Helen grew up on a dairy farm in the Riverina, plotting imaginary stories as she rounded up the cows for milking each afternoon.
Having no television, library visits planted the seed for her reading passion. Climbing trees, chasing butterflies and building ant bridges at a one-teacher school sprouted into a love of nature.
In later years as a parent and primary school teacher, unfurling leaves of picture books enchanted Helen. Tendrils wove their way into open-ended discussions with students exploring themes of friendship, place, belonging, war, challenges, hope and sometimes just pure joy.
Today, she writes stories for children about things that matter. Helen hopes that the abundant flowering in her garden of prose will produce seeds that germinate and flourish in the fertile imaginations of young children.
Her growing online presence can be found at: helenhaydenwriter.wordpress.com