The Making of Henry
How do you teach kids about money in a way that’s fun, engaging, and actually sticks? Annette Morgan’s Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget does just that, turning financial literacy into an adventure.
Touching on the basics of financial literacy, Morgan’s book, though aimed at 5- to 10-year-olds, is great for anyone who is just starting out on their budgeting journey. The story follows a young wombat named Henry who dreams about spending his money on fun things like lollies and Lego. One day, a bank manager visits his school to teach the class about budgeting. Henry and his friends learn the importance of putting money aside for the things that they need, not just the things that they want, and having savings in case of emergencies. With encouragement and support from his parents, Henry learns to take on some responsibility around the house and stick to his budgeting goals. Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget uses fun, relatable characters along with colourful, bright illustrations to teach readers essential money management skills.
While Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget is Annette Morgan’s debut picture book, she has an extensive background in finance. Morgan has published several journal articles and co-authored several taxation books. Currently, she is the academic lead and lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Law at Curtin University. She is also the director and co-founder of the Curtin Tax Clinic, the first pro bono taxation clinic in Australia. With over 30 years of experience in the taxation industry, Morgan has a unique wealth of knowledge and passion for financial education, which shines through in Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget.
Elephant Page Publishing was fortunate to work with Annette Morgan to bring her book to life. Originally self-published by the Curtin Tax Clinic under the name Henry’s Budgeting Day, Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget was reimagined by the talented team that worked at Elephant Page in 2024. As Elephant Page was a brand-new publishing house, we had not yet set up our brand or opened for submissions. Per Henningsgaard, a senior lecturer at Curtin University and the head publisher at Elephant Page, searched for a manuscript for the first students to work on. He learnt about Morgan’s book from a staff newsletter and reached out to offer to help Henry the Wombat be professionally published. Morgan agreed, giving Elephant Page full creative freedom to edit and redesign her book.
Originally from America, Per Henningsgaard has experience running two other student-led publishing houses, Cornerstone Press and Oooligan Press. Under his guidance, the students-turned-staff at Elephant Page worked to make Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget the book that it is today. The original text was full of great information, but the paragraphs were long, and the font was small. The editing team worked on simplifying the text for younger readers, making it clearer and easier to follow. The design team also adjusted the text placement to separate it from the illustrations and brightened the images, ensuring both elements were visually appealing.
One of the biggest changes made was redesigning the front cover. While we loved seeing all the characters together on the front cover, the design team simplified the design to help make it stand out and be easy for customers to find.
Another of the big changes was adding in a whole new image, which our illustrator, Claudine Gueho, created for us. The new image, featuring Henry fixing his bike, helped us bring the story full circle by showing the importance of having savings in case of emergencies. As the book was being finalised, a few images needed minor edits, but with Gueho busy with freelance work and her own picture book, a student’s mother – an artist – stepped in to complete the finishing touches.
If you’re looking for a fun and easy way to introduce your children to the basics of budgeting, Henry the Wombat Learns to Budget is a must-read. With its relatable story, charming illustrations, and valuable life lessons, this delightful book is available now on Amazon and Booktopia – grab your copy today!