Growing up, David Janveaux always had fond memories of Haliburton County. Now, he’s hoping to inspire similar feelings among younger generations for years to come.
The Toronto-based man recently published his first book Babe and Pepé Bluebird’s Big Flight, a story about having the courage to try something new. Set in Haliburton County, the children’s tale is inspired by Janveaux’s visits to his grandmother, Kathleen Janveaux, who was known to all as Babe.
“I grew up spending many summers in Haliburton and Gooderham – Babe had a cottage in the Highlands before eventually moving to a house off Maple Avenue in Haliburton village, so I spent a lot of time there creating the best memories,” Janveaux told The Highlander.
Whether they were enjoying late afternoon strolls down to Head Lake, concerts at the Haliburton Legion, once-popular events like the annual Highland Games and Midnight Madness, or taking in a movie at the Molou, Janveaux said he and Babe made the time they had together count.
“These smalltown memories really left a lasting impression on me and kind of planted a lot of the seeds for this book,” he said. “It’s about believing in yourself even if others doubt you, being the kind of person who lifts others up when they need it.
“There’s a line in the story that is a direct quote from Babe, and that’s ‘the only way forward is trying it out’,” Janveaux added, saying he’s adopted that as his life’s mantra.
He spent seven months writing and illustrating the book before publishing May 4. While a human resources professional in the city, Janveaux said the kid within him has always clamoured for a life in the arts. He completed a visual arts program in Oshawa while in high school, then studied architectural science at Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University.
In his second year of post-secondary, he took a creative writing elective that changed him. He fell in love with the process of merging fantasy and history together, transitioning to an English major.
While he’s forged a successful career in HR, Janveaux said he routinely harked back to memories shared with Babe and her little black poodle, recreated in the book through Pepé. She passed more than a decade ago, but still that lesson of “just try” rang true.
“She always encouraged me to draw and doodle, and we would spend so much time talking and sharing funny stories – she liked to spin imaginative tales that I could never get enough of… for a long time I wanted to do something for myself, in terms of writing and publishing a book, but also something for Babe, to honour the connection we had,” Janveaux said.
Reading the book back – it’s stanzas rhyme, bringing a poetic feel – he feels it’s a fitting tribute to the woman who has a bench dedicated in her memory on the walking path on the south side of Head Lake.
Janveaux still gets up to Haliburton semi-regularly, his aunt and uncle live in town, and said he could see this first book inspiring future stories – pulling from memories created with Babe and more recent ones. Babe and Pepé Bluebird’s Big Flight is available to purchase online through Amazon.
