Anglesea mum Ali Villani’s first children’s book carries a powerful message for young people who may be struggling with self-acceptance.
The businesswoman drew from her own experiences when she co-authored Ali the Shiny Sparkly Unicorn, a tale that shows it’s okay to be different.
The children’s book follows a unicorn named Ali who was teased at school for being different. She lost all her sparkle and shine, the music disappeared from inside her and the colours around her faded. But her shine and sparkle finally returns when she begins to understand it’s okay to be different and becomes brave enough to be her true self.
Ali, who recently returned to the Geelong region after living in Mount Gambier for six years, said she knew she was a bit different from around the time she started primary school.
“I loved to sing and dance, I could hear music inside of me and I saw everything in bright colours – then life happened,” she said.
“I soon realised it was not all rainbows and unicorns. I was teased for being who I was and as a result, I lost that fun-loving side of myself.”
By the age of 30 Ali found herself in a job where she was stuck behind a desk all day analysing numbers in the corporate world.
“I was coming home stressed, unsatisfied and exhausted – far from the person I was as a young child,” she said.
But a life-changing incident in 2012 prompted Ali to begin a journey to rediscover her true self.
Ali and her business partner and co-author, Nic Cunningham, funded the book through a crowd-funding campaign that raised more than $13,000 in 26 days.
The pair sold more than 400 books prior to its official launch at Torquay in February and are chasing a publishing deal to ensure more children have access to the book and its messages.
“What we are facing in our youth and adults today is scary – anxiety, depression and suicide are on the rise. If we can reach children when they are young and help them to understand that it is okay to be who they are – and be proud of it – then maybe, just maybe, we can make a difference,” Ali said.
