CREATIVELY SPEAKING: A Little Dirt Will Never Hurt Anyone

ROBIN VAN DER VLEUTEN Special to The Standard

At a local trivia night, I had the pleasure of being on a team with Amita Dayal and learning more about her. Not only is she a wealth of information, but she is a highly respected family doctor in Port Perry. Her hobbies include reading, travelling with her husband and two children and taking creative writing courses. “I feel the attraction of writing, and I see stories in things.” commented Amita. A writer of narrative-based medicine articles, she recently added fiction writer to her list of accomplishments based on the publication of her first story, Leo’s End of Summer Bath. “It was after our summer vacation, about six years ago at our family cottage, that I was inspired to write this story. I had no intention of publishing it as it was just a cute story that came to me out of inspiration. It stayed with me, and after sharing it with family, I was motivated to publish it.” explained Amita.

This delightful story is based on her six-year-old son’s adventure at their cottage many years ago. Nyan was obsessed with fishing, hunting for salamanders, swimming in the lake, and catching frogs. Digging through mud and grabbing slimy fish meant dirty fingernails and feet. For Nyan, this was all part of the adventure as ‘a little dirt will never hurt anyone.’ At the end of the two-week vacation, his family realized, apart from swimming in the lake, he hadn’t taken a bath.

“I joked with him that because of all the fish guts and bits and pieces that were under his fingernails and all over him, when we finished the bath, there would be a fish in the bottom of the tub.” said Amita. And as he soaked and scrubbed in the bath, she became inspired to write Leo’s End of Summer Bath. This spectacular debut showcases Amita’s talent for writing fiction and highlights the joy of being a child. Amita’s beautifully woven story is brought to life by the detail and richness of the illustrations created by 17-year-old artist Jace Laumann.

Amita Dayal’s next book is inspired by her daughter’s love of dinosaurs. Leo’s End of Summer Bath is available on Amazon.

Robin Van Der Vleuten is a retired teacher, children’s author, artist and photographer. (robinscreativeworks.com)