When you meet a literary legend!

Sometimes the world smiles on you, and in a magical moment of synchronicity you get to meet an inspirational role model who is as awesome in "real life" as you imagined they would be. This was the case with Mem Fox. I have loved and respected Mem Fox and her picture books for a very long time (Possum Magic is a total Australian classic). She has a way with language that is melodic and rhythmic, but she can also captivate with simplicity (think "Where is the Green Sheep?"), two things that I would love to do. So when I got to MEET HER (and totally fan-girl out), it was a great moment for me.

This icon of Australian early years literacy is an absolute delight. She is down-to-earth, funny, and filled with a vibrancy and passion for life that makes her seem much younger than her 73 years. A consummate storyteller, she had a room filled with people from all walks of life mesmerised with tales of her life, and the interesting characters she has met along the way. In listening to this woman speak, and in talking with her, I found myself thinking "I want to be this woman". Such warmth, kindness and a childlike sense of fun, how could anyone not want to be like her? To top it all off, she signed me book, and even wrote the message I had boldly asked her to write (Sometimes it pays to be a bit cheeky- hee hee).