Monday 9 October 2017

A Croc-and-Bull Story!


Last week I did manage a little bit of stitch work, but also spent what felt like days catching up on boring stuff after my residency - oh, those emails!! I managed to escape the computer on two days though, and had heaps more fun, doing illustration workshops and very silly storytellings in a couple of schools (hello to all at Nettleworth and Cavendish primaries!). This is me explaining about drawing emotions - the little girl in white is acting out a 'shocked and horrified' face, to feel what happens to her eyebrows. I asked them to imagine a huge bear had walked in and was eating the children nearest the door:


For this visit to Cavendish School, I was actually a prize - the school had won me by having more children complete the Summer Reading Challenge than any other school in Greater Manchester. Well done kids - great job! I'm not surprised they won, having met the children: they were all so focused. The older ones asked such perceptive questions and everyone was so obviously into books and creativity. So that's a big congratulations due to the teachers too, I reckon.

This is me with about 100 Foundation children, having just read An Itch to Scratch, we sang an itchy song and did lots of scratching, like Big Gorilla in the story, hence the silly pose! 


While I was there, the lovely folks from Manchester Library Service, who looked after me all day, gave me a little present: some of the brand new publicity leaflets for Manchester's children's library cards, starring Class One, as they appear on the first page of my latest book Class One Farmyard Fun, just before they get into all that bother with the bull...


The library card itself it attached to the inside of the leaflet, featuring my sneaky, dancing crocodile from Kangaroo's Cancan Café. Do you remember, a couple of years ago now, my characters started to appear on the new-look library cards?


It makes them look so much more enticing to kids than a boring old plain card, like the poor grown-ups get. I can't wait to show author Julia Jarman, my friend and partner in all the books featured. I know she'll love having our new book on the front!





8 comments:

Damian Harvey said...

WOW! Aren't these great Lynne. So good that they have your fantastic artwork on their library cards. It's always a pleasure visiting Manchester schools and libraries.

Good to see you're keeping busy... Hope all's well.

Thanks for mentioning me with regards that pile of Itch books. The last time I saw a copy was a year or so ago in a Primary School in Birmingham - it seems that you had been there the day before me.

x

I need orange said...

Lucky kids, to get to draw (and scratch!) with you. :-)

I don't see why library cards are boring any more. It doesn't cost any more to make fun ones! If I lived where they have your critters on kids' cards, I'd ask to have a kid's card! :-)

Lynne the Pencil said...

Thanks guys!

I bought a load of copies of Itch when they discontinued them, Damian, so I am still able to sell them in schools. I still love reading it, especially with the younger ones - works a treat. Thank you for that! Not that many copies left in my cupboard now though. Sad.

Nina Khashchina aka Apple-Pine said...

I want a card like this too! :) Great inspiration, Lynne!

Damian Harvey said...

They didn't tell me they were discontinuing it (or keep me informed of much else to be honest but never mind eh - I need to get more. new picture books done) Nice to have a few to take around with me now though :-)

Lynne the Pencil said...

All my Gullane titles went out of print immediately after they were transferred over. It was very sad that the new publisher wasn't even vaguely interested in keeping anything alive, as I had so many picture books with them. And they were incredibly rude too when it happened, not introducing themselves when they took over the titles, or giving any information at all about what was happening, not returning emails etc.

I bought up a load of copies from the warehouse of a few of my favourites, including Itch to Scratch and eventually got all my rights reverted, after a lot of work with the Society of Authors. But nobody is much interested in second-hand titles, so that was more about the principal.

Debbie Nolan said...

Dear Lynne - so enjoyed this post. Your art work on the library cards is awesome. I am sure the kids enjoyed every moment with you. Hope you have a super day.

UplayOnline said...

It's always a pleasure visiting Manchester schools and libraries.


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