Ubby Gubbys Cave

Ubby Gubby's Cave is a children's picture book, loosely based on my own childhood, growing up and visiting my grandparents at their home at Foster Bay in West Auckland.

My Granny, as I called her, would always take us for walks around the rocks, exploring the caves and searching under rocks for crabs. And it was one cave in particular that was said to be home to the coastal dwelling elephant, Ubby Gubby. I'm not actually sure if it was her who started the fable, or if it came from my own imagination, but to this day, that cave is known to me as Ubby Gubby's Cave.

Throughout my life I had always had a love for books of all kinds. During school-time I was often found to be neglecting my classwork, instead focussed on depicting the teacher or classmates in various pen-drawn, cartoon scenarios.

Later in life I obtained a diploma in creative writing through the NZIBS, with the intention of becoming a novel writer. But as time passed, I found myself gravitating towards children's books, as it gave me a chance to revisit my illustrations as well. And at some point it occurred to me that my childhood at the beach and Ubby Gubby's Cave could be a good starting point for a story, and the rest is history.

So please watch the video and check out the preview of the book that we put together. We printed off a test book that I have showed and read it to several kids from friends and family, and they actually reacted better than I could have hoped, eagerly asking questions and becoming engrossed in the story. And that is the main reason that has compelled me to seek funding to finally get it published.

The funding will cover the $650 I have been quoted for the printing of an initial 50 book run. The rest will cover marketing and starting a website etc. If it all works out and the first run of books sell, we will look to doing more and take it from there.

Like we said in the video, any donation great or small will be most appreciated and anyone who donates will have their name mentioned in a special thank you page at the back of the book, unless they choose to remain anonymous.

Thanks everyone and hopefully we will see Ubby Gubby's Cave on the shelves soon!

Cheers,

Tim & Marcia