Northampton couple lose both their jobs due to COVID-19 and go on to publish children's book

Franois Arnaud and Cherise Cross have just created their own children's book after losing their jobs in lockdown.

A Northampton-based couple who have faced their fair share of adversity in 2020 due to COVID-19 have decided to re-write this year to finish it on a positive note.

Cherise Cross and François Arnaud both lost their jobs during the pandemic and had to move out of their rented home and in with Cherise's parents.

The pair, now living in East Hunsbury, postponed their wedding celebrations and even closed down their small part-time business, Wine Rhino, selling French wine, forcing them to finally write and illustrate their first children’s picture book, which they have called 'Hop the Kangaroo Dog'.

Hop the Kangaroo Dog is a rhyming picture book celebrating our differences

Cherise has written plays for the stage including The Door (The Park Theatre - London-2013) and The Real Girl (Tristan Bates - London-2015) while François, originally from Tours in France, has been a graphic designer for 15 years.

Cherise said: “We’ve been playing around with ideas for children’s books for four years. In April when we realised that lockdown wasn’t going to be short term, we decided at that point to go for it and try and make our dreams come true.

"We’re inspired by the stories that our friends and family tell their kids. We’re always asking to see what books they are reading together at bedtime so we have a good idea of what is popular.

"We love fun, zany stories that have a moral, and are accompanied by bold, detailed illustrations. Julia Donaldson is a great inspiration for us. We are also huge fans of Benji Davies.”

Hop the Kangaroo Dog is a dog adopted by a family of kangaroos and very much wants to fit in and be like all her friends.

But when time comes for her to learn the kangaroo bounce Hop has to use her other skills to keep up with the Joeys and be in with a chance of winning.

This book has a simple rhyming narrative and can be read aloud to toddlers and small children, or for older children to read to themselves.

The couple set up Lazy Baba Picture Books in summer 2020, where Hop the Kangaroo Dog will be the first in a series of books which they plan to release. The next two titles will be Grump Pig, and Scared Bear.

Hop the Kangaroo Dog will be published through Amazon UK initially on both kindle and paperback in December.