In this section I will try to showcase some of the work that I have done with children and explain a little about how my books can be used.

TO BOOK A VISIT

I am happy to visit any school, museum, or library within reasonable travelling distance of my hometown (Stoke-on-Trent and Crewe area). I have worked with all ages from nursery to sixth form and beyond. I can either do a book related visit or an artist workshop or residency. Children are encouraged to create their own books either by hand or by using a computer. I prefer to work with small groups of children or I can work alongside a classroom teacher and address a whole class. For details of my fees, dates etc. please e-mail me

“It was such a successful visit, an inspirational day in fact. Many children were inspired to create and illustrate their own stories, which were laminated, and then spiral bound. This in turn motivated other children to produce their own books and continued to do so for many weeks during child choice time. - Head teacher’s comments, following a visit to Sandyford Nursery School, Stafford.

BOOK RELATED VISITS.

These work best when the children have been working on a particular theme and I can relate my books to that, for example: colour, nature, animal identification, habitats, night and day, life cycles etc.

ANIMAL BOARD BOOKS

Nursery school children enjoy these titles, they prompt discussions about their own favourite animals and pets. They like to watch me demonstrate how I draw certain animals and go on to create their own artwork in a workshop environment.

PICTURE BOOKS

These can be used in a number of ways and can work on many levels across a variety of disciplines. Young children enjoy the simple rhythmical text and enjoy guessing what comes next.

“White is the Moon” works well when linked to previous studies about colour and the themes of night and day. I have used this book whilst visiting a nursery; the teacher read the story out loud and I drew the animal characters on a whiteboard using giant marker pens.

“Where’s my Share?”

The cyclical nature of the text lends itself to discussions about life cycles. It also has been used to illustrate the various stages of bread making, wheat etc. The text is predictive and the children enjoy trying to work out what might be on the next page.

“The Acorn’s Story”

I saw this book on a recommended book list under the heading “History”. I was surprised to learn that some teachers used the growth/time element of a tree and linked this to historical events. When you consider that trees can live for hundreds of years I suppose it makes sense! Children are fascinated to learn that a tiny acorn can ultimately grow into an enormous oak tree. They can try various tree-based activities such as leaf prints, measuring, planting acorns and seeds such as mustard and cress, as these give very quick results.

The new edition of this book features extra text devoted to the flora and fauna, living around the tree. Children can be encouraged to watch and make notes of the different birds they may see on nearby trees and perhaps be inspired to make a nature journal.

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

I have taken part in various workshops as artist in residence, working with both primary and secondary school children. There is sometimes funding available for these projects; you can
e-mail me for further information.

WORKSHOPS

I can do a one-day watercolour workshop; in this I demonstrate washes, sponging, brush work, splattering and masking. I prefer to work with small groups, maybe six or seven children and repeat the session until a whole class has been involved.

RESIDENCIES

These usually last one-week and projects can embrace many areas such as English, art and science.

One such project, working with exceptionally able children, involved the children in astronomy, creative writing, art and design, desktop publishing, craft and bookbinding. During the course of the week they learnt about the various stages that go into the creation of a book. I was able to show them actual examples of early sketches, drafts, and original finished artwork, cover design layouts etc. They had an insight into how publishing works and the various roles played by editors, illustrators, typesetters, etc. Each child wrote, illustrated and desktop published a piece of work. These were made into books and bound by the children using hand made paper and marbled papers. The work they produced was amazing considering they had to cover such a wide variety of skills in a short space of time.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND IDEAS

I am always interested to learn how my books are used in the classroom, it helps me to develop new ideas for visits and workshops and I can share these with the children and educators that I meet. If you have used any of my titles to good effect or if your children are inspired to create their own book, I’d love to hear from you!