‘May I Hug You?’: New children's book

Oleta Blunt is an Orange-based author and mum of three, who wants her daughters to grow up understanding and appreciating their “big emotions, and the emotions of others”.

Her debut children’s book ‘May I Hug You?’ aims to do just that, offering a gentle look at asking permission and respecting boundaries. Illustrated by Katherine Appleby, the book follows the story of a dog in a new home and how he navigates his new situation.

“It’s essentially a story with some endearing characters that really impart some essential skills for preschoolers, such as empathy, understanding, boundaries, and also respect,” Oleta said.

Drawing on her own experiences as a survivor of childhood and early childhood sexual abuse, Oleta saw the need to introduce the vital skills of asking permission and making others feel safe from an early age. 

“For me, it was really important to understand how, as a mother, I could really delicately address these things. And to me, obviously, having three daughters, I really wanted to start empowering them at such a young age, like preschool age, to try and navigate social interactions and having confidence and understanding around what boundaries and respect looks like.”

Oleta’s oldest daughter started school this year, and Oleta wanted to make sure she was well-equipped with all the skills needed to manage without mum around.

“I think understanding boundaries and understanding what respecting personal space looks like, is really key,” Oleta said.

Growing up, Oleta said there was a lot of pressure put on her to physically interact with relatives she wasn't necessarily comfortable with. She said this was something she wanted to make sure her children never felt pushed into doing, despite the generational expectation. 

“I will never push my daughters to hug their grandparents if they're not feeling like they want to, there may be things in their mind that they're dealing with, or they're trying to navigate... So I'd never want to put that pressure on my daughters, as it was placed on me,” she said.

“I think it's paramount that boundaries and respecting personal space are spoken to at an early age.”

‘May I Hug You’ can be purchased at Collins Booksellers Orange and at online retailers.