Guest Post: Stephanie Ward on Allen The Alien - You Are Welcome!

As a child, I was amazed by aeroplanes (and still am). Where are they going? Are the travellers heading off on an adventure or coming home? Can I come along? 

I was born and raised in a lovely, smallish-sized town, but the minute I was accepted into a university in 'the big city' I jumped at the chance. I haven’t stopped moving since – visiting all seven continents, traveling to dozens of countries and living in four countries. I’m always the new kid on the block.

When I started writing for children, I had just moved to Sydney, half-way across the planet from my family, with my husband and one-year-old son. I was feeling a bit isolated. 

I so appreciated those people who made me feel like I belonged – neighbours who invited me into their circles of friends, parents who welcomed my son into their play groups, and so many random acquaintances that let me become part of the community and eventually even a full-fledged citizen.

When I wrote the manuscript for Allen the Alien, I put all of those feelings into the story. Allen’s loud toys are my unfamiliar accent. His over-exuberant style of play is my over-enthusiastic thrill of discovering local foods. Even his crash landing on Earth is like my unannounced arrival in a new place. Allen’s story naturally became about acceptance because that’s what I was looking for.

It was amazing to see that Aleck Morton, the uber-talented illustrator of Allen the Alien, created such insightful scenes showing Allen to be the fish out of water. Aleck captured the concept of being an alien in every sense of the word. But also, he showed Allen’s innocence – he was just being himself, even though it was difficult for the Earthlings to understand. Well, not all of the Earthlings.

In all my travels, I have found that it’s so often children that will approach my family without any concern about our differences. They will ask to share a toy or show kindness in a situation without any judgement or fear. So, when I considered who to dedicate this book to, I decided to offer it to everyone who feels out of place – be that in a new school, a new neighbourhood or a new continent. As well as to everyone in those places that makes us feel welcome like so many have made me feel. So, at the end of the day, Allen the Alien is a sort of thank you note to all of the gracious, welcoming people around the world.

Keep an eye out for KBR's Elizabeth's review of Allen The Alien, coming soon!

Stephanie Ward is the author of board books Clownfish Aren’t Funny! and Don’t Laugh Giraffe!, as well as picture books Arabella and the Magic Pencil and Wally the Warm-Weather Penguin.

After many years in marketing, Stephanie now spends her time writing sweet, silly and sidesplitting stories for children. Originally from Spokane, Washington, she can (currently) be found in London, England with her husband and young son.

Stephanie is also a book reviewer for Armadillo Magazine and The Children’s Book Review and a former book reviewer for the Children’s Book Council of Australia.

You can find out more about Stephanie at her website: Stephanie Ward – Notes from a Writer with Wanderlust  and on Instagram, Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon.