A local author and illustrator has a new activity book on shelves at Indigo, Chapters and Coles that celebrates Nova Scotia and teaches children about her home province.
“The Amazing Nova Scotia Activity Book” by Susan Penney is filled with puzzles and games featuring Penney’s hand-drawn art.
“I grew up in Nova Scotia. I’ve lived here my whole life,” Penney said.
Penney’s previous colouring books have been for adults. She released a Nova Scotia colouring book which “takes you all around the province” alongside the activity book for children.
“I thought it’s more engaging,” Penney said. “There’s so many amazing fun facts here but I wanted to include them. Get people excited about this province.”
The shift to children’s content is the latest in a series of changes in Penney’s professional life. In her first career she was a florist who designed arrangements for celebrities like Tony Bennett and K.D. Lang. She said she was a workaholic but after her husband had recurring bouts of prostate cancer in 2017 and 2019 – and then the COVID-19 pandemic – they decided to make some changes.
“We thought the five- or 10-year plan is now and we literally decided we were going to sell our belongings and sell our home and do a hard pivot and start doing things we wanted to do now and not someday,” Penney said. “Life is short, and you never know.”
To pursue their dream, Penney and her husband bought an RV and started travelling. She started designing colouring books to help her transition from working all the time to not working at all.
“I wanted to find something that I could do to spend time and travel with my husband when he was able,” she said. “And so, the flowers were an inspiration.”
Penney’s adult colouring books include motivational themes and “stress-relieving” floral designs. She said all the illustrations are flower arrangements she created herself.
“You tend to get rid of all that other noise in your head while you’re colouring,” Penny said. “You know, we have so much noise around us now that to do something that’s back to pen and paper is very relaxing.”
For her next project Penney is shifting focus again, this time to another province.
“We spent a month in Newfoundland two years ago. It was amazing. I can’t wait to go back.”
Penney said she took a lot of pictures to inspire her book about Newfoundland and she’s working on a second book about Nova Scotia.
“Hopefully we’ll see those soon.”
To get her books on the shelves at the big retailers Penney said she just showed up and knocked on the door.
“I’ve been pounding the pavement to gift shops and stores and everybody that will listen to try and make that connection.”
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