Firefighting author from Sheffield launches children’s book with artist sister

Sheffield firefighter and author Joe Moorwood, aged 43, teamed up with his sister Anna - an artist and mother of three, based in Sheffield, to create their first children’s picture book.

Outside Is Inside has been dedicated to Joe and Anna’s mum, Janet Moorwood, who died earlier in the year after a brief battle with cancer.

Anna said: “It’s been a challenging year for all of the family after the devastating loss of our inspirational mum. Especially having to socially distance knowing how little time we had left together.

“The book has proven to be a positive distraction in a really tough period of our lives. We made an audio-animation to accompany it, so it was nice that she got to watch and listen to the story. There was never any doubt about who we should dedicate it to.”

The book, which features Anna’s Lino print collages, celebrates the involvement of grandparents in helping to raise children, which is now a possibility for millions of families following a long and painful period of separation.

It also deals with bereavement in an accessible and reassuring way.

The story tells of a young boy who has misgivings when his elderly grandad moves into the family home.

His concerns are soon replaced by wonder as the two of them embark on a series of adventures.

Despite being confined to the house, the pair explore imaginary worlds ranging from tropical rain forests to the open ocean.

Joe believes the power of imagination has never been more important for children, whose lives may have been impacted by the pandemic and are often dominated by screens.

He said: "I didn’t set out to consciously address any particular issue. The book started as a stand-alone poem, written just before everyone’s life changed so dramatically at the start of 2020.

"As the world went into lockdown, the messages and ideas woven into the poem suddenly felt more relevant than ever. That’s when I shared the story with Anna, who was immediately moved and inspired to create the illustrations, with the hope of one day finding a publisher.”

The 43-year-old parent of Greystones pupils Noah and Max recently visited Greystones Primary School to read his new book and answered the children’s questions.

Joe was joined by Anna, who showed the class how to make her trademark Lino print collages.

Joe said: “It was great to read to a new audience who hadn’t heard the story before. They seemed to really enjoy it and asked some great questions, relating to the story’s themes, and the process of writing it.”

Greystones Primary teacher Sally Marsden said: “The children were all so excited to meet them. They loved the story and also really enjoyed learning some printing and collage techniques from Anna.

"It was also a treat to receive signed copies of The Outside Is Inside. It’s a wonderful and unique story.”

The story has been highly commended by Roger McGough CBE and John Lloyd CBE, who described it as “an absolutely timeless piece of work.”

For more information or to order a copy, visit www.theoutsideisinside.co.uk