A Niverville resident was proud earlier this summer to release her first children’s book. Natalie Batkis says that the story’s main character has a key characteristic her family can strongly relate to: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The idea for her book, Zoe and the Wiggle Wigglesons, was born when Batkis’s daughter Zoe was approaching graduation from Collège Régional Gabrielle-Roy. Batkis says that her daughter is not into material things, so she wanted to create a graduation gift for her that had sentimental value.
“When my kids were younger, I would always read them three or four books at bedtime—usually a few in English and a few in French,” says Batkis. “I thought it would be fun to write a book about Zoe’s search for the perfect activity when she was younger and how she ultimately decided on the sport of cheerleading.”
Zoe, the character, has ADHD.
Zoe, the inspiration, was never formally diagnosed with ADHD, although it was strongly suspected.
Having ADHD or ADHD-like qualities made finding the right sport a bit of a challenge.
Batkis’s son received an official ADHD diagnosis at the age of five, so the whole family is very familiar with the realities of the disorder. Batkis describes the challenges in her synopsis of her book.
“ADHD can be difficult to navigate, especially when you’re growing up,” Batkis writes about the condition in her book’s blurb. “Sometimes it means not being able to sit still, focus, or make friends easily—it is tough! But, in our home, we don’t see ADHD as something you need to fix—we consider it a superpower! Once you find what you are passionate about, ADHD makes you a force to be reckoned with.”
Both Batkis and her daughter are very involved in the cheer community in Manitoba and have been big advocates of the sport. So writing about a cheerleader with ADHD for Zoe’s graduation seemed like the perfect choice.
Although Zoe and the Wiggle Wigglesons is Batkis’s first book, it is far from her first published material. She has been a freelance writer for more than 20 years.
In 2016, a documentary Batkis wrote, Closing Time: The Vanishing Prairie Beverage Room, aired nationally on CBC.
Her day job is in the marketing department of APTN. Besides her regular job, and her writing jobs, she’s also an avid crafter.
“I’ve always been interested in creative things since I was a little girl: drawing, painting, knitting, crocheting, etc.,” she says. “My new obsession is learning how to do Métis beading! I can’t wait to end my workday so I can bead.”
Zoe and the Wiggle Wigglesons is available for purchase on Amazon.ca: https://a.co/d/0d54ZCOl
