Desmond Dog sails to Discovery Bay!
February 28, 2018 at 9:29 pm | Posted in Discovery College, Hong Kong Schools, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Chinese history for kids, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Desmond Dog, The Year of the Dog
Huge thanks to my lovely friend, PYP Teacher Librarian Leanne Sercombe (also known as Sherlock Holmes), who expertly hosted Desmond Dog and me (also known as Dr Watson) yesterday when we visited Discovery College! We had a fabulous day of story readings, with everyone involved from the Year 1s right up to the Year 6s! Here are some fab photos above and below!
More fab photos from Desmond Dog’s Woofy Launch Party on Saturday!
February 12, 2018 at 12:56 pm | Posted in Being an Author, Book launches, Bookazine Princes Building, Bookshop event, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Books about Chinese Zodiac, Chinese New Year, Harry Harrison, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Year of the Dog
Many thanks to Bookazine Events Organizer Manon for these lovely photos!
Here’s Harry Harrison and me before the launch!
Here’s our fun book reading with some avid fans!
My gorgeous daughters Bea (left) and Annabel (right) have been holding up the pictures for the last 14 years now! Thanks Bea and Annabel!!
A busy book-signing!
Harry and the Quiz, me and Harry – and the man himself with his fabulous book covers!
My wacky daughter Annabel continuing her annual ritual of a finger-signing by Harry and me!
A touching gift from an old(ish) fan!
February 11, 2018 at 5:56 pm | Posted in Book launches, Canadian International School Hong Kong, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Books about Chinese Zodiac, Books about pandas, Books2Eat contest, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Pin Yin Panda
I was so very touched yesterday when the Fox family attended my launch yesterday, and Jess, who is now a very glam teenager (pictured above right some 6 years ago and below left) presented me with the lovely thank you note on the left! Jess and her sisters Liliana and Emerson had made a Pin Yin Panda cake from The Tale of Pin Yin Panda for the Books2Eat contest at Canadian International School way back in 2012, and their mum sent me their cute photo. All three (plus mum) were out in force to support the launch yesterday – the sisters are here below! We all teared up when Jess gave me her gorgeous note! Thanks Jess! Fans like you make my life very happy!
Hello Keystone Academy!
January 22, 2018 at 7:08 pm | Posted in Beijing Schools, Keystone Academy, Uncategorized, workshops | 2 CommentsTags: Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese culture, Chinese folklore, Chinese history, Chinese Zodiac, The Tale of Desmond Dog, The Year of the Dog
I’ve just spent the first of two fun days at Keystone Academy! From its huge campus to its Hogwarts-esque buildings, its stylish boarding house to its stunning primary library, it’s a very impressive school indeed! This morning I met the Year 4s, telling them all about how I weave Chinese history, folklore and culture into my Chinese Calendar Tales, then spent a session after lunch with the Year 3s, walking them through the making of my latest book The Tale of Desmond Dog! Then it was off to the middle school lecture hall, where students from primary and upper school and some lovely mums and dads came to hear me reading Desmond Dog’s story! Here’s some of my audience above! To my right is my lovely host, primary librarian Jennifer Fuentes, together with Lizzie Wong to her right. To my left is Year 9 student Tori Gu, who was kind enough to collect me at the airport with Carlie Spruill (to her left) and who is a fantastic ambassador for the school! And to the left of Carlie is Elaine Yin. A big thank you to Jennifer, Carlie, Lizzie, Elaine and Tori for making me feel so welcome – not to mention all the wonderful teachers, students and parents! I look forward to seeing you all again tomorrow!
A wonderful morning at Diocesan Girls Junior School
December 14, 2017 at 7:21 pm | Posted in Hong Kong Schools, Story Readings, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Clever Competitions, Diocesan Girls Junior School, Growhouse, How to Become a Great Writer, Storm Whale
Many thanks to my hosts, teacher Rachel Yu (above) and PTA parent Hynn Ming Lau, for inviting me to talk to the lovely young ladies of Grade One to Three at Diocesan Girls Junior School in Hong Kong yesterday. First I read the girls my beautiful new story Storm Whale, which was followed by dozens of eager questions about whales, some of which I had to admit were so tricky that I could not answer them! Then I gave the girls my Top 12 Tips to Become Great Writers in the Digital Age – and I was so impressed by their focus and understanding of this very topical and important subject! I’m quite sure that they will be strictly limiting their time on digital screens and greatly increasing their time spent reading books from now on! I look forward to receiving lots of DGJS story entries in my next Clever Competition! Thank you to my old friend Matt Steele of Growhouse for organising the event and co-ordinating the fabulous book sales!
It’s a small world…and it goes round in circles!
September 29, 2017 at 7:17 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
On Wednesday at QSI Zhuhai I met a lovely young man, Henry (above right), who asked me to sign a 2nd edition The Tale of Run Run Rat, which had been given to him back in 2009, when he was living in Portland, Oregon, USA, by his friends Lillian and Courtney Lee (with me above left) who at that time were living in Hong Kong! Now, Lillian and Courtney live in Seattle, Washington, USA, and Henry, who lives in Zhuhai, has bought them a copy of The Tale of Rickshaw Rooster as a return gift! It all goes to prove that it’s a very small world…and that life sometimes goes round in circles!
Storm Whale gets a lovely review!
May 24, 2017 at 7:50 pm | Posted in Book reviews, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Books about beach holidays, Books about whales, Books and Publishing Australia, Jane Tanner, Storm Whale
Here’s my beautiful new book Storm Whale, which is launching in Melbourne at Readings Kids in Lygon Street on Thursday 1st June at 6pm! I”m SOOO excited! It’s a story inspired by my childhood holidays with my family at the seaside in Tasmania, where 3 little girls find a stranded whale on the beach and try to save it. I think you’re going to love it, and love even more the exquisite illustrations by Australia’s award-winning artist Jane Tanner! Here’s a wonderful review we received in Books and Publishing Australia:
A fabulous photo shoot!
April 15, 2017 at 6:17 pm | Posted in Being an Author, Photoshoots, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Chinese Calendar Tales, Green Minibus 22;, The Tale of Pin Yin Panda
Huge thanks to Hong Kong photographer Ellen Claire Taylor for a fun photoshoot on Wednesday this week at my home in Tai Po, in beautiful Tai Po Kau Park, and at the Pok Fu Lam Gardens terminus of Green Minibus 22 on Hong Kong Island! Here I am above left at home with my beautiful new book Storm Whale, launching in Melbourne on 1st June; at my favourite local park in Tai Po Kau (above right) and catching up with the Chinese Calendar Tales characters on Green Minibus 22 at the Pok Fu Lam Gardens terminus in the rain! Pandora, my toy panda, loved it!
Wow! 52 entries in our March Madness Minibus Photo Competition!
April 2, 2017 at 9:46 am | Posted in Photo competitions, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Chinese Calendar Tales, March Madness Minibus Photo Competition, The Tale of Rickshaw Rooster, The Year of the Rooster
Congratulations to all you 52 clever people out there who registered in our March Madness Minibus Photo Competition! Registration has now closed, and my team at Auspicious Times and I can’t wait to see your fun photos!
But first you have to complete our Questionnaire in Step 2! We sent you your unique number when you registered, with the link to our fun multiple choice questionnaire: please don’t worry, it’s not difficult, and all the answers are on our website at http://www.chinesecalendartales.com!
So send in your completed questionnaire, and after that, we’ll send you the exciting instructions to the final Step 3: That Photo!
The weather’s perfect, the Easter holidays are here…what better time to go snapping our funny and fabulous minibuses! Remember, you can find them on Hong Kong Island here: http://www.16seats.net/eng/gmb/gh_22.html and on Kowloon side here: http://www.16seats.net/eng/gmb/gk_74.html!
So get cracking and get snapping!
Come and Cockadoodle Doo with Rickshaw Rooster and me today at The Repulse Bay!!
March 26, 2017 at 10:26 am | Posted in children's literacy, Chinese Calendar Tales, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Children's Bookfest, Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese Zodiac
We’re telling tales tall and terrific at the Bookazine Children’s Bookfest today at The Repulse Bay!! So if you feel in need of a magical story from 5 fabulous authors and the wonderful Talespinners – come and join us from 11am to 5pm! You can even buy signed copies of our books – yay!! See you there!
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