Ping Pong Pig bounces into Hutchins School in Hobart!
March 16, 2019 at 9:41 am | Posted in Hobart, Hobart Schools, Tasmania, The Hutchins School | Leave a commentTags: Beijing, Stories about Chinese history for kids, Stories about Chinese Zodiac characters, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Forbidden City, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig
Wow! Look at that sky! It was what my Dad used to call a “blue and gold day” on Friday 8th March when Ping Pong Pig and I visited Hutchins Junior School at Sandy Bay in Hobart, Tasmania to visit our many friends there with my latest Chinese Calendar Tale in one packed session! Just about every kid and teacher in school was there, from the Pre-Kindies to the Grade 6s, and they all fell in love with my feisty little pig as she evaded the Minister of Most Important Things in her romp around the Forbidden City in Beijing! Huge thanks to my dear friend, Head of Library Kate Reid, for inviting me in! And I’m looking forward to some great Hutchins entries in my Clever Competition!
Two wonderful days at St Margaret’s Anglican School in Brisbane!
March 6, 2019 at 11:52 am | Posted in Brisbane schools, St Margaret's Anglican School Brisbane, Story Readings, Writing competitions for kids, writing workshops for children | Leave a commentTags: St Margaret's Anglican Girls' School, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Chester Choi, The Tale of Pin Yin Panda, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig
What a lovely two days I’ve just had with the gorgeous girls (and some boys) and teachers of St Margaret’s Primary and Pre-Prep this week! I met everyone from the cute little Pre-Preps to the savvy Grade 6s, and we had everything from story-readings of my Chinese Calendar Tales (The Tale of Chester Choi, The Tale of Pin Yin Panda and The Tale of Ping Pong Pig) with all their juicy Chinese history and folklore thrown in, to workshops and talks about How to Write a Riveting Story, How to Become a Great Writer in the Digital Age, Books are a Brain’s Best Friend, and History is Geography! I even spoke at a big assembly of the Grade 4s to 6s about How I Became an Author and Publisher – including all the life-skills I learned along the way! Then at school pickup time I met some lovely parents when they purchased my books!
Thank you, everybody, for making me feel so welcome and for engaging so intently in all the sessions! It was a treat to work with you all! And do make sure that you click on my Clever Competitions link here for details of my latest writing competition for primary school kids – I hope to see lots of fabulous entries from the St Margaret’s girls!
Finally, warmest thanks to some very special staff members who looked after me so kindly throughout: Primary Principal Angela Drysdale (above and below centre), Head of Planning and Organisation – Primary Ms Mary Surtees (above and below left); librarian Mrs Donna Jackson (to my second left above) and Administration Assistant Miss Elizabeth Hook (to my far left above). I had so much fun spending time with you all!
More photos to come! In the meantime, meet the dragon mascot of St Margaret’s – in tile above and in textile below!
Hellooo again Brisbane!
March 3, 2019 at 6:54 pm | Posted in Australian schools, Brisbane schools, Hobart, School visits, St Margaret's Anglican School Brisbane, The Hutchins School | Leave a commentTags: The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
Ping Pong Pig and I have just arrived in Brisbane and it’s HOT!! And a nice change from the cold weather of Hong Kong it is, I must say! My jolly little pig and I are really excited to be visiting the fabulous St Margaret’s Anglican School for the next two days! Then on Thursday we fly down to Tasmania for another fun visit to my friends at The Hutchins School and a (slightly belated) Chinese New Year celebration at Fullers Bookshop on Saturday! Keep visiting my blog for all the photos and fun!
How I ended up in publishing!
February 26, 2019 at 10:54 am | Posted in Being a publisher, Being an Author, media articles | Leave a commentTags: Bookazine Magazine, The Chinese Calendar Tales
Here’s an interesting article from Bookazine which was published in their Spring magazine yesterday, where 7 people involved in publishing in Hong Kong (including Harry Harrison and me!) tell the story of how it all happened! Take a look and see if maybe one day you also might like to join this wonderful, frustrating, fascinating, difficult but very rewarding industry! Thank you to Clemence Robine, marketing manager at Bookazine, for including me! And don’t you just love Harry’s fun illustration?
Ping Pong Pig visits the Asia Society!
February 24, 2019 at 11:41 am | Posted in Asia Society, Chinese festivals, Chinese New Year, Events, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: Asia Society Hong Kong, Books about Chinese history for kids, Books about Chinese Zodiac, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
Ping Pong Pig and I visited the Asia Society yesterday for a lovely afternoon with some scrumptious kids, mums, dads and some fabulous grandmas! We had so much shouting to that plump little pig to “Run Pig Run!” or “Stay Pig Stay!” as the Minister of Most Important Things tried to track her down, and winning mini-pandas during my quiz! And the kids really learned their Ming Dynasty history too, with some impressively accurate answers to some of my tricky questions! Many thanks to the lovely Pauline Wong who hosted me for the event, and to CEO Alice Mong for asking me in!
Fabulous fun writing poetry at PLK CKY today!
February 20, 2019 at 5:14 pm | Posted in Hong Kong Schools, PLK CKY School, Poetry Workshops for kids, Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: An Introduction to Rhyming Poetry Workshop
I had so much fun today with the Year 4s at my old friends at Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau School at Piper’s Point today! I talked to the kids about writing my favourite rhyming verse, then after a few rhyming and rhythm exercises they got down to work to complete a funny poem called Let’s Destroy the School! in perfect rhythm and rhyme! At the end of each session, the first groups to finish got to read their masterpieces out to the class! Warm thanks to Joli Moore, to my left above, who was my wonderful host for the day! And kids – remember, writing poems is FUN!
Hear me read The Tale of Ping Pong Pig at the Asia Society this Saturday afternoon!
February 19, 2019 at 10:50 am | Posted in Hong Kong events, Story Readings | Leave a commentTags: Asia Society Hong Kong, Books about Chinese Zodiac, Books about Pigs for kids, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
On Saturday afternoon I’ll be reading Ping Pong Pig’s hilarious Tale at the Asia Society in Admiralty at a fun family event, and afterwards you can buy your own copy, and compete in a fun quiz for a cute baby panda toy! Find all the details here! You’ll even get a FREE Year of the Pig bookmark! See you there!
Pigs Rule in Aberdeen, Hong Kong!
February 19, 2019 at 10:35 am | Posted in Hong Kong | Leave a commentTags: The Year of the Pig, Wild Boar in Aberdeen
Now we all know it’s the Year of the Pig, and here’s proof if any were needed! Here are two beautiful wild boar I snapped yesterday as I drove by, casually strolling down the street in Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island! I think the one on the left was Mama Pig, and the one on the right was Teen Pig. They were both looking rather sheepish I have to admit…or should that be piggish? Either way, they didn’t seem in the least afraid, or fazed by the passing traffic!
It’s time for a Practically Perfect Pig Tale Competition!
February 17, 2019 at 1:14 pm | Posted in Clever Competitions, Writing competitions for kids | Leave a commentTags: Sarah Brennan's Clever Competitions, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
It’s the Year of the Pig – and high time for another of my international story writing competitions for primary school aged kids!
Now we all know that Ping Pong Pig is a practically perfect pig – she’s kind and giving, she works very hard, and she likes to help people! She’s also a very good little actress, as she escapes the Minister of Most Important Things dressed in the disguise of all those professions Pig People are good at! Above all she loves stories about pigs! So in this new story competition, I need you to tell me an exciting adventure, a puzzling mystery…or even a touching romance about a Practically Perfect Pig!
Any child attending primary school, including home-schooled children of primary school age, anywhere in the world can enter! There will be two separate categories for Grades One to Three, and Grade Four to Six, so even the little ones can join in!
This time the First Prize in each of the two Categories will be ONE COMPLETE BOXED SET OF MY CHINESE CALENDAR TALES worth RRP HK$1299!!! Second and Third Place-Getters will each receive a signed copy of one Chinese Calendar Tale of their choice! And the TOP SIX entries in each Category will be published on my blog, which will make you a world famous writer right away!
All the Rules and Requirements are on my Clever Competition page here, so click the link right away and start writing! The deadline is FRIDAY 10TH MAY so get those trotters trotting!
The Kennedy School kids meet Ping Pong Pig!
February 17, 2019 at 10:13 am | Posted in Hong Kong Schools, Kennedy School, Story Readings | Leave a commentTags: Books about Chinese history for kids, Books about Chinese Zodiac for kids, Books about Pigs for kids, Books about The Year of the Pig for kids, The Chinese Calendar Tales, The Tale of Ping Pong Pig, The Year of the Pig
On Wednesday I took my tasty little Ping Pong Pig to meet all my old friends at Kennedy School in Pok Fu Lam! 900 kiddies from Year 1 to Year 6 made that difficult choice between crispy pork and cute pink pigs as they exhorted Ping Pong to Run Pig Run! or Stay Pig Stay! while the crafty Minister of Most Important Things tried to track her down, in four delicious story reading sessions! A big Thank You to English Co-ordinator Mr Moore for inviting me in, and assistant librarian Ms Susan (below to my right, with Ms Michelle teacher librarian to my left) for being such a welcoming host! And to all you Kennedy kids – I look forward to receiving your entries in my new Clever Competition!
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