Ted Ted and the Dhobi Ghats

About Alexandra Carey

Alexandra Carey grew up and used to live in Suffolk, England.  She worked in the classical music business until 2006 when she moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where she now lives with her husband, two children, dog, two cats, two terrapins and the occasional snake.  She works part-time teaching Burmese refugee children.  Her first children’s book, Ted Ted and the Dhobi Ghats (2010) was based on the true story of a family holiday in Mumbai, India where her young daughter lost her teddy bear.  This was followed in 2012 by Ted Ted, Trouble in Tokyo - once again based on a family holiday – this time in Japan’s capital city.

A Q&A Session with Alexandra Carey

What inspired you to write your first book, Ted Ted and the Dhobi Ghats?

Well, the story of Ted Ted and the Dhobi Ghats is actually a true one. When my daughter was about 7 we went on holiday to Mumbai in India. She left her very special teddy bear down the bottom of the bed and so he was taken away with the sheets and sent to the laundry. He ended up at the Dhobi Ghats, a massive 2 km square open-air laundry where all the washing is done by hand. My daughter was absolutely distraught but thankfully the hotel manager was a very kind, determined man who set off on his bike to retrieve the teddy. When we got Ted Ted back we talked a great deal about his adventure and all the things he must have seen and so on the second leg of our holiday, while sitting by the poolside, we wrote his story. Once home, I realised that it was a classic tale of love and loss and reunion that everyone can relate to and so decided to write it out properly and get it published.  

How was the book received?

Quite well – it got some good reviews and I’ve received hundreds of comments, emails and letters from parents and children who’ve had similar experiences. As the book is set in Mumbai I’ve donated all my profits to a charity in India called Door Step School which provides schooling for slum children.

How did you team up with illustrator Antonia Ghazlan?

Unfortunately my drawing skills are terrible so at first I was stuck with a story with no illustrations.  Then I remembered that a very old friend of mine, Antonia Ghazlan, who I knew as a child growing up in Suffolk and who coincidentally had moved to Malaysia around the same time as me, was keen to progress her illustrating career.  She had illustrated one book and I knew wanted to do more.  Luckily she immediately fell in love with Ted Ted and was more than happy to draw the pictures.

So, what was the inspiration for your second book, Ted Ted, Trouble in Tokyo?  Did your daughter lose her teddy again?

No, in fact my daughter has been incredible careful not to lose Ted Ted since that trip to India!  The second book is totally fictional.  When we were on another family holiday, this time in Tokyo, Japan, we planned out an adventure for Ted Ted that was loosely based on our trip. There’s a lot of humour and adventure in the story and a teddy’s eye view of this extraordinary city. Once again I am donating all my profits to charity – this time to a Malaysian charity that helps children with Autism and Down’s Syndrome. I live in Malaysia and here learning disabilities are still taboo, something that I’d like to help change.