AUTHOR
Gemma is available for Author Visits to talk about becoming and author and why she wrote the books.
Gemma can lead interactive storytelling sessions and autograph books too.
Gemma is an accomplished Author, having co-written with Pete Greig on 'How to Pray for Young Explorers' she now has her own series of books; See! Let's Be...A good Friend and ME!
"See! Let's Be" series is available to buy HERE
PRESS RELEASE May 2022
See! Let's Be A Good Friend
Mixed-race CBeebies star writes diverse Bible stories
CBeebies star Gemma Hunt is releasing her first children’s book – a diverse reimagining of the stories of Jesus. The book, A GoodFriend, features a mixed-race family as the main characters and aims to give Jesus a face which isn’t the “stereotypical, blonde-haired and blue-eyed Jesus so many of us grew up with”.
Gemma, who rose to fame on CBBC in 2003 and stars in the hit series Swashbuckle, wrote the book for her own daughter – who has a mixed-race mother (Gemma), a white father, a Black grandmother and a white grandfather – so that she could see a family like her own reflected in the books she read.
“We couldn’t find any children’s books which represented a family like ours”, said Gemma, currently a presenter on the BBC and Channel 5.
“While there is more diversity in kids stories these days, there was nothing which truly reflected my own child’s experience of home life. I wrote these stories because it is so important for children to see themselves represented in the literature and media they consume – I want my daughter to look at this book and feel like she’s looking in a mirror”.
As a Christian, Gemma aims for her book to promote a diverse image of Jesus – one that makes mixed-race children and children of colour feel part of the conversation on religion. In A Good Friend, the main characters – a mixed-race family just like Gemma’s own – carry out the parables and teachings of Jesus in a modern context, and are at the centre of every story, rather than confined to the tokenistic sidelines.
Gemma said, “As a child, your own experience of life is all you know. So, if you’re not seeing your life reflected in what you’re reading and watching on TV, it might lead you to question the life that you have and feel like your experience is not normal compared to the rest of the world. It’s so important for children to feel part of things – we all just want to feel like we belong”.
A Good Friend was published by SPCK on the 20th May 2022.
See! Let's Be A Good Friend
Mixed-race CBeebies star writes diverse Bible stories
- CBeebies star Gemma Hunt is publishing her first children’s book – a mixed-race retelling of the stories of Jesus
- The BAFTA-nominated presenter decided to produce the stories after being unable to find any children’s books which featured a mixed-race family like her own
CBeebies star Gemma Hunt is releasing her first children’s book – a diverse reimagining of the stories of Jesus. The book, A GoodFriend, features a mixed-race family as the main characters and aims to give Jesus a face which isn’t the “stereotypical, blonde-haired and blue-eyed Jesus so many of us grew up with”.
Gemma, who rose to fame on CBBC in 2003 and stars in the hit series Swashbuckle, wrote the book for her own daughter – who has a mixed-race mother (Gemma), a white father, a Black grandmother and a white grandfather – so that she could see a family like her own reflected in the books she read.
“We couldn’t find any children’s books which represented a family like ours”, said Gemma, currently a presenter on the BBC and Channel 5.
“While there is more diversity in kids stories these days, there was nothing which truly reflected my own child’s experience of home life. I wrote these stories because it is so important for children to see themselves represented in the literature and media they consume – I want my daughter to look at this book and feel like she’s looking in a mirror”.
As a Christian, Gemma aims for her book to promote a diverse image of Jesus – one that makes mixed-race children and children of colour feel part of the conversation on religion. In A Good Friend, the main characters – a mixed-race family just like Gemma’s own – carry out the parables and teachings of Jesus in a modern context, and are at the centre of every story, rather than confined to the tokenistic sidelines.
Gemma said, “As a child, your own experience of life is all you know. So, if you’re not seeing your life reflected in what you’re reading and watching on TV, it might lead you to question the life that you have and feel like your experience is not normal compared to the rest of the world. It’s so important for children to feel part of things – we all just want to feel like we belong”.
A Good Friend was published by SPCK on the 20th May 2022.
See! Let's Be ME!
"I am SO delighted to share my second children's book with you."
This is a themed storybook about children's emotions, encouraging young children to overcome
jealousy and anger, bring joy, find peace, and learn to persevere through imitative behaviour.
Children can struggle to understand and express their emotions and feelings. This picture book, containing five different stories, helps them to relate to the children's experiences in the book and then see how best to deal with these feelings. They will also know that whatever they are experiencing and going through, they are loved and valued.
The stories are inspired by the following Bible stories: The parable of the lost coin (Keep trying), Jesus speaks about judging others (Feeling cross), the angel Gabriel visiting Mary (Bring joy), Jesus calms the storm (Finding peace), and the parable of the prodigal son (Feeling jealous).