Merrylee author’s first book hits the shelves

Ruth Shapiro, from Merrylee, has written ‘That’s My House!’ aimed at children aged 3-7 years old.

The book tells the story of Billy, whose mum acquires a new washing machine that comes in a large box.

Billy sees this and decides ‘that’s my house’ and he decides to eat, sleep and live in the box, but whose house is it really?!

Ruth explained the inspiration behind the story.

She said: “When my son was the same age as the boy in the book, we had a big box – I must have bought something – and he decided that it was going to be his house and I wasn’t to throw it out.

“That’s the thing about boxes; they can be houses, rocket ships, forts, castles and more.”

Ruth, who has been writing stories since she was old enough to hold a a pen, is excited that ‘That’s My House!’ is hitting the shelves.

She continued: “It feels good to have it published.

“It’s smaller than I thought it would be, but it’s actually the ideal size – it would fit in a bag quite easily.

“Depending on how well this book does, I’ll probably do another story.

“I have so many and I have a great imagination which does help. You need it to see beyond what is really there.”

‘That’s My House!’ is available now from Waterstones, Amazon and to download for Kindle.