A nursery nurse at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is helping youngsters outside of her day job by turning her hand to writing children’s books.
Sue Powell is celebrating following the release and reception of her first book ‘Rustle’s Great Adventure’.
The story, about two leaf pals called Rustle and Scrunch, is aimed at children aged five to eight and deals with themes such as nature, friendship, anxiety and change.
Sue hopes the book will help children explore their feelings around worries and anxiety, an issue she believes has worsened for young people following the Covid-19 pandemic.
She is no stranger to looking out for the welfare of children as she has worked as a nursery nurse in the NHS since 2000, helping families in the Black Country since 2013.
She currently works for the Trust with families in the Dudley borough as part of Halesowen Health Visitors, with her work helping to inform the book to help little ones deal with change.
Since her debut was published she has held book readings in libraries, schools and bookshops around the Black Country where her book has won rave reviews.
She was even spotted by a young fan while walking in a park after they had seen Sue share her story at a children’s bookshop.
Sue said: “It’s really nice, it feels like a community. Writing has always been in me, I’ve always had a creative side.”
She always wants to show her NHS colleagues that they can pursue their passions and interests outside of work.
Sue has three more stories in rough lined up that she hopes to get published via the more traditional route, having published her first via Amazon.
Sue has been writing for years, but decided to the take the plunge in 2019 to get her work published.
She added: “It’s important that children know that it’s never too late to reach for your dreams.”
‘Rustle’s Great Adventure’ by Sue Powell is available via Amazon.