Perhaps by Warren Bonett
Roly Rawls and his friends live in a hostel attached to a community centre and the powers that be have decided to close it. But Roly has an idea, a big one that may just save the day.
Dpictus 2020 Unpublished Manuscript Finalist
My main character’s ideas are inspired by the work of the great American philosopher, John Rawls, in particular his metaphor of the Veil of Ignorance that he used to explain how we may achieve a more just society from a position of ignorance about ourselves and everybody else. He argued that were we not to know these things we would be less likely to create rules which favour ourselves, in fact, we’d be more inclined to develop a system based on fairness. The challenge with the book has been to write it in such a way as to not just be understandable to a young audience but also interesting and fun to read. It’s aimed at slightly older picture book readers, 4-8 years old although I hope the artwork and story would make it interesting to older readers still.
Picture Book: recommended ages 5-8, 48pp
Status: Currently under revision
At the entrance to the halls of power
K9 TV's reporter on the spot
This illustration is a direct reference to The Big Picture by Tom Roberts in 1901. The original took three years and is three metres wide (my modified version is only 1 metre wide.). It depicts the first-ever sitting of the Australian Parliament which along with Rawls’ ideas were the inspiration for the book. The painting showed quite clearly where power lay in the community. I’ve turned the subject on its head somewhat by having the disempowered address the hall rather than an aristocrat.