Writing Kids Books Inspired by The Natural World With Kasey Whitelaw

Kasey is a marine biologist, educator and children’s author with a passion for connecting children to science and nature through storytelling and education. Growing up on the coast of Victoria, Kasey spent her days beachcombing, surfing and exploring the rocky shores. As a child (and still as an adult), she was fascinated by the rock pools teeming with life, eagerly learning the names of the all the creatures she discovered. Her passion for the ocean led her to the World Heritage listed Shark Bay Marine Park in Western Australia, where she had the incredible opportunity to work with the famous Monkey Mia dolphins and loggerhead sea turtles. Inspired by her work and dedicated to nurturing the next generation of ocean warriors, she’s turned her enthusiasm into pages by diving into the colourful world of picture books. In the 189th episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women's fiction and short non-fiction for authors, chats to Kasey on: 'A Dolphin’s Wild Journey Home' what sparked the idea for Flute’s story and why it was so important to tell it through the eyes of a dolphin how Kasey goes about translating the wonder of the natural world into storytelling that resonates with young readers balancing educating and entertaining when writing children’s books Kasey's advice on weaving real-world inspiration into meaningful, age-appropriate narratives and much more.