New West youngster receives kudos from Claude author

As New West Anchor first reported in Tuesday’s newsletter, representatives from New West Public Library spoke at city council to ask for local leaders to do more to generate funding for books and programs.

Elaine Su’s son, Ellis, took a moment to talk about how he wanted to see more Claude books at the library…although acquiring more Claude books means a need for more funding.

His simple message? “More Claude books, please!”

For those who do not know of Claude the dog, the stories are generally geared toward young readers – although Ellis’s mom highly recommends Claude to both young and young at heart.

“Claude wears a jaunty red beret and lives with his best friend Sir Bobblysock and his humans, Mr. and Mrs. Shinyshoes!” says Su in a tweet. “It’s captivating! Five stars, highly recommend for fully grown adults!”

Ellis not only managed to capture the attention of many who love and appreciate their local libraries, but also the heart of Alex T. Smith – the UK author who writes and illustrates the Claude books.

“Whoa! I write and illustrate the CLAUDE books, and my mind has absolutely been blown by this! HURRAH FOR ELLIS! AND HURRAH FOR LIBRARIES!” said Smith in a tweet on Tuesday.

Su also took a moment to tweet about the importance of children having a say in their communities.

“I honestly can’t believe just a few years ago Ellis was lying casually on the council chamber floor, and now he’s speaking up for himself to ask for more funding for [New West Public Library]. But only specifically to purchase more Claude books.”

Smith went on to say what Ellis did was a touching moment for him.

“Claude and Sir Bobblysock and I are VERY proud of you.”

The presentation resulted in council voting to write to MLAs Jennifer Whiteside (New Westminster) and Aman Singh (Richmond-Queensborough), as well as the Union of BC Municipalities to ensure that libraries receive more consistent funding.