Writer James Hurman and illustrator Juliet Burton on a mission to teach kids how to be lucky

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BookFlatLandscape.jpgToday NZ-based writer James Hurman and illustrator Juliet Burton launch their new kids book on Kickstarter.

‘The Boy and the Lemon’ is a rhyming story that teaches kids the secrets of being lucky.

For every book bought, a second book will be donated to a school, library or less advantaged family.

 

Drawing on the research of a British psychology team, the story demonstrates the attitudes identified as maximising peoples’ potential of attracting good luck.

“When my wife was pregnant with our first born, I read a book called The Luck Factor,” says Hurman (below), the former planning director at Colenso BBDO and managing director at Y&R New Zealand, who founded innovation consultancy Previously Unavailable in 2014.

“The author, Richard Wiseman, was a psychology professor who had studied lucky people and unlucky people and discovered that lucky people share a certain attitude and way of approaching life. And if you taught people that attitude, and got them to adopt it, they became more lucky.

Hurman-Burton-Laughing.jpg“I remember being blown away by the idea that luck could be learned – but also thinking, as a grown up, it’s really hard to change the way you are. But what if you could take those lessons and teach them to children? As a parent it struck me that the most magical thing you could teach a child would be how to be lucky.”

The Boy and the Lemon works the scientific principles into a kids story about a boy called Jack, whose house is crushed by a giant lemon from outer space, and the adventures he goes on turning his luck around.

 

Page+8.jpgThe pair are hoping to raise funds to have the book produced and distributed globally, via a social enterprise model.

 

“Imagine if we could teach every child how to be lucky,” says Burton (above). “What a huge difference that could make to their lives, and in turn to the world. Our mission isn’t just to get the book produced – but to help as many kids as possible, all over the world, learn the secrets of being lucky.”

 

The pair have set a NZ$20,000 funding goal on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The book will be priced from NZ$25. Signed copies, art prints and other rewards are also available for backers of the book.