Melbourne mum's children's book gets the royal treatment
A mother-of-two from Melbourne woke up on Wednesday morning to see her children's book receiving unexpected attention from the Royal Family.
Emma Macey, author of Matilda and the Bear, was shocked to see Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, reading her acclaimed book on her popular Storytime with Fergie & Friends YouTube channel.
The Melbourne mum told 9Honey that she was thrilled to know her book had been read to an audience of tens of thousands of people around the world by such an important person.
"I loved how even Fergie could relate to situations Matilda found herself in that made her feel a bit anxious," the excited mum says.
"It goes to show that this book is very relatable to adults just as well as the children they may be reading it to!"
Emma was inspired to write her book last year when she saw how lockdown was affecting the mental health of her young daughters, who couldn't understand why their lives had changed so drastically.
Emma wanted her girls to "feel safe" and discovered that having open conversations with them about anxiety and listening to them helped.
After self-publishing her book, she has sold thousands of copies worldwide and is overwhelmed by the positive response, and was elated to have Fergie relate to the book in her own way.
Emma hopes the book helps offer comfort to children experiencing any kind of hardship.
Image credit: Instagram @matildaandthebear