Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 4 May 2021

A BUDDING young artist and writer from Burbage has used his time and inspiration in lockdown to create, illustrate and publish his own book in just over three months.

16-year-old Josh Harris has written and self-published his own children’s book, titled “The Comfy Cloud Community”.

His title teaches young children the valuable lesson of equality.

The self-published storybook was submitted to Amazon’s digital store last month (4 April) where both Paperback and Kindle editions are available to purchase.

Josh, who attends Hastings High School, explained that his love for writing stemmed from the school’s creative writing club.

He written, illustrated and edited the book in just a week, as he wanted to use his free time in lockdown to do something positive.

He later gathered feedback from family, friends, and members of his Scout group, where he serves a Junior Leader.

Speaking to the Hinckley Free Press, he stated that he had ‘always dreamed’ of illustrating his own kids’ book and he decided to self-publish as he feels the opportunities are limited for young writers.

He explained: “I have been a keen artist since the earliest stages of my life and I have always dreamed of illustrating my very own kids’ book, but as a young writer, opportunities are limited, hence why I chose to self-publish my book.”

The book was based on clouds as Josh believes there are parallels between humans and clouds, a comparison that he drew from the saying: “No two clouds will ever be the same.”

He further added: “Humans, much like their cloudy counterparts, are all equal, no matter what their shape, size or colour happens to be.

“The book offers children a bitesize view on inclusivity in a fun-filled and impactful way.

“Each of these stories has themes of self-development and societal improvements as I feel that certain issues and ideologies are worth projecting to the younger generations as soon as possible.”

In September, Josh is set to start an Art and Design course with North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College, which he hopes will set him up for a career in the field.

His future goals are to release more children’s books in the future which will project similar messages in different ways, and to achieve his ‘dream’ of holding book signings of primary schools and ultimately becoming a best-seller.

The book is available to purchase online through Amazon here.