Elle giggled. She was hiding behind one of many great, red sandstone spears at the Pinnacles. The nature reserve looked strange and alien. It was covered in red earth and sand. “I wonder if aliens have taken us in their rocket ship, and now we are on Mars,” Elle wondered. She just wished the best dog in the whole world, Lucy, could be here as well. She was little but full of courage. She would have chased any Martians away. Instead, Lucy was at Mr Thomkins’ house. Mr Thomkins was not a man but a very naughty, fat cat. “I hope Mr Thomkins doesn’t eat all of Lucy’s food,” Elle thought anxiously. “He would if he could!” Elle loved exploring. She loved the sun. She loved museums, and she especially loved living in Western Australia. “Got you,” cried Dad triumphantly. “Now that we have seen the Pinnacles, let’s go to the museum.” A lady from the Noongar tribe was explaining “The Dreaming” and how the Pinnacles was a very special place for women. Some of the names sounded strange but very exciting. Elle loved to explore and was mesmerized by the stories in “The Dreaming”. “Mum”, Elle pondered, “I dream a lot –maybe my dreams will show me what I will be when I grow up? Maybe, I can be a space explorer or a scuba diver or maybe a famous actor. What do you think I will be, Mummy?” Mum smiled and said, “Elle, there is a phrase ‘the world’s your oyster’. It means you can be anything you want to be! But for now, it is getting late and we need to go home.”
Today we talk about Elle on a Road Trip, a book by Lady is a Trady published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Lady is a Trady, to get to know her better, as well as her book Elle on a Road Trip.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
– How does a womanly window tinter become an aspiring children’s storybook author?
‘Lady is a Trady’ is the creative initiative of Lisa Ravenscroft, a UK-born, now Western Australian businesswoman who encountered a personal need for change in her life’s purpose and career. This twinge for change was sparked soon after her arrival in Australia. From a young age in the UK, she’d worked in the local government and corporate sectors, advancing her positions with ease and absence of gender bias. Not so in the ‘lucky country’. And she couldn’t simply accept and adapt to the contrasting disparities. Over time, she developed an understanding of the cultural differences in the world of work in both countries. An opportunity to bring something different to the career landscape in WA started to unfold. She decided to wield her extensive corporate customer service expertise in the world of trades instead. Thus, the idea and name for ‘Lady is a Trady’ was sown. “It’s both novel and befitting to me how the humble trade of window tinting became the impetus for my mission—that is, to empower and educate young girls to be aware of the well-entrenched gender roles they’re assigned from the day they’re born—and to make educated life choices as a result. In my experiences as a ‘lady trady’ (and later as a trades franchise company owner), I was never short of positive feedback on how my female-led team paid extra care and attention to their customers. The feminine touch we brought to our trades became sought after by male and female customers alike. After 30 years in the customer services and complaints industry, I made a pivotal career move. I’d returned from travelling the globe solo and clinched the role of Medal Ceremonies Manager for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester (UK). I’ve never since doubted my ability to go after my dreams and achieve them—it was a hugely demanding but thrilling role. This is the mettle that underpins the ‘Lady is a Trady’ book series, which offers children from all walks of life a gentle, light-hearted way of learning how to claim true equality for their future—and greater world harmony as a result.”
– Girls need to read the ‘Lady is a Trady’ book series because…
…the closest, most well-loved and acclaimed children’s books in this genre is Dora the Explorer, however there isn’t anything in the market (that we know of) that aims to empower girls in the area of their career, or that ‘nudges the norms’ in the area of traditional gender roles. In presenting children with the idea of limitless possibilities through buoyant narratives and vivid illustration, we allow them permission to explore their heart’s desires before the psychological seeds of bias have a chance to take root.
Europe Books thanks the author Lady is a Trady once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book Elle on a Road Trip. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my dear young and adult reader, I wish the story of Elle, the colorful and very cute illustrations, which describes her adventures, will be of great interest to both of you, that it captures and intrigues you, page after page, and that it leaves you with some personal teaching to treasure in your everyday life!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy this very cute reading!
Your editor!