Once, I Was Loved
Tock the toy rabbit finds himself in a box of toys being donated to charity. ‘But it wasn’t always this way,’ he sadly reflects, ‘Once, I was loved.’ Tock has seen decades of love and adventure, and as he sits in his box he looks back on all the lives he has touched.
We rewind the clock to 1939 when a girl named Sam receives a toy rabbit for her 5th birthday. Tock sees the outbreak of the second World War from Sam’s arms, and comforts her as she misses her dad. They are inseparable until Sam meets a boy who needs Tock more than she does, and so she lets him go. What follows is an incredible adventure through history and lives.
Join Tock as he celebrates V-Day, boogies in the age of Rock ‘n’ Roll, watches the moon landing while pretending to be an astronaut, finds butterflies with a flower child, sails the Seven Seas in a paddling pool, and rescues a prince trapped in a tower. Children will love seeing how other children played throughout history, and meeting all the people who loved Tock. But how will his story end?
Once, I was Loved is a tender, heart-warming story of friendship and humanity. It is a celebration of the timeless nature of love, set against the backdrop of iconic moments in 20th-century history. Tock’s beautifully told and illustrated life is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever cherished a childhood toy.
Belinda Landsberry is an award-winning author and illustrator, and a dedicated mother, grandmother, dog wrangler and cat whisperer. She has a Diploma of Teaching (K–6) with a major in Fine Arts, a Diploma of Graphic Design, and has trained as a nurse, copywriter, primary school teacher and art director. Belinda’s passion for words and pictures was evident from a very young age; at just seven, she wrote and illustrated her first picture book, entitled How to Become a Nurse. This beloved relic delights both students and teachers alike during Belinda’s author–illustrator visits to schools for Book Week. Belinda’s best-selling debut children’s picture book, Anzac Ted, is published internationally and was short-listed for the 2016 Western Australian Young Reader’s Book Awards. It was also featured in the Anzac Stories: Behind the Pages Exhibition 2017–2018, hosted by schools and libraries throughout Australia and New Zealand. Belinda grew up in Normanhurst, Sydney, and now lives on the north shore with her family. She also has a dog called Jersey and two very naughty cats who lie on her keyboard, her art desk and anywhere else they’re not supposed to be.