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- Melbourne school boy, Max Webster, 11, penned his own kids book, donating proceeds to wildlife rescue
- The book ‘Max’s Wild Life’ about his experiences as a wildlife carer has helped Max’s ADHD.
- His work has gained popularity around the world, including a stamp of approval from Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
Here his mum, Suzie, shares her story in her own words.
As I watched my son tickling the tummy of a pink baby wombat, it grunted loud satisfied snuffles.
It was 2018 and, aged four, Max had been helping save Australian Animals by hand-rearing the little joey after finding it in its dead mother’s pouch by the side of the road.
‘You’re my best friend,’ he said.
I was a single mum, and my boy Max and I were inseparable. Like me, he had a soft spot for animals.
I’d been a volunteer wildlife rescuer and carer since 2007, as well as working as a wildlife educator, so Max was used to being surrounded by all creatures great and small.
Max was in his element wearing his plastic stethoscope and practising being a vet on our Cavalier dog Charlie, or tending to the needs of sick, injured and needy critters.
‘Max had the most magical imagination’
Whether they were furry, feathery, scaly or slimy, he’d fall in love with them every time.
When the world went into lockdown, Max, then six, struggled doing his prep school lessons online rather than in a classroom.
He regressed, becoming progressively withdrawn and agitated.
Then his behaviour turned erratic and he’d have loud outbursts.
The things that calmed him were caring for our animals and reading books.
‘Can I have a bedtime story?’ he asked after a particularly rough day.
Max had the most magical imagination and, turning the pages of books, he transported himself to a world of wonder and make-believe. Books were a calming escapism for him.
READ MORE: Aussie hero: ‘I’ve saved 853 roos!
READ MORE: Aussie wildlife warrior is raising her kids with koalas
Still his meltdowns continued and, with help from a psychologist, Max was diagnosed with autism, ADHD and later, auditory processing disorder -– a condition affecting his ability to understand and interpret sound.
Recognising similarities to myself in Max’s behaviour, it came as no surprise that, after tests, I learned that I too was autistic and had ADHD. It was a relief to know that I could now help us both live with and manage our conditions.
The following year, in grade one and still in lockdown, my boy broke down in tears when assigned some worksheets to complete, overwhelmed by the task.
‘He wanted to pen a story about all the different wildlife we’ve saved.’
‘I want to write a book instead,’ he said. I was all ears to his idea.
He wanted to pen a story about all the different wildlife we’ve saved.
When I ran this past his teacher, she was supportive.
Over the coming weeks, Max and I brainstormed to remember all the critters we’d had in our house, then he listed his favourites and what he liked about them. From there he conjured a rhyming plot based on his true-life experiences caring for and rescuing wildlife.
My jaw dropped in awe seeing his finished project, Max’s Wild Life.
READ MORE: Meet the cute new residents of Wings Wildlife Park – Baby capybaras
It told the enchanting tale of the baby wombat we’d saved, and the pregnant blue-tongue lizard whose nine babies we helped birth at home after she’d been found two kilometres out at sea. He also included a baby freshwater croc we housed in the bathtub that had cheekily nipped me on the bum!
‘This is good enough to be published,’ I gushed.
Doing research, I soon learned to publish the book would cost a whopping $5000. But seeing how proud Max was of his work and his confidence soar, I was determined to see my son become a published author. So I set up a fundraising page.
‘Mum we’ve reached our target,’ Max smiled a few weeks later, as donations from kind people came in.
‘‘We’ll donate the rest to our local animal shelter,’ my big-hearted boy said.’
Meanwhile, after polite rejections from mainstream publishers, one pointed me in the direction of a reputable self-publisher.
Andy McDermott, the CEO of Publicious, was not only happy to publish Max’s book, he offered his services for free. All we had to cover were the printing costs.
With the money raised covering all overheads and then some, Max made a selfless suggestion.
‘We’ll donate the rest to our local animal shelter,’ my big-hearted boy said.
Sydney-based speech pathologist Em Mainey – who also happened to be autistic and an artist on the side – was moved by Max’s personal story and offered her illustrative services free of charge too.
Flicking through the pages of the first printed copy of Max’s Wild Life a year later, I was thrilled at how fantastic it looked.
‘People are going to love it,’ Max beamed.
He was right. Snapped up by family, friends and the local community, Max’s book received glowing reviews.
It was even read by Sarah Ferguson , Duchess of York, live on her YouTube!
I was so proud that my little wildlife warrior was not only following his dreams, but teaching others about the importance of the animals he adored too.
Now, Max, 11, has sold over 1000 copies of Max’s Wild Life, and raised $7000 for the Animalia Wildlife Shelter.
What’s more, Variety Victoria – a charity helping kids who’ve been supporting Max since his diagnosis – awarded him a $5000 Variety Heart Scholarship for Literary Arts to help fund his next book. Named Santa and the Cassowary, he’s just finished it.
While Max wants to be a palaeontologist when he grows up, he has no plans to stop writing, and is currently working on his next wildlife warrior book, as well as a factual book on dinosaurs.
We may be conditioned to think that an autism diagnosis is a setback, but, while there are certainly challenges, Max is thriving.
And I couldn’t be more proud of my animal-loving author.
‘Max’s Wild Life,’ by Max Webster is available online.
