Sarah Brennan Funny & Fabulous Blog

Like Grandma, like Granddaughter…

It seems that writing talent runs in families, and after I published my post about Sonia below, I was very privileged to meet her lovely grandma Rumana Husain yesterday via email! I discovered that Rumana is a famous children’s author and illustrator in Pakistan, among many other talents. Like me, Rumana was a guest speaker at the Shanghai International Literary Festival in March earlier this year, and her you can see a photo of her with Sonia and Sonia’s little sister Anya at the Festival. I think that Sonia is a bit of a chip off her grandma’s block! If you want to see more about Rumana’s books, you can click on this link  with Mum and Dad! http://www.pinterest.com/rumanahusain/books-authored-or-illustrated-by-me/

Meet a remarkable young writer…and her wonderful mum!

Every so often I have extra-special days, and today was one of them. I met a just-seven-years-old girl called Sonia, and her wonderful mum Roohi. Roohi sent me Sonia’s entry into my current Clever Competition, a really beautiful poem about her favourite tree. She also sent me four other poems Sonia had written, full of gorgeous vocabulary and lovely imagination. Roohi confided in me that Malala (see my post below) was also Sonia’s hero, and she sent me the photo you see above. 

Roohi also sent me this photo of Sonia and her sister’s bedroom! Sonia asked for these posters especially for her birthday. and she chose 10 inspiring women: Jane Goodall (perhaps the greatest living anthropologist), Frida Khalo (a great Mexican artist), Sally Ride (the first female astronaut) , Maya Angelou (the celebrated African-American author and poet), Eleanor Roosevelt (outspoken civil rights and women’s rights activist and politician), Rachel Carson (the great writer and environmentalist), Helen Keller (the great, blind, civil rights activist), Diana Nyad (American journalist, author and long-distance swimmer) and Rosa Parks (the African-American civil rights activist known as the Mother of Civil Rights in America) with wonderful Malala taking pride of place in the centre.

Needless to say, Sonia is a great reader who constantly has her head in a book! And her mum tells me that the reason she has encouraged her daughters to read lots and lots of books is because growing up she didn’t have the chance to read many different kinds of books. With a mum like Roohi, and a love of reading, and the inspiration of such a fantastic group of women on her bedroom wall, I predict that Sonia will grow up to become a rather special person herself!

So if you’re a kid, why not do the same as Sonia, and put posters of the people who inspire you to greatness on your bedroom wall? You could enter my Clever Competition as well 🙂 – all the details are on the Clever Competitions page above!

A Hero in My Eyes at Discovery Bay International School

Today I was honoured to be invited to Discovery Bay International School Senior School for their Hero in My Eyes Assembly  where the Grade 7s and 8s are beginning their study unit on their own personal heroes! I was asked to talk about my own personal hero, and it was very hard to choose! For me, a hero is someone who is willing to put their comfort, safety – even their lives – at risk for the sake of helping others. And 17 year old Pakistani high school girl Malala Yousafszai, born 12/7/1997, has done just that – for almost a third of her short life so far. She believes so strongly in the right of all children to an education – rich, poor, girl or boy – that she spoke out against the Taliban in her home in the Swat Valley – and almost died for that belief! Now she lives in Birmingham in England and is continuing to speak out for education for all. What a fabulous hero she is! You can find out more about her at http://www.malala.org and I encourage you to visit that site right away with your mum and dad!

Goodbye marvellous Melbourne – and home again in Hong Kong!

A fond farewell to marvellous Melbourne, one of my favourite cities in the world! It’s not for nothing that it’s been voted the Most Liveable City in the World – again! On my last day, Tuesday, I visited the fantastic State Library of Victoria. Here I am posing in front of it! But have no fear – I will return, and soon I hope!

And now I’m back home in Hong Kong, another of my favourite cities in the world! It’s good to be back!

A funny and fabulous day at St Joseph’s Malvern!

A big thank you to Literacy Co-ordinator Mary Murphy for inviting me today to visit all the lovely kids of St Joseph’s Primary in Malvern! The Grade 1s and 2s learned all about how the animals got into the Chinese Zodiac with my Tale of Pin Yin Panda, while the Grade 3s to Grade 6s learned How to Write a Riveting Story! It was great fun to meet you all! Please remember to enter my Clever Competition – and keep on reading lots and lots and lots of books!

Rhonda Rabbit meets Flopsy Bunny in Geelong!

My favourite bunny Rhonda Rabbit met a real live relative at my sister’s house in Geelong today! Here they both are, together with me and my lovely niece Caroline Stephens!

Dalmatians in peril at Methodist Ladies College!

    
Oh dear! Cruella Deville (aka Head of Junior Library Tracey Ricchini) was capturing dalmatian puppies in a red string bag at Methodist Ladies College on Friday, with the assistance of Perdita (aka Library Technician Pam) – and all in honour of Costume Day for Book Week! But Miss Pink from A Dirty Story (below left) was there to save the day, together with a bevvy of Bookbugs! Thanks Tracey, Pam and the fabulous staff and students of MLC for a terrific day!

A Grand Gallop at Geelong Grammar Junior School in Toorak!

I had such a great day today at Geelong Grammar Junior School in Toorak, visiting everyone from the adorable Kindies to the fabulous Grade 4s! The littlest ones met my child-eating dragon in The Tale of Chester Choi, while the Grade Ones had fun meeting all the Chinese Zodiac animals in The Tale of Pin Yin Panda. The Grade 4s learned all about How to Write a Riveting Story, and finally the Grade 3s unscrambled limericks, identified haikus and even helped write a rhyming poem in my Introduction to Poetry Workshop! Warm thanks to teacher librarian Fiona O’Rourke for inviting me and looking after me so well, library technician Lyn Pool for taking me out for a delicious lunch, and Harrison who won a Dark Horse book for asking the best, most perspicacious question! I look forward to seeing dozens of Geelong Grammar entries in my Favourite Tree Poem Competition ! See all the details on the Clever Competitions page above!

Meet a Clever Competition Place Winner from Sydney!

Meet Chelsea Parker-Burton, talented writer and Third Place Winner in the Grade 4 to 6 Section of my Handsome Horse Poem Competition earlier this year! I had the great pleasure of meeting Chelsea yesterday in person at her school Kambala! As you can see, Chelsea is particularly fond of horses which perhaps explains why her poem was particularly good! You can read Chelsea’s poem, together with all the other winning entries, by clicking the Handsome Horse Poem tab on the Clever Competitions page at the right!

And if you want to be a Competition Winner yourself, why not enter my new Favourite Tree Poem Competition! See all the details on the Clever Competition page above!

A Big Hello to Melbourne!

I’ve just arrived in Melbourne for Book Week and I’m so excited to be visiting three fabulous schools here! Tomorrow I’ll be visiting Geelong Grammar Junior School in Toorak; on Friday I’ll see my friends at Methodist Ladies College, then next Monday I’ll be visiting St Joseph’s Malvern for the first time! See you all soon!