was whilst on 11AM that Andrew identified a passion for writing and 18 books later, he is referred to as an accomplished author. His books include picture books and stories for primary age. Many of them are included in the Premier’s Reading Challenge in NSW and SA. Andrew lives on Sydney’s Northern Beaches with his wife Jacquie and three children who are now 11, nine and six. With the recent release of his new book series, Andrew shares stories of dogs, kids and parenting.

How did your writing career begin and are your own kids an inspiration?

A publisher used to come into a program I did, and I finally got up the nerve to tell him I wanted to write. He said “why don’t you write about your own childhood” and that was sort of the beginning. Our kids have done things along the way that have slowly got them into books. All the picture books have been bedtime stories at some time or another. Goodnight me was definitely to say goodnight to our son. I do it is definitely based on our youngest daughter and Check on me is most definitely our middle girl. There’s another one coming in the middle of the year called Monster. It’s so beautiful I can’t believe it. We are working with the illustrator Bruce Whatley who has done a lot of Jackie French’s books.

Where did the idea of Skoz come from?

I have always had staffy’s. The first one was called Skoz and the one we have now is called Flog. He’s 15 and we are getting ready to discuss him spending eternity in the garden. I have written three stories about Skoz and they will come out every four months. It’s pretty fast paced with the odd joke in there so, if kids are not great readers or don’t like books, they can enjoy it and read pretty quickly and start thinking about the next one. The big attraction for us as adults is that it looks like an old fashioned book. We looked at a different illustrator who was more funky and modern, and it just didn’t fit. The story is not moralistic but it’s about doing your best and you will eventually succeed. The kids come up with ideas for Skoz stories. One of the girls said “How about on the modelling catwalk in high heels, Dad?” I said “That’s a great idea, what happens next?” and she said, “I don’t know, you make it up.”

Did working on children’s programs equip you for parenthood?

I don’t think anything prepares you for being a parent. But I do have a theory: You have a realistic seven months when you know the baby is coming and you have time to get used to it. Then, when you look at a baby’s crap many single people say “Oh my god, I couldn’t clean up a nappy” but that’s nothing – it gets worse. The whole thing is a gradual process – very slowly you get used to these things. The turd is a good analogy because it gets worse and worse then one day you think “my God, I don’t have to clean it up any more”. Just as you get used to something, the next big change comes along. Then they have to go to kindy, then school…

Does having a well-known father affect your children?

I don’t think they are treated any differently because I am well-known and hopefully it won’t have much of an impact as they grow older. I talk to their classes about writing and how to construct stories and things like that, but I don’t act differently or expect preferential treatment. My work history has always been there and it doesn’t affect the way I behave. I still coach the school football team. If I decided to become a little less normal, yes it would affect the kids but it’s not going to happen. We have an utterly normal life. Their friends just know us for who we are.

What is the best parenting advice you have been given?

The best advice is love, love, love. If you think you can’t love them any more give them a little more because you’ve got to the age of about seven or eight for their moral code to be established and after that it’s just a ride. That came from Barbara Holsworth the children’s court judge. She says, “Love them as much as you can, then just hold on.”

Respecting your kids is big. I don’t think there’s a point smacking the children because it just makes you feel worse. I was on the bus the other day and someone said something about their kids needed a hiding and I thought “why?” Our kids have never been hit and they are fine.

What do you most like doing with your kids?

I really like walking to school with them. I like talking to them and going fishing and making stuff. We had rubbish day the other day so we found a surfboard and we chopped it down and re-glassed it and put foot straps on so we could run behind the boat on it. It’s things like that where you can show them you can make something out of nothing. Especially these days: if someone has a flat tyre they think “I’ll get a new bike”. The kids like cooking too: Our son does the barbecue every weekend. He’s really good at it. The girls are good bakers already. They can make their own crepes and pancakes from scratch without help.

What skill do you think is the most important to teach kids?

I think reading to your children is very important. If they see you reading, especially when they are younger, they will be more likely to read themselves. We are role models, if we like it or not. If you can spare 10 minutes to read to them at night time, even when you are shagged, (let them read to you and you read a bit to them), they will feel you have an interest in their development and they will be inclined to do a little better at it. If they can read they can understand a story and it helps their writing and all facets of their life really.

Skoz the Dog series

Andrew Daddo

Andrew’s own two staffys have been the inspiration behind this delightful series of stories. Two have been published so far and my 10-year-old daughter is hooked. Designed for kids from 6-8, these tales tell the misadventures of a sleep-walking dog and how he manages to avoid disaster. Andrew’s style is very contemporary and conversational with different fonts used for Skoz’s thoughts, making it easy for kids to understand. In a world where kids’ books are getting thicker and more daunting, this book is a good bet for less confident readers.