reading Archives - Storyteller & Children's Author

World Book Day (well Week)

I LOVE World Book Day! I loved it when I was a teacher and I love it even more now I’m a storyteller and writer.These days, the day has turned into a week as I find myself visiting a range of different schools to offer different activities to complement their…

Schools out for summer…

How I remember the last few days of term. The feeling of walking through sticky, thick treacle desperately trying to reach the finishing line called the summer holidays!Teacher’s literally count the seconds until they can switch off the early morning alarm, remind their family and friends they exist and actually…

Aspirations and Achievement

A couple of weeks ago, I received a phone call from a Primary School to ask if I would like to go and speak to the children. As part of their Aspirations and Achievement week, the children had been asked to suggest the kind of people and jobs they would…

Top Five Books For Under Fives!

I’ve been asked to write an article for an online magazine called Visit From the Stork http://www.visitfromthestork.co.uk/ This is a magazine specifically for young parents who are aged 25 and under. The article is about my top five favourite books for under fives.Reading to children is one of life’s simple pleasures so…

Outside the Box

The last couple of weeks have been really busy! I shouldn’t complain as busy means work which is always something that needs securing when you are self-employed. So what exactly has that work entailed?One of the many things I love about my job is the diversity. It’s never dull and…

Like Minded People

Over the years I have been part of reading groups in various parts of the country. It’s always a good way to discuss ideas, characters, themes, plot and literature. There’s always something that someone else notices that you’ve never picked up on before. It’s a great way to expand your…

Phonics can be F-U-N (yes really!)

Phonics is one of those subjects that divides the teaching world. It’s a bit like marmite, you love it or hate it. Many teachers and support staff who deliver phonic sessions tend to dislike it intensely. Most commonly heard expressions when talking to staff about phonics are It’s boring It’s…

GULP!

As you will know if you are a regular reader, I like to write. More specifically, I like to write stories for 4-7 year olds. I’ve written or made up stories for a long time that have been well received and sometimes, much loved and often re-requested by the children…

Starting School

I don’t know how normal this is but I can vividly remember my first day at school. As my birthday is the last day of August I didn’t go to school until January. I remember that the room seemed enormous (and as classrooms go, it was pretty big). I also…

Confessions of a Book worm…

I Don’t Own a Kindle! Shocking though this may seem, I don’t own a Kindle. I’m old school: I like the feel and smell of books. I love walking into a bookshop (sadly more of them are disappearing from our high streets) and forgetting all about time. Technology is a…

Category: reading