International Boyface Day, Thursday 1st December

What is International Boyface Day? by James Campbell

The Boyface books seem to have a peculiar appeal to all sorts of children. When I wrote them, I tried to do so without including anything topical or specific to any particular era. My hope was that they could be read forever. I also tried to make sure that the themes in them are eternal. These themes are family, loyalty, friendship and the continual journey of a young person learning how to deal with the world and themselves. Boyface is very innocent but learns all sorts of things about the world as he progresses through his journey as a stripemonger.

The plan with International Boyface Day is that schools will be able to access some great online workshops with me and Mark Weighton. Mark specialises in showing children how to draw in ways they probably haven't encountered before. He treats every child as an artist. In my workshops I start from a similar assumption. That everyone can create stories. I use the Boyface books to show how I turned ideas into books and then encourage the children to do something similar.

My hope is that this day will grow each year until we are able to add all sorts of things to the day. Quantum Physics. Zoology. Disgusting Pancake Making. Etc.

Schools can register interest in International Boyface Day via https://www.boyface.org/sign-up.

The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince by Ian Eagleton - blog tour

It was a pleasure to be asked to join the blog tour for Ian Eagleton's latest book and I accepted the offer immediately. I'm a huge fan of his previous work, both as a writer and as an educator, and my admiration grew even further after reading The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince. It's genuinely beautiful; a modern, inclusive, festive fairy tale overflowing with empathy. It's a book full of love and a book that needs to be celebrated. Over the past week I've shared it with three different classes, from Year One to Year Five, and they've all adored it.

Oh, and Davide Ortu's artwork...what can I say? I knew that Ian would find it a challenge when I asked him to write about his favourite illustration because they're all so wonderful, and so I think it's only fair that he's bent the rules and written about four. Enjoy!

Silent Woods and Mirror-Like Lakes: My Favourite Illustration

by Ian Eagleton

Now, before I begin, I have to tell you that picking one favourite illustration from The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince has been very, very difficult!

I could have chosen the endpapers, which I adore. I love seeing maps in picture books and Davide Ortu’s ones are magical! Don’t you just want to explore this strange, wintry kingdom!

I could have chosen the four illustrations where Kai, the lonely woodcutter, is sat at home waiting for his Snow Prince. Davide has imbued Kai with such sadness and confusion that my heart breaks for him. The framing of each of these illustrations is interesting too. In the final illustration, when Kai eventually decides to go and find his prince, it’s almost like he has broken out of his confines and is about to march across the page. Very clever stuff!

I might have even chosen the moment when Kai rushes through the melting, cracking ice palace as daggers of ice shower down upon him. I love the drama and peril in this illustration and that we are looking down upon Kai as he staggers up the creaking staircase.

Certainly, Davide’s artwork is so ornate and beautiful that everyone I’ve spoken to seems to have a different favourite illustration! My dad says his favourite is when the Snow Prince and Kai are watching the Northern Lights and my husband’s favourite is the final double page spread as it’s full of such warmth and joy.

Ultimately though, I’ve been asked to choose one illustration and I’ve chosen this.

There’s actually very little text on the page but I knew this was a moment in the story for me, as the writer, to get out of the way and let Davide’s stunning artwork do the heavy lifting.

It’s from the beginning of the story when the Snow Prince whisks Kai away on his first journey. I loved The Chronicles of Narnia as a child so I am over the moon that the Snow Prince has a chariot made of ice which is also pulled by majestic snow bears.

If you look closely, you can see Kai’s face is full of wonder as they fly over ‘silent woods and mirror-like lakes’ and your eye is taken on its own journey around the page with the swooping swishes of shimmering blues and deep, rich purples. It feels like they’re going to zoom past us any minute now and there’s a real speed and movement to the illustration. There are so many intricate details too, like the patterns of the foliage in the enchanted woods and the delicate snowflakes falling.

I’m sure if you ask me tomorrow, I’ll choose another illustration as my favourite. That’s the beauty of a picture book like this – there are so many hidden details and themes and I never get tired of poring over Davide’s cinematic, enchanting artwork.

Perhaps you could curl up by the fire with a hot chocolate and just spend some time enjoying the artwork in The Woodcutter and the Snow Prince! I’d love to hear which illustration you like the most, on the understanding, of course, that it might just change.

The Woodcutter and The Snow Prince by Ian Eagleton, illustrated by Davide Ortu, is published by Owlet Press. Out now, £7.99 paperback. www.owletpress.com

Charligh Green vs The Spotlight by Priscilla Mante - blog tour

With the success of the Lionesses at the Women's Euros earlier this year, the release of Charligh Green vs The Spotlight was perfectly timed. It's the second book in The Dream Team series by Priscilla Mante, following on from Jaz Santos vs The World, and features several of the same characters.

Charligh Green's life revolves around her love for football and her passion for drama. She's been given the leading role in her Year 6 school performance but finds remembering the words almost impossible. They're all definitely inside her but, for some reason, they're never there when she actually needs them. She's also becoming increasingly frustrated by her apparent clumsiness on the football pitch and in her everyday life. Eventually, Charligh gets visited at school by an educational psychologist who diagnoses her with dyspraxia.

There's so much to love about Charligh Green vs The Spotlight. One of the things I enjoyed the most is the way the relationships between the main characters are explored across different settings. The intense nature of their ever-changing friendships reminded me of so many children I've taught over the years. Their loyalty, their sarcastic humour and their belief in each other all rang true as I read the book. I also liked the fact that Charligh isn't diagnosed with dyspraxia until over halfway through the story. It's part of her but, crucially, it's not what defines her; by the time she's diagnosed, we already know a lot about her personality, her friendships and what makes her tick. One of the most emotional parts of the book is Charligh's unusual relationship with a former West End theatre star living out her final years in a care home. The friendship is delicately written and gives the story an extra level of depth.

Jaz Santos vs The World was one of the most popular books in my class last year and Charligh's story is already doing the rounds. Priscilla Mante has done a wonderful job of linking the characters and storylines across the two books, and I know my class are excited by the fact that there might be a third in the series.

To find out more about dyspraxia and Dyspraxia Week 2022, which is currently taking place, do visit the Dyspraxia Foundation website. I spent time exploring it today and it made me reflect upon what else schools can do to support pupils with dyspraxia.

A huge thank you to Priscilla Mante for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I loved revisiting the world of The Dream Team, and Charligh Green vs The Spotlight is a book I'll definitely be recommending at every opportunity.

The Story of Greenriver by Holly Webb - blog tour

The Story of Greenriver by Holly Webb is a book to savour. Stories about animals can touch readers' hearts in ways that few others can and this is one of the most powerful I've read in a long time. It combines an emotionally engrossing adventure with valuable messages about the environment, the importance of acceptance and the complexity of family relationships. It's a book that deserves its place in homes, schools and libraries as readers of all ages will be captivated by the adventures of Silken, a beaver who feels like she is no longer a valued member of her community, and Sedge, an otter forced to live in the shadow of his absent sister.

I was thrilled when Holly invited me to be the final stop on her blog tour promoting the book. She wanted to write about the importance of animal stories and the magic that they can deliver. I hope you enjoy reading her blog as much as I did; it brought back fond memories of childhood favourites such as Redwall and Watership Down.

The importance of animal stories in children’s books by Holly Webb

I grew up with a house full of pets, and loving books about animals. I know that I’m supposed to be able to describe The Story of Greenriver in a couple of succinct sentences, but when anyone asks me what the book’s about, I find myself explaining that it’s an otter book because I love otters – but it’s also a loving homage to Redwall, The Animals of Farthing Wood, The Wind in the Willows, Watership Down, and hundreds of others. With a whole lot of time spent poring over the illustrations to the Brambly Hedge books thrown in. And a lot of pony books.

I think I loved books about animals so much because I wanted as many animals in our house as we could fit in. (I feel slightly deprived at the moment, with only three cats.) But stories about animals aren’t only for children who dream about fitting a pony in their back garden. It can often be easier to identify with an animal character than a human one – it’s difficult, sometimes, to realise, Oh, I’m quite like that person! The separation between the reader and the animal makes it easier, more acceptable even, to admit, Yes, I’m lonely, I need a challenge, I’m struggling. And of course it’s a lot easier to write adventure for animal characters, since that same separation means that you don’t need to worry as much about encouraging dangerous behaviour!

After so much stressful pandemic time – with two years being a fifth of a ten year old’s lifetime, just as an example – time outdoors is vital for all of us. But it’s very easy to feel that natural landscapes aren’t for you. That they’re scary, or dangerous (which obviously they can be, even more so when you’re unfamiliar with them!) boring, or just strange. Fabulous books like The Diary of a Young Naturalist, by Dara McAnulty, and The Lost Words, by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris – whose otters are incredibly beautiful! – have raised the importance of familiarising children with the natural world again, with letting us all see the beauty and fascination waiting for us. There are huge benefits for everyone’s mental health, but also for the natural world. People who love animals and the natural landscape will want to protect them – and they’ve never needed that protection more.

I started writing The Story of Greenriver because I loved otters, and I wanted to create an exciting adventure story. As I was writing, my love for the river and the woods around it grew into a deep wish to inspire children to explore the natural world and feel comfortable in it. Everyone should be able to spend time outdoors, to find a place that’s home and adventure, with its own deep magic.z

Holly Webb

What's That? by Nigel and Freddie Lungenmuss-Ward

Last week, the pupils at Moorlands Primary Academy were fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of What's That?, the new book by Nigel Lungenmuss-Ward and his son, Robbie. I was also able to catch up with Nigel and ask him a few questions about the book.

What's That? was a real hit with the children. Below is a selection of the feedback from our Year One and Two pupils and staff.

"I love the seagull and worm." Harlee

"I enjoyed this story because she was using her imagination." Stanley

"It was amazing because I loved all the things that the children thought the cloth could be." Charlie

"This book is really creative and I like the drawings." Nellie

"I loved the colourful pictures in the book. It's really funny because there's a funny worm" Ella

"I loved it, loved it, loved it because the pictures were funny." Eloise

"I liked the giant in the story because it was the same one from Jack and the Beanstalk." Sam

"It's a great story because it's colourful and funny." Hollie

“My favourite part was when dad was reading Freddie's Impossible Dream!" Jessica

"I like that they use their imagination." Ollie

"I thought it was very funny and imaginative." Emmy

"The cloth can be anything they want it to be." Mary-Jane

"This book is very funny and I just loved the seagull." Hugo

"I loved the way that the story encouraged the children to use their imaginations to enter a fantasy land and explore endless possibilities." Miss Thurtle

Hi Nigel, I was a huge fan of your debut book, Freddie's Impossible Dream. Your new book, What's That?, all about the power of imagination, is out now. Where did the original idea come from?

Thanks Jon. I really appreciate your support and guidance with the promo for the first book. The inspiration for this book came from a game I invented, which I played my class during transition week each year. After reading some research on developing divergent thinking within the workplace I created The Imagination Game to promote divergent thinking within my classroom. I would find a warm sunny spot on the playground and present the class with a random object. Once, I used my lunch box and, after a brief introduction on convergent and divergent thinking, I asked them, “What’s this?” The first couple of children would usually stare blankly at me until someone raised the bar. One child described my lunch box, whilst giving a physical demonstration, as a potty. After this, the divergent thinking would rapidly become more fantastical. I loved this activity as it offered me a gateway into each child’s mind and, more importantly...it was also extremely fun!

How do you suggest teachers encourage children to use their imaginations at school?

I learned a very important lesson whilst working with Robbie during the completion of our first book, which I feel made me a better father and educator alike. It happened right at the very start of Robbie drawing the pictures. I used to give him lots of details on how I imagined the page would look. I would draw stick men and lay the page out for him. I thought I was helping him, but I found that I was actually killing his creativity and passion for the project. His drawings were not as good as the ones he was completing when he was just doodling and doing it for fun. In fact, he stopped wanting to even work on the book altogether. So, I tried a different approach. I gave him minimal guidance and just wrote down the words for each page and asked him to draw whatever he thought matched my narrative. I found this is when his drawings really improved and his passion for the project returned. The lesson I took into my classroom was to try and not over scaffold things. Educators can sometimes be so engrossed in making sure that a child achieves an outcome that we remove any form of creativity and independence for the child. Of course, we need to support but from that day on I tried to pare it back whenever I could.

It's lovely to see that you've continued to work with your son as the illustrator. Did the text lead the artwork or did the artwork lead the text? What was the creative process behind the book?

As I mentioned in the previous question, I write the story and then approach Robbie with it for him to draw. With What’s That? though I asked him to start drawing the main characters before I had finished my final draft. This is the part I think he enjoys the most. He loves creating new characters and that is why I gave him free rein with Wormington and Siago in this story, just like I did with Crabbie in Freddie’s Impossible dream. These characters are all Robbie’s work. I have very little input at all. In fact, I asked him for a character and of course he decided we were having two. Whenever I visit schools with Freddie the children love the Crabbie character the most and I really enjoy telling them that an 8-year-old boy created it. I have a feeling that it will be the same again with Wormington and Siago, which really is magical.

We were very lucky to have you visit Moorlands at the start of the year. I believe it was one of your first school visits and our children still mention you regularly. What do you think an author visit can add to a child's school experience?

It was a pleasure to visit your school and meet all of your wonderful readers! It is so great to hear that the children remember me and that they enjoyed my visit. I have checked this; Moorlands was my very first in school author visit. I was keen to come to your Moorlands as I know the culture of reading for pleasure that exists in the school. From my experience of visiting schools, the main benefit of having an author visit is the impact it can have on a child’s view of reading and writing. I always try to make my visits fun, engaging and inspirational. I particularly enjoy it when I tell children I love reading and writing and they respond in kind. I feel that having someone, who isn’t the children’s teacher, deliver this message is vital to changing some children’s outlook upon the subjects. I have had several instances where teachers have got in touch to explain how students have changed post visit and they have become much more open to reading books or even a bigger variety of books. If I can play a small part in changing even one child’s life for the better then I will be a very happy man indeed.

What's next for you and Robbie?

We keep creating. My vision is to release a book every year, which will serve as a timeline of Robbie’s drawing development. I believe that the illustrations for What’s That? are a vast improvement on the illustrations in Freddie’s Impossible Dream. I write because I enjoy it, but really, I write because I want to showcase Robbie’s talent and give him the best possible platform to achieve whatever he wants in life. As an educator, I feel that the journey Robbie and I are on has the potential to inspire others to go and chase their dreams and to achieve whatever they want too. I have several other ideas and first drafts that are waiting to be published. I am also really looking forward to working for the National Literacy Trust over the summer. I will be leading six writing workshops for children with the aim of creating three stories based on inventions from our hometown of Lowestoft, which will be showcased later in the year. I am so excited about what the future holds, and I cannot wait to hear what people think of What’s That?

Fantastic Nigel, thank you for your time. Good luck with the book launch!

The Secret Sunshine Project by Benjamin Dean - blog tour

The Secret Sunshine Project by Benjamin Dean

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow, Benjamin Dean's wonderful debut from 2021, is one of the most uplifting books I've read in recent years, and so I jumped at the chance to take part in the blog tour for his follow-up, The Secret Sunshine Project.

At its heart, The Secret Sunshine Project is a story about love in all its many forms. Bea and her older sister, Riley, move to a small country village, St Regent's Vale, to live with their grandmother following the death of their father. They each attempt to deal with their grief in different ways. Although Bea makes new friends, Riley increasingly shuts herself away from the world. She's missing her girlfriend and the freedom that life in a big city can bring, and is also heartbroken that she won't be able to attend London Pride. To support her sister, Bea and her friends decide to create their own Pride festival in St Regent's Vale. However, the self-appointed (but wildly unpopular) leader of the village, Rita Ruckus, has other ideas.

The story unfolds beautifully and builds towards a joyful conclusion. Benjamin Dean creates characters with real depth, all of whom have their own flaws and insecurities, and, as in real life, they rely on each other for support and strength in times of need. Throughout the book, an important message about having the courage to accept and love people for who they really are is regularly reinforced. Benjamin has very quickly become a writer whose work needs to have a home on the bookshelves in every primary classroom and I'm looking forward to seeing where he heads next with his writing. I honestly can't recommend The Secret Sunshine Project highly enough. It's available to buy now in all good independent children's bookshops. Look here to find where your local ones are.

Below, Benjamin has recommended some of his favourite books which have LGBTQ+ representation.

Benjamin Dean’s Recommendations for Books with LGBTQ+ Representation

As someone who knew they were gay from a pretty young age, I often felt lonely or othered simply because I couldn’t find myself anywhere else. Certainly not in my favourite books. Thankfully, LGBTQ+ representation is getting better and better as time goes on and it’s helping to show children a wealth of diversity within the pages of fantastic stories, opening the door for empathy, kindness and compassion. From mermaids and firefoxes to new worlds that can found inside a suitcase, here are some of my favourite stories that include LGBTQ+ representation.

Picture Books:

Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton & James Mayhew

The Pirate Mums by Jodie Lancet-Grant

Middle Grade:

The Accidental Diary of B.U.G. series by Jen Carney

The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery

The Strangeworlds Travel Agency series by L.D. Lapinski

Proud of Me by Sarah Hagger-Holt

Me, My Dad and the End of the Rainbow by, uh, me