An Emmy Award-nominated journalist originally from Prince Rupert has published her first children's book.
JoJo Go-Go, by Wendi Redman, is about a girl with endless energy and her mother who works desperately to keep her busy and out of trouble. The book is whimsically illustrated by Elisabeth Wilder, a self-taught artist with a background in early childhood education.
Writing has been a big part of Redman's life since high school in Prince Rupert during which she wrote a weekly column for the Prince Rupert Daily News. She pursued journalism as a career, working as a television news anchor for various CBS and ABC affiliates across the United States. In 2016, she was nominated for an Southeast Emmy award for a health/science segment she did called "The Gynechiatrist" for WTOC TV, a CBS affiliate based in Savannah, Georgia.
When Redman started to raise her own family of two young girls, she took a break from the anchor desk. This led to her coming up with dozens of stories for her children, which blossomed into the idea of self-publishing.
“I love writing, especially for my girls,” said Redman. “Being able to physically hold books I’ve created for them and read these stories to them is incredibly special. “
The launch of JoJo Go-Go came just ahead of “I Read Canadian Day” on Nov. 6.
There are so many benefits to reading regularly to your child before they even enter kindergarten, Redman says.
“Reading to your children early and often can help expand their vocabulary and set them up to be more successful in school,” she said. “Even just reading for a few minutes at bedtime as part of your nightly routine can make a huge impact on their developing minds. Beyond that, it can be such a sweet bonding time between parent and child.”
While this book represents Redman's first foray into children's publishing, she hopes it will not be her last as she has material to make JoJo Go-Go into a series.
“I have written more than 20 books for kids ages one through six,” she said. “I’m sure I won’t publish them all, but I would love to be able to do at least a few more.”
JoJo Go-Go is available on Amazon.
