They said they “do not feel that this bears significance or is relevant in any way to this particular story” and “in this instance we feel it is an afterthought and unnecessary.” In an email they said they were open to non-gender specific pronouns in “the right story”. (Did any reporters ask Wini their pronouns?) I hastily went back to the publisher with the pronoun amendments to the manuscript, suggesting they/them rather than interchangeably using she/they throughout the text. I had just gone by the pronouns I had seen in the news articles. I was so pleased that Wini offered their pronouns (she/they), and silently berated myself for not thinking to ask in the first place. I wouldn’t have felt right doing it otherwise. Constable (now Sergeant) John Zhu, who had been called in to help relocate the kororā, and Wini Morris, who worked at the sushi shop, were delighted to be part of the story and gave their approval. Linda’s two picture books (Images: Supplied)Īfter signing a contract, I checked with the people involved if they minded their name and likeness being represented in the book.
This one, Kororā and the Sushi Shop, is based on the true story of a kororā penguin that tried to nest under a store in central Wellington. My first picture book, Things in the Sea are Touching Me!, was fictional, with facts about the sea woven in. Having more than one book to my name made me feel like a legitimate author. It was exciting, getting my second manuscript accepted for publication with Scholastic. Linda Jane Keegan, celebrated for writing what’s thought to be the first picture book in New Zealand featuring non-heterosexual parents, tells the story of her second book.
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