Q&A with with Nas Campanella and Eliza Hull, creators of All the Ways I See
We chat with the creators of picture book All the Way I See Nas Campanella and Eliza Hull.
A&U: This book grew out of your conversations about how rarely blind and low-vision children see their own experience reflected in picture books. Can you take us back to that original spark, and how it turned into a story about a day at the beach specifically?
NC: My favourite place in the whole world is the beach. The smells, the sounds, the way it makes me feel happy, calm and free. Until my son was born the only thing I’ve ever wished I could see if I did have vision was a summer's day. The idea for this book really began as I was sitting at home on parental leave trying to find books about families like ours enjoying everyday experiences. It was a struggle. Finding accessible books was also really difficult. They were either really expensive or only catered for one type of disability. Eliza and I had been talking about a book idea for a while and we're so glad we landed on this one. We knew right away we wanted this book to be accessible to as many people as possible, but for it to also act as a talking point for families not touched by disability at all. We hoped it would serve as a beautiful, joyful way to learn about how others move, play and communicate. Exploring this through a quintessential Australian ritual like a day out at the beach felt like the perfect way to engage with readers because it can be a place for everyone.
EH: Nas and I have had so many conversations about what it means for children to grow up not seeing their own experiences reflected in the books around them. As disabled parents, we both know how powerful it is for a child to recognise themselves in a story – not as the lesson or the difference, but simply as a child having an ordinary, joyful experience.
The idea for All the Ways I See came from wanting to create exactly that. We wanted to make a book where blindness and low vision were simply part of the characters' lives. We initially had the idea of having multiple children with disability experience different seasons but then focused it on summer and the beach with a blind child.
The beach felt like such a natural setting because it’s full of sensory experiences. There’s the feeling of sand, the sound of the ocean, the warmth of the sun, the wind, the smell of sunscreen. It gave us this beautiful opportunity to explore how differently we can all experience the same place. The title really came from that idea – there isn’t just one way of seeing the world.
A&U: You've set out to make this an incredibly accessible Australian picture book – tactile elements, a rounded-corner for orientation, links to Auslan and audio readings, and a link to a braille translation by Braille House. How closely were you involved in shaping those features?
NC: Accessibility has always been our priority, so we made sure to be involved at every stage of the planning, selecting and testing of all the different elements. It was important for us that each accessibility feature wouldn’t degrade over time and as much as possible be produced by people with disability. Apart from looking great, we wanted the book to feel great when people held it: smooth, easy-to-turn pages, and subtle sand varnishing, as well as a slightly rounded corner on the top righthand side so people with vision impairment can know by touch which way to orient the book. We wanted the accessibility features to be noticeable but without taking the focus away from the story or detracting from it. We consulted with a wide range of people from the disability community including Deaf people, those with dexterity issues and others with vision impairment. While Eliza and I knew a lot about what would make our book accessible given our own disabilities (we have the same neurological condition – Charcot-Marie-Tooth – and I’m blind), we didn’t ever pretend to have all the answers. We learnt a lot during the process, about what it takes and costs to create a truly inclusive book for children to explore and enjoy.
EH: Very closely. Accessibility was part of the book from the beginning. We didn’t want to create the book first and then think about how we could make it accessible afterwards. We wanted accessibility to be embedded in the way the book was conceived and made. Nas and I talked a lot about the practical things that can make a difference when you're reading a picture book. For example, the rounded corner at the top of the pages helps a blind or low-vision person orientate themselves and know which way the book is sitting. There are tactile elements that children can feel, and at the back of the book there’s a QR code connecting readers with an Auslan-interpreted version, an audiobook and audio description, as well as a braille translation through Braille House. What was important to us was that these features didn’t feel like separate versions of the book. We wanted them to feel like part of the same reading experience – something families can explore together.
A&U: Eliza, this isn't your first picture book, but it is Nas's. What did that collaboration look like, and did Nas's background in radio and broadcasting shape the sound and rhythm of the text?
EH: Writing with Nas felt incredibly natural. We’re already very close friends, so there was a lot of trust between us. We could throw ideas around, question things, rewrite things and really listen to each other. I also think our different perspectives made the book stronger.
We’re both disabled, both parents, and we share the same condition, Charcot-Marie-Tooth, but our experiences of disability are very different. That meant we were constantly bringing different ideas and ways of seeing things into the room.
NC: Eliza and I have been friends for years and I think deep down we’ve always known we’d end up doing a project like this together. I started by writing down all my favourite things about summer and then together we weaved them into a lyrical style. My background in radio meant I was really able to understand how it would sound when parents read the text out aloud. I also knew from the very beginning I wanted to read the audiobook for us. The process of working with someone is only ever successful when you have mutual respect for each other's ideas, experiences and expertise. We were lucky that we both hugely admire each other – me as the person bringing my personal experience with blindness, writing and radio, and Eliza with her work as a musician and published author. The bonus was getting to work and spend more time with a close friend and fellow disabled parent!
A&U: Nas, you've spoken about wanting a book where your own son could see disability reflected in. What do you most hope a blind or low-vision child feels reading it? And what do you hope a sighted child takes away?
NC: While this book is for everyone, I do hope readers with vision impairment feel the way they navigate the world matters. I want them to know they can, and deserve to have wonderful, ordinary outings with their family like everyone else even if they need to experience them in their own unique way. I also hope this book goes some way towards normalising disability in all its complexity and beauty, and that it helps start important conversations about the multitude of ways people access even the most basic of experiences like a day at the beach or a book. This is a story about being present, having fun and sharing important moments with family … things all children deserve. Above all, I hope our story makes children smile, learn and consider all the ways one can see. We loved putting this book together, and we hope children and their families love it as much as we do too.
EH: I think for a blind or low-vision child, I hope they feel that this book belongs to them. That they can see themselves in the story and experience it in lots of different ways. I hope they can recognise that their way of experiencing the world is just as rich and valid as anyone else's.
This book is for all children though; it’s a book about being mindful and enjoying the beach. We all notice different things, experience places differently and make sense of things through our own senses and perspectives. Ultimately, I hope children just enjoy the story. We didn't want disability to be the big message of the book. We wanted to create a beautiful, joyful Australian story that children could connect with.
All the Ways I See
by Nas Campanella and Eliza Hull, illustrated by Sophie Beer
Vividly evoking a blind child's joyful experience of a day at the beach, this highly accessible picture book comes from a stellar creative team with a range of innovative accessibility features to suit all readers.
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