Action-Oriented
courtesy Ashley Norris
Queenie Wahine encourages girls to dive in
by Catherine Currin
Two North Carolina sisters took to the waves for inspiration for their children's book, Queenie Wahine: Little Surfer Girl. Greenville resident Ashley Norris and her sister Jessica Lowcher collaborated as author and illustrator, respectively, to create the quirky and inviting story. Queenie Wahine is the first of their upcoming series, Tribe of Daughters. "We started writing our book because we want to encourage girls to get out in the ocean, play, be brave, and try new experiences. Our main goal is to have girls as main characters in action-adventure sports."
The book empowers young girls to stay active and embrace outdoor action sports, while encouraging the growing women to protect natural resources around them. Norris hopes their storybook's message will resonate with other organizations to spur environmental change. She says the sisters believe in the power of their readers, too. "We believe that little girls who love the ocean grow up to be women that advocate to protect it."
Norris and Lowcher wrote from their experience growing up on the coast of North Carolina. From an early age, they were avid surfers. Today, the family sport continues: Norris and her daughter hit the waves on the coast not too far from their home in Greenville, while Lowcher dives in across the world in New Zealand, where she now lives. The pair will release their second book, Little Millie Ford and Her New Skateboard, this summer.
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