Hayden Billingy writes children’s book

JUST AS THE Vincentian people had to bring alive their spirit of resilience in the wake of the eruption of La Soufriere volcano and the COVID-19 pandemic, so too a butterfly has had to adjust and bounce back, after suffering what it thought was a broken wing.

This spirit of resilience is the main theme which runs through the latest publication from local author, Hayden Billingy.

In his recently launched book, Billingy uses a butterfly and other creatures to tell a story which we all may have lived at some point in our lives.

Speaking to SEARCHLIGHT on Sunday March 27, Billingy said the book, Flippity Floppity Wing was written for children ages 5 to 8 years old.

By the end of the story, the butterfly had learnt how to overcome every challenge which the broken wing had presented.

“This book is about resilience and self acceptance in times of distress,” Billingy said.

The local author said the story in the book is reflective of what we as a people went through during the volcanic eruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Billingy believes that the spirit of resilience was very evident among Vincentians during those times of difficulty.

The young author said the book, Flippity Floppity Wing was launched virtually on Facebook by Nadyah Media on March 22.

“When I wrote this book, I was at a very low point in my life.

“I was going through some challenges and really had to dig deep for inner strength and also lean on the support of friends and family,” Billingy said.

He told SEARCHLIGHT that the book is also about the challenges he went through, and about him reconciling with life.

The author reflected that Flippity Floppity Wing is also a story about self acceptance in the midst of adversity.

The 32-page book is now available online at Amazon and Sugar Apple Books.

This is Billingy’s third book; his other publications are: ‘Cook Calypso’, which was published in 2019 and ‘Nine Days Pursuit of Happiness’, which was published in 2020.

Hayden Billingy is originally from the North Windward village of Orange Hill. He is also a singer/songwriter/producer.

Billingy is widely known for his success as a recording artiste.

His musical work earned him a silver medal at the Global Music Awards earlier this year.

The talented Development Consultant also copped the Best Documentary/Short film award for his single ‘Shout it Out’ in the Antigua/Barbuda Gospel Music and Media Awards in 2021.

Hayden Billingy is also a Development Consultant.