New Releases by Arthur Filloy

It's time for an ADVENTURE!

Includes exclusive 'Can You Find?' game as part of the story!

Jake and his Grandpa head off to the gold fields to search for gold.
It's much harder for Grandpa to find gold than he expects.
What they find just proves that one man's trash is indeed another boy's treasure.
A warm-hearted story of a boy and his grandfather sharing an unforgettable adventure.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Robin Adolphs

We could do with more children's picture books about adventure and exploration, what made you decide to write Grandpa's Gold?

I've been visiting the Australian gold fields for years. I realized that some city children may never get the chance to experience outback Australia and see where a unique part of Australian history unfolded. That was part of it. Also, Grandpa's Gold is based on the real experience my husband and grandson shared. Jake was so fascinated by the bush and prospecting I just had to write this story.

The strong relationship between Grandpa and Jake is not often seen in an illustrated children's story, how did this come about?

I like all my stories to have strong, emotional themes. When we took Jake into the bush I saw the relationship between Jake and his grandfather grow and strengthen as they shared a common interest. Grandpa's Gold was inspired by the special relationship I saw unfolding from day to day. I just needed to piece it all together in a way young children would understand.

Are you planning on writing any more gold rush books for kids?

I have already. I've written 'Jake's Golden Handbook', a companion non-fiction e-book to Grandpa's Gold. In this book Jake tells kids what they have to do to find gold. This is free from my website with the purchase of Grandpa's Gold. Details are on my website. I also co-wrote a song with Jenny James called 'Come Along To the Gold fields'. I'm not planning any more gold rush books as yet; but who knows?

You seem to enjoy writing preschool books for 2-8 years, why do you like writing for this age group so much?

This is the age when the love of reading begins. I was an Early Childhood teacher and saw how vital it was for children of this age to engage with good stories. There can never be enough stories written for this age group. And the learning possibilities from good picture books are immense. That's why all my books have free downloadable teaching and learning activities on my website to go with them.