First Visit of the Year

I've started educational visits early this year.


It's unusual to be doing them yet. Normally things finish around mid November until the end of February. This is very good news: last year was very busy, but I suspected once National Year of Reading was over, things would dry up a bit.

My first event of the new year was a Saturday morning storytelling session, for family groups at Clay Cross Library in Derbyshire.

We had a good turn out and they were a really nice bunch of people. I was impressed that several of the mums had a go at the drawing bit too - normally grown-ups get a look of panicky terror if I offer them paper and pencil.

The children all designed these monsters and, as you can see, even Gran got stuck in!


I moved to Chesterfield library in the afternoon, for a talk and workshop.

There was one little boy who I was keen to meet. The week before, Miles's Mum emailed me a dragon story he had written. It was a bit scary, but rather exciting and really good for someone only 7 years old. I met the author in person, with his Dad, at the library event. He gave me a newly revised copy of the story, so I did him a drawing of a dragon to take home! I'll be putting Miles's story on the website shortly.

This is one of the sketches I did on the train that morning.