The Story Behind the Story by Sarah Ann Juckes
Welcome to today’s blog where Sarah Ann Juckes shares some insight into her book, Robin.
The Story Behind the Story by Sarah Ann Juckes
It’s one of the most frequently asked questions I get as a children’s author – “where do you get your ideas?” It’s also one of my favourite questions to answer, because every book has its own unique ‘story behind the story’ on how it came to be.
ROBIN started as a feeling I got during a quick walk around Sherwood Forest in October 2019. It was a dream of mine to see the Major Oak. Robin Hood was my favourite Disney film growing up, and I couldn’t let the opportunity pass to see the tree that it was fabled Robin Hood and Maid Marion once met under the branches of, when we happened to be passing by on our way back from a trip. So, I ran the paths from the car park as quickly as I could whilst my husband waited in the car – snapping a picture of the tree, before running back.
As it turned out, it wasn’t the Major Oak that caught my attention that day – it was the other huge, gnarled ancient oaks that lined the path. They towered above me, with their blackened branches and gaping heartwood. And there was something in the air as I walked by them. Something thick with stories.
I knew then that I wanted to write a book about those trees. About the small robin, who had followed me down the paths. About the thick silence instilled on a place that has heard so many stories over the past hundreds of years.
It wasn’t until a few years later that I discovered Eddie’s particular story. I had been waiting to find the perfect character for the setting, and there he was – wrapped in a conversation I was having with a friend about ‘glass siblings’. The term refers to the feeling of invisibility a child may feel when they have a sibling who has special needs – either from an ongoing health condition or learning disability. Often, children can feel like their own needs are secondary to that of their siblings and they can either act out to get attention, or become very quiet, like Eddie.
For Eddie, he remembers a time when life with his sister was full of stories and song. But as her heart condition deteriorates and she faces another large operation, his homelife has become quiet. He is told that he’s a brilliant big brother, and Eddie feels this means he needs to put his sister’s needs over his own. His voice becomes quiet, and he keeps the fear, anger and difficult feelings of jealousy to himself, where they create a monster.
The forest was the perfect space to explore Eddie’s world. Among the wintery ancient oaks, Eddie finds a place to finally speak his truth. With the help of that same robin who followed me that day around Sherwood Forest, he finds his voice again. And the strange, translucent story-girl he meets one day helps him harness his bravery until he has the tools he needs to defeat the monster he is so afraid of letting out.
I’m immensely proud of this novel and the beautiful illustrations by Linde Faas really give life to the landscape. You’ll find drawings of some of the trees I saw that first day in the book… See if you can spot the other references to Sherwood Forest, hidden in the story!
Robin by Sarah Ann Juckes is available from all good booksellers. Out now.
Ages 8+, 9781398531055, Hardback
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.
