A BALLARAT family's new children's character is not only teaching youngsters about the sights and sounds of the world, but is also giving back to those who need it most.
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The Roobee Roo collection - currently a series of 10 board books designed for preschoolers - has been created by Lucas husband and wife team Nick and Candy Robertson.
The books follow the inquisitive four-year-old kangaroo Roobee who discovers something new in her pouch every morning and goes on an adventure to find out what it is.
It include a lift-the-flaps element within the books with between one and six flaps that can be lifted in order to see what Roobee and her friends are carrying.
"Roobee is having experiences about everything," Mr Robertson said. "The concept is inspired by us thinking about the magic of childhood.
"It reminds us as adults to slow down and just enjoy everything."
The Robertson family has recently moved to Ballarat from the Mornington Peninsula.
"We're so upset we didn't find Ballarat earlier, it's absolutely gorgeous here and it's really inspired all the bright colours which have become part of the books," he said.
"We've so far done 10 books and we have a children's animation series in development.
"Certainly on the book side of things we intend to do 10 new ones every year and we are also keen to push the toy aspect."
"It's only been just over two weeks since we've released and the response has been really good."
And showcasing Roobee's social conscience, every book sold from the Roobee Roo series will see a meal donated to a food relief charity.
"It's one book, one meal, hopefully it can become a big thing that resonates with a lot of people," Mr Robertson said.
"At first we're working with Foodbank Australia, OzHarvest and SecondBite which are all well established charities with huge distribution.
"This is important because they are everywhere and those organisations will be directly beneficial in areas where they are needed most."
The Roobee Roo series can be purchased online as single books, packs of three, five and 10 which then translates to up to 10 meals at a time.
To buy books and other accessories, go online to roobeeroo.com
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