Being Indy
$29.95
CBCA 2026 Picture Book Notable
There was no finer place to live than on the Mountain. Folks came from everywhere wanting to live there – including Indy. But the mountain was ruled by Percival, and he had rules. He didn’t let just anyone in.
This is a story of trying to fit in, and discovering the true worth of being yourself.
Set in Estee Sarsfield’s bold and surprising world of playgrounds, big hair and defiant colour, Zoe Gaetjens’ insightful and heartfelt text follows Indy’s journey to independence.
Being Indy is set to be a live stage play!
Zoe Gaetjens' is a children and young adult author living and working on Dharug Country. Her debut board book Little Angler, illustrated by Heidi McKinnon was published in March 2024 by Little Book Press and was shortlisted as a Speech Pathology Australia Book of the Year. Her debut YA novel will be published by Penguin Random House in 2026. Working as a high school English teacher Zoe enjoys trading book recommendations and encouraging her students to think both creatively and analytically.
Estee Sarsfield is an illustrator, designer and educator living on Dharug and Gundungurra lands in the Blue Mountains, with a cat who thinks he is a dinosaur. This is her first picture book.
PUB DATE: October 2025
RRP: $29.95AUD
ISBN: 978-1-923044-51-7
FORMAT: 40-page hardback picture book
TRIM: 280 x 210 mm
CATEGORY: 4+
Contact: admin@westwords.com.au FOREIGN RIGHTS: Nerrileeweir@boldtypeagency.com.au
michael –
Being Indy is a beautifully written story written by Zoe Gaetjens and illustrated by Estee Sarsfield which explores the cost of what Indy is willing to pay to be accepted by Percival and be allowed to cross the mountain. Sarsfield has used stark colour contrasts effectively to help the reader feel the emotion behind the words when we see Indy weighing up losing a sense of identity and individuality to be able to fit in with other people’s expectations of her.
Being Indy explores how people hide what they truly feel, whether it be how they look, how they act or even what they wear. The fear of fitting in is contrasted well with the strict, quantifiable rules set by Percival to maintain ‘order’. Although we see Indy receive acceptance in the beginning of the story, it does not take long until her authentic self to realise that this wasn’t true acceptance, and she starts to feel the tension between chasing the acceptance from others against the authentic acceptance of self.
This story, although set for a younger audience, is still able to create an impact on adult readers too. We learn about the importance of our actions, not only for ourselves but also for how it can affect others too. All it takes is one person willing to make a change in a group to show just how our differences can actually make us more accepting of each other, and that the decisions are not always black and white. – Joanne