We are very privileged at Longacre School to be part of the Guildford Book Festival, in conjunction with Waterstones. The aim is to promote a love of reading within school age children, which will entertain them into adult years. We also invite pupils from the surrounding state schools to participate and enjoy.
Last week, we welcomed two authors into school, to talk about their books, careers and their crazy characters.
On Monday the author and illustrator Emma Dodds entertained our Reception children. She explained that she was an illustrator who had decided to start writing her own stories. She drew some fabulous charcoal characters; dinosaurs, cats and dogs and elephants. Her books were wonderful, drawing on our love for our families, especially grannies and grandpas. The Reception children were very happy to share with her their family stories and it was a very enjoyable afternoon.
On Friday we welcomed the author Rob Lloyd Jones who gave an inspiring talk to our Forms V and VI pupils. He was truly inspirational and explained that our own stories and life experiences were exciting enough to use as ideas for stories. He demonstrated sensitively but powerfully that although for some reading is not always easy and not always enjoyable, creating stories and narratives is a way to access the power of storytelling. His personal tale of his struggle to concentrate and read, through his desire to be a Ninja, through his desire to be a hero like Robin Hood, through his desire to find hidden treasure and finally through his desire to be an Egyptologist, was mesmerising.
He left us with the message that his childhood dreams were finally realised through his books and that we could all achieve our dreams.
Mrs Forster
Categories: News
