By Joe Wayte

Lindfield resident and mum of two, Nicola Richardson took inspiration from her son Leo’s passion for diggers to write a short, illustrated children’s book. The aim was to prepare him for the future and going to school using the object he most enjoyed. As lockdown hit the UK, Nicola handed out free copies to her neighbours in a bid to give parents something new to entertain their children with.

What started out as a poem grew into a longer story including various scenarios. We read about the diggers getting ready, hearing their name on the register, and learn about the different skills each of them has – all unique and working together to get the digging done.

The book was illustrated by local graphic designer Alex Slack. Nicola and Alex were colleagues at the time. A chance conversation in which the book was mentioned led to a six-month partnership while Nicola was on maternity leave with her second child, Jessica.

After looking into publishing options, Nicola decided to self-print the book, initially ordering minimal copies, which mainly went to family and friends. Businesses in the area have since stocked the book, including Waterstones in Haywards Heath, which likes to support local authors. Since the first print in 2019, Nicola has now sold nearly 400 copies.

Earlier this year Nicola used the book to run a workshop at Northlands Wood Primary School and hopes to do more in the future. She is also contemplating her next short story based on her daughter’s passions to make sure Jessica doesn’t feel left out!

You can buy the book online via Amazon.co.uk and you can also download some of the illustrations for free from www.diggerschool.com to colour them in yourself.