When our hearts pump their final beat, and our lungs take their last breath, we are left with nothing other than who we are, and who we are is unequivocally unique to any other living organism.
No human or animal on the planet has the same DNA structure, so with each living thing’s genome unique in its own manner, we are all different.
For too many, we fear the things that make us different, especially the youngest among us.
We criticise ourselves for not being good at the things those around us are. We put our individuality on the back burner, so we can fit into what’s ‘normal’; mimicking what people do, say, or think on social networks thinking it will lead to psychological balance and tranquillity. It doesn’t.
Windsong Farm Providore hobby farmer and dental hygienist at Sale Hospital, Amrita Bradley, can now add author to her title, after publishing her very first children’s book, ‘Who Are You and What Do You Do?’
Hidden between vibrant, colourful pages, illustrated with depictions of the real-life animals at Windsong Farm, this highly enjoyable children’s book spreads two very important messages: acceptance and appreciation of differences and respect for all animals.
“The book is about our baby goat Loki; well, he is not a baby anymore, but he used to be a baby,” Ms Bradley said.
“We see our animals, not as something below us, like an organism below us, but as part of our family. When you have animals, you notice different habits about them and different personalities and things like that.
“So every time we get a new animal that comes to our hobby farm, all the other animals gather round and check’ em out and all the rest of it.”
Before the story begins, Ms Bradley has written a special note to every reader.
“This story is for all the little people of the world,” she writes.
“Your differences make you awesome, and the world needs people like you.”
Who Are You and What Do You Do? follows Loki on his journey across Windsong Farm as he meets all the different animals, most of who Amrita and her husband Andrew have rescued over the years.
“As Loki trots around and meets all the other animals that live with us, the book introduces kids to different animals, what they do, but not just in services,” Ms Bradley says.
“Not just saying, there’s the cow, the cow gives me milk, it’s not like that. It is trying to show a more family-like respectful relationship with the animals, and teaching kids that it is not just about using animals for what we want.”
The new kid on the block, Loki, is chaperoned across the estate by Windsong Farm’s original resident goat Hamish, who introduces Loki to Buzz the honey bee, Kumari the alpaca, Teddy the chicken, Harley the dog, Jessie the cow, and Ruby the strawberry bush.
Loki learns that Buzz pollinates flowers and makes honey, Teddy lays eggs, Jessie produces milk, but after meeting his new family, Loki is left questioning what he does and what his purpose is on this farm.
Hamish notices his new brother is sad and says to Loki as he hugs him, “it doesn’t matter if you don’t make honey or clothes or eggs or milk”.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t buzz or bark or cluck or moo.
“All that matters is, that you be you.”
Loki’s adventure of learning and self-discovery finishes with the baby goat realising there are, in fact, things that he can do, like eat the weeds growing upward from the earth’s soil or make fertiliser to help trees grow.
“I work a lot with kids, and we have also had a lot of kids come to the farm, who don’t really understand animals and our relationship with them,” Ms Bradley said.
“Who Are You and What Do You Do? is about accepting differences and seeing them as something positive as opposed to negative; Loki finds his differences and the values in his differences, and realises that he is good to have around even though he is different to all the other animals.”
Since the addition of Loki to the Windsong Farm Providore family, Mr and Ms Bradley have since added another member to their ever-growing pack; a red Kelpie pup named Teak.
Teak is the driving force behind the creation of Who Are You and What Do You Do?, a way for Ms Bradley to raise money to train Teak to become a therapy dog.
You can get a copy of Amrita Bradley’s book, Who Are You and What Do You Do? at https://windsongfp.com.au/ or for more information, head to Windsong Farm Providore Facebook page.
