General News

Local author releases new children’s book

October 8, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

While some authors struggle with writing the number of words it takes to create a novel, Alliston author Delano Brown found himself in a challenge of an opposite nature – how to reduce a lot of words to a much smaller number while keeping the book’s theme.

Delano recently released his children’s book titled, My Neighbourhood during a book launch held at Riverdale Park in Alliston on Saturday, Sept. 6.

Delano was already working on the book and had written around 40,000 words when a member of a book group took a look at it and suggested the theme would make a great book for younger people.

“It started out as a book for middle grade kids – kids in Grade 5 and 6,” Delano explained. “I went to a critiquing group called The Lunch Table, and someone suggested it could be a picture book.”

Delano went with the idea and started working on reducing the number of words while keeping the theme.

“It went from around 40,000 words to just under 1,000,” Delano said. “I had to work on it and focused on certain words and phrases.”

The book is based on Delano’s own experience as a self-described “latchkey kid.” The phrase latchkey kid became popular in the 70s when a lot more mothers were going to work during the day, and kids came home to an empty house and let themselves in with their own key.

The book has a story about a boy who takes his younger brother on a walk through the neighborhood and shows him what goes on, the activities that are happening, and the fun they can have.

“Growing up, my older sister was in charge and took care of me and my younger brother,” Delano explained about the origin of the story. “The book is a story of two brothers, and the older brother takes the younger brother for a walk through the neighborhood and introduces him to the community. It’s all about community and how we all live together and need to get along with each other.”

The book features the story with illustrations of the two boys visiting people and places in their neighborhood.

The publisher is an American company, so the cover illustration has a visual of the Seattle Space Needle in the distance. Delano insisted it contain Canadian content, so on the inside, a similar illustration has the very recognizable Toronto CN Tower in the background.

The book is published by Penguin Random House Studio.

It is illustrated by Brianna Mukodiri Uchendu.

My Neighborhood is available on Amazon, Indigo, and in indie bookstores.  

Readers Comments (0)