The adventure series "Pie Rats" by Australian writer Cameron Stelzer is one of the most conspicuous books among the children's literature imported to China in 2019.

The six-book series tells the story of a circus rat named "Whisker" who survives from a cyclone when a strange ship pulls him out of the ocean. He begins his new life as a Pie Rat and starts his journey to find his family afterward.

Stelzer began writing the story in 2012 and won six international awards in the following six years, including the Book Excellence Awards and The IndieReader Discovery Awards. The Chinese version of the series was launched in China in March. The author, who is also an illustrator, is now on a ten-day trip to China.

"Over 30,000 volumes of the book had been sold in the first two weeks after it was released here. It's pretty impressive for children literature books," Fan Erxia, the senior marketing manager for the Children's Books Publishing branch of the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, told CGTN.

Finding inspiration from innocence

Writing for kids requires fantastic imagination. Stelzer managed to fit over 100 animal characters in the "Pie Rats" series, including rats, dogs, cats, monkeys and birds. He told CGTN that it can be quite difficult to do that and his secret weapon is trying to think the way a kid does.

"It's probably true that there is a kid living in my head," he said, "I think it's good for writers to imagine what it's like to be a child and try to retain some innocence in a wondering world."

According to him, his three daughters and other kids readers often come to him for new ideas of how stories should carry on. They even suggested some animal characters which the author included in the series.

Calling himself a "story doctor," Stelzer has been a full-time author for 15 years. Besides creating stories for children, he also sets up various workshops across Australia to guide kids in reading and writing.

"[In writing or drawing], it's not so much about talent. It's more about imagination or passion," he said.

Reporter: Deng Junfang

Photographer, video editor: Zhang Wanbao

Cover image designer: Liu Shaozhen