Chinese New Year | Sarah Brennan Funny & Fabulous Blog

Oh no! There’s even MORE mischief in Shangri-La!

January 19, 2016 at 10:57 am | Posted in Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac

The Civet Cat can’t sleep at night!

The Sun Bear is COVERED in spots!

And the poor old Emerald Snake is tied in KNOTS!

Just WHO or WHAT is creating mayhem in the gorgeous jungles of Shangri-La?

Keep visiting, and you just might find out…!!

MORE mischief is brewing in the jungle!

January 18, 2016 at 12:18 pm | Posted in Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac, Year of the Monkey

The Turtle is terrified!

The Elephant is getting grumpy!

And the Tiger is hopping mad!!

Just WHAT is going on in the jungles of Shangri-La? You’ll have to keep visiting my blog to find out!

Happy New Year…but there’s trouble brewing in paradise!!!

January 13, 2016 at 8:20 am | Posted in Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac, The Year of the Monkey

A very Happy New Year to you all! I hope that 2016 brings you all the happiness and fun you can handle!! But oh dear… there’s trouble around the corner with my new Chinese Zodiac beastie…what on earth is going on? Keep visiting my blog in the coming weeks and you just might find out!

Rodney Ram meets Robert Townson Public School!

February 26, 2015 at 4:51 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Australian schools, Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese culture, Chinese history, Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac

On Wednesday, Rodney Ram and I and all the Chinese Calendar Tales characters met the wonderful kids and staff of Robert Townson Public School at Raby! It was a very special day for me, as my host was my dear friend Michelle Sarjana, deputy principal, who used to be deputy principal at Kennedy School in Hong Kong, and was one of the first teachers ever to invite me to visit her school with my first book, A Dirty Story! It was a BIG day! The Kindies met my hungry dragon Chester Choi, the Grade 1s and 2s learned all about the Chinese Zodiac animals in The Tale of Pin Yin Panda, then the Grade 3s and 4s met my VERY romantic Rodney Ram and the Grade 5s and 6s were hypnotized by Sybil Snake! Lastly, my toy tiger Tarini met the Townson Tiger who told her to Aim High! It was great to meet you all, and I really enjoyed my chats with the dedicated staff at the school – especially gifted potter and artist Lyn Thirwell who is currently looking after the library! It was a treat! I look forward to seeing lots of entries in my Clever Competition!

Rodney Ram frolics into Tim’s Bookshop, Maling Road!

February 21, 2015 at 1:29 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Book launch, Chinese New Year, Melbourne, The Tale of Rodney Ram, Tim's Bookshops

A big thank you to the fabulous team at Tim’s Bookshop, Maling Rd, Canterbury, who hosted a fun Chinese New Year Event this morning! Rodney Ram and I met some wonderful Canterbury kids, mums and dads, who listened to me reading Rodney’s Tale, answered questions brilliantly in my quiz, and enjoyed some lucky laissee packets filled with golden coins (well, the chocolate kind :)…) Gong Xi Fa Cai to everyone who came, and may you have a Rambunctious Year of the Ram!

Kung Hei Fat Choy for the Year of the Sheep/Ram/Goat!

February 19, 2015 at 2:44 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese New Year, Chinese Zodiac, Harry Harrison, Year of the Goat, Year of the Sheep

A very Happy New Year of the Sheep – or the Ram – or the Goat – to you all from me and from Harry Harrison! Here is Harry’s wonderful cartoon – isn’t it fun?! We hope this year is woolly, woolly wonderful for you and the people you love! Have fun and remember to keep reading lots, and lots, and lots of BOOKS!

Fun with the Giddy Goats at Geelong Grammar Junior!

February 17, 2015 at 11:07 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese Calendar Tales, Chinese New Year, Melbourne schools, The Tale of Pin Yin Panda, The Tale of Rodney Ram

Many thanks to lovely librarian Fiona O’Rourke (right below) and assistant Lyn (left below) who hosted me to a fabulous morning today with the loveable lambs of Prep and the giddy goats of Grade 4 at Geelong Grammar Junior School! The big kids met my artistic ram Rodney, and we had a great chat about Chinese customs for Chinese New Year and how these reflect Chinese values and relationships. And the little ones met my vain Pin Yin Panda and learned all about how the animals joined the Chinese Zodiac in Lord Buddha’s Great Race! I hope you all had as much fun as I did! Here I am above with Peter, who was a great help with my Chinese pronunciation – thank you Peter!

Save this Saturday for a Shy Sheep!

February 16, 2015 at 10:43 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese New Year, Melbourne, The Tale of Rodney Ram, Tim's Bookshops

Gong Ci Fa Xai a.k.a. Season’s Bleatings for Chinese New Year!

Come and celebrate the brand new Year of the Ram (or Sheep or Goat…) at Tim’s Bookshop in Maling Road, Canterbury, in Melbourne this Saturday morning at 10.30am! We’ll have a fun story reading to introduce my new Chinese Zodiac character, a quiz with prizes for everyone from 3 year olds to the grown-ups, laissee packets for every kid (with a yummy chocolate gold coin!), free Rodney Ram bookmarks, and a book signing! It’s a great story for kids from 4 to 40 (and their mums and dads!). So don’t miss it! Every book sold will help support the international children’s charity Room to Read.

G’day, Aussie, Here We Are!

February 16, 2015 at 10:14 am | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Australian schools, Chinese New Year, Rodney Ram

Rodney Ram and I are VERY excited to be in Australia for Chinese New Year! We’re visiting some fabulous schools in Melbourne this week and Sydney next week, and we can’t wait! Sheep have always been very important to Australia…so Rodney is going to feel right at home, so long as nobody tries to shear him…or EAT him! Keep following my blog to find out what we’re doing!

Woolly Sheep and Writing Workshops at ISS!

February 10, 2015 at 4:42 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Tags: Chinese New Year, ISS, Singapore schools, Story Readings, Writing workshops

Today I had a fabulous time with the teachers and kids of International School of Singapore, introducing the Grade 1 to 3s to my very good-looking Rodney Ram and sharing all the rules of How to Write Riveting Stories with the Grade 4s and 5s! We had a lot of fun! Huge thanks to the Alliterative Librarian, aka Head of Libraries Graham Grant (centre), the lovely Elementary Librarian Susan Grant (left) and Literacy Co-ordinator (and fellow Tasmanian) Kate Bond (right) for being such warm and welcoming hosts!