How Helensvale four-year-old became best-selling author with book about ‘Rona’

A four-year-old Helensvale girl has become a best-selling author after her coronavirus-inspired picture book went to number one on Amazon.

A KINDY kid has become a best-selling author after her coronavirus-inspired picture book went to number one on Amazon – and she’s only four years old.

Tara Clements-Sherwin collaborated with her mum Chandra Clements to create Rona Stole My Fun! The Four Year Old vs The Virus, which tells the story of Tara, her Helensvale family and why she can’t play with “Gran and Poppy” anymore.

Ms Clements said the book was inspired by Tara’s artwork at C and K Kindergarten, at Oxenford.

“She had been drawing at C and K Kindy in Oxenford, drawing some really lovely pictures,” Ms Clements said.

“I was blown away by her water colour drawings. She kept drawing different aspects of Gran running away from ‘Rona’, Rona going outside their house, processing why she couldn’t visit her elderly neighbours.

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Four year old Tara Clements with her paintings. Picture: Tertius Pickard

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“I was blown away by the fact that she’s four and the drawings were beautiful. It was beautiful and innocent.”

Ms Clements wrote the storyline while Tara illustrated the events of Rona frightening elderly neighbours, dad working from home in pyjamas and mum going “cray cray”.

This painting is called 'Rona'. Picture: Tertius Pickard

“Creating the book helped both her and her sister make sense of the pandemic and why she had to stay home,” Ms Clements said.

Ms Clements said it was especially tough for Tara to not visit her elderly neighbours, referred to as Gran and Poppy in the book, who she would see a few times a week.

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Four year old Tara Clements with her mom Chandra and sister Allegra. Picture: Tertius Pickard

“Her actual grandparents live interstate. The neighbours have been in her life since she was born – we call them Gran and Poppy Noel,” Ms Clements said.

“When she couldn’t go down there anymore she couldn’t work that out, that seemed to be crazy.”

Tara only had ill feelings towards Rona.

“She’s terrifying. She stole my fun,” she said.

Rona Stole My Fun hit number one within a few hours and stayed at number one for five days in the Children’s Personal Hygiene Books section for e-book editions on Kindle.