Four fabulous new friends in Taiwan!

February 28, 2023 at 9:08 pm | Posted in Taiwan Schools | Leave a comment
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I was so excited to visit Taiwan on my first post-Covid Schools Tour this month! After a great week visiting schools in Hong Kong, I flew to Taipei’s Taoyuan Airport, where I was met by the lovely Charles and Di Farrell, Library Media Specialist and Library Assistant at Morrison Academy Taiwan, Tai Pei Campus, who very kindly drove me to my hotel!

Monday 13 February: Morrison Academy Taiwan, Tai Pei Campus

We commenced the visit with a fun reading for the Grade 2 and 3s of – you guessed it – The Tale of Rhonda Rabbit, book du jour, or should I say année, for the new Year of the Rabbit! The kids were fascinated to learn about the mighty Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, who united China over 2,000 years ago, but at a rather horrible cost to the people who stood in his way!

Next, I met the Kindergarten and Year 1 students, reading them my story Storm Whale. I have never been asked so many questions about whales afterwards, including some VERY tricky ones about, for example, “How high is the water spout of sperm whale?” for which I had NO CLUE of the answer! Thank you Charles for rescuing me with a wonderful book about whales from the library!

After a tasty lunch, I met the Grade 5s and 6s with my workshop How to Write a Riveting Story, then capped off the day with a fun session with the Grade 4s, An Introduction to Poetry, in which the kids narrowly escaped a fate worse than death (aka horrible school reports) as they used the first letters of Mr Farrell’s name to describe him in the Acrostic exercise!

My warm thanks to my hosts Charles and Di Farrell for their welcome and for hosting me in one of the most beautiful, artistic school libraries I have ever seen! Photos below!

Tuesday 14 February: Morrison Academy Khaosiung Campus

After my very first High Speed Rail trip from the top to the bottom of the island, I spent the next day with the lovely Christine Stowers and her support staff, visiting the kids of the Khaosiung Campus of Morrison Academy.

After an excellent opening session with Grades 6 to 8, explaining How to Publish a Picture Book from Brilliant Idea to Final Product, the Kindies to Grade 2 heard my story Storm Whale, then after a fabulous lunch, I met the Grades 3 to 5 students who heard…da da da…The Tale of Rhonda Rabbit! Finally, the fabulous teens in Grades 9 to 10 heard all about my path to becoming an author and publisher, followed by a serious talk about why reading print books is not just the most important tool for a writer, but also the way to ensure the very best life, in my presentation The Writing Life.

Thank you Christina for sending me the wonderful photos below!

Wednesday 15 February: Morrison Academy Taichung Campus

On Wednesday, at long last, I met Scott Pagel, the reason for my trip to Taiwan!! Scott and I have been in contact ever since he sent his students’ entries into my Clever Competition many years ago, and we’ve always thought it would be great for me to come and visit! We even planned a trip to all three campuses back in 2020…which sadly had to be cancelled due to…you guessed it…the dreaded Covid 19! So it was amazing to meet him in the flesh at last at the Morrison Academy Taichung Campus!

We kicked off with a story reading of Storm Whale for Kindergarten and Grade One, followed by my workshop on How to Write a Riveting Story for Grades 6, 7 and 8. I included a very serious talk on the huge benefits of reading print books for leisure and pleasure in order to write well – as well as to live your best life! And, of course, how vitally important it is for the brain to limit time spent on digital games and social media.

After lunch, Grades 3 to 5 had a fun Introduction to Poetry, where we had a lot of laughs as they completed a poem called “Let’s Destroy the School” in perfect rhyme and verse! Parents and teachers beware!!

The day ended with my popular talk about How to Create Bookworms in the Digital Age, for the MAC parents and teachers, where we discussed the latest scientific research on reading print book and the brain.

Thank you Scott for a fabulous day at Morrison Taichung…at last!! Photos to come!

AND FINALLY…

Thursday 23 February: Zoom visit to Hsinchu International School

Sadly I was not able to visit Hsinchu International School in Taiwan during my trip, but I WAS able to visit them by Zoom a week later, which just happened to be their Book Week! We had two fun sessions!

The first, for the little ones from Pre-Kindergarten to Year 2, was a reading of The Tale of Pin Yin Panda, to meet my cheeky panda character Pin Yin, to find out how all the animals got into the Chinese Zodiac, and to discover why pandas aren’t in the Zodiac!

For the rest of the school, I spoke about How I Became an Author, then explained all the latest science about why Reading is Good for the Brain.

Huge thanks to Grade 4 teacher Eddie Costello, who invited me in, and librarian Isabel Slabbert who expertly hosted me for the visit! Eddie and I first met when he sent in his students entries into my Clever Competition some years ago. I can’t wait to see entries from Hsinchu International in my current Competition!

Kung Hei Fat Choi from me and Rhonda Rabbit!

January 23, 2023 at 5:31 pm | Posted in Chinese New Year | Leave a comment
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HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! It’s time for THAT RABBIT to visit again!! Rhonda Rabbit, cheeky vegetable thief and sneaky wall-builder, is SO excited to be hopping about once more! And I’m 100 per cent with her!

So in order to celebrate a brand new year of mischief and fun, I have two fantastic pieces of news!

First up, I’m very excited to announce my upcoming tour of Hong Kong and Taiwan schools from 6th to 17th February! And this time, it’s IN PERSON! Hooray! I can’t wait to see all my lovely Hong Kong fans again, and to meet some new ones in Taiwan! I’ll be posting news and photos daily, so you can read all about it!

Secondly, it’s high time for a new Clever Competition! Read my next post to find out all about it!

The Great Year of the Rat Challenge 2020 is coming your way!

February 21, 2020 at 4:44 pm | Posted in Asia Society Hong Kong, Challenges and activities, Hong Kong, Hong Kong events | Leave a comment
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Run Run running

Are you a primary school student in Hong Kong or mainland China, stuck at home, waiting for schools to reopen in mid-March? Or maybe you live somewhere else, and are lucky enough to be able to go to school right now! Either way, if you love a fun challenge, with lots of great puzzles, pictures and tasks to complete, and with FABULOUS PRIZES, then you’re going to LOVE the GREAT YEAR OF THE RAT CHALLENGE 2020! My friends at Asia Society Hong Kong and I are launching the Challenge on next Monday, 24 January! So make sure you and Mum or Dad visit my blog again on Monday for all the details! Or you can visit my Facebook or Instagram pages! See you then!

A memorable visit to QSI Zhuhai!

September 29, 2018 at 11:00 am | Posted in QSI Zhuhai, Story Readings, workshops, Zhuhai schools | Leave a comment
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Thank you so much to fabulous primary school teacher Heather Domenico, for hosting me for two very busy days at QSI in Zhuhai on Wednesday and Thursday this last week! We had sessions for absolutely everyone from ages 2 to 18, as well as an after-school talk to the mums and dads!

The littlest ones met my crew of stuffed toys in a funny re-enactment of Lord Buddha’s Race – and proved they were extremely good at counting up to 12!

The 5 to 6 year olds proved they were old hands at the Chinese Zodiac when I read them The Tale of Pin Yin Panda while the 7 to 8 year olds became fearsome pirates as they heard The Tale of Desmond Dog!

The 9 to 11 year olds learned all about How to Publish A Picture Book from Brilliant Idea to Final Product and even got a sneek peak at my final Chinese Calendar Tale for the Year of the Pig, which is currently in production!

After school on Wednesday, I talked to a lovely group of parents about How to Create Bookworms in the Digital Age. Here are just a few of them, with their kids!

And finally, the 12 to 18 year olds and I spent almost the whole of Thursday together, in three different workshops: How to Become a Good Writer, An Introduction to Poetry and, finally, Nailing the Narrative Curve, where we had tremendous fun writing a story plan for the tragic story of three teenagers caught in a love triangle…in a paradise entered through a school locker portal!

And in between I met some fabulous kids, parents and teachers when I signed the books they bought from my wonderful distributor, Aaron Tearne at Obido Educational Services! If anyone missed out on buying a book, you can still do so, with some great discounts for multiple purchases here!

More photos to come!

Meet Harry, a HUGE book reader!

June 3, 2018 at 4:02 pm | Posted in Australian schools, children's literacy, Hobart, The Hutchins School | Leave a comment
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Harry and I at Hutchins

Meet Harry from The Hutchins School, who I met in the Junior Library during my Tassie visit a fortnight ago! Harry has such a huge smile on his face because he LOVES READING BOOKS! And he told me that his bedroom at home is so full of books, there’s hardly any room for his bed! Now THAT’S what I call a great reader! I bet Harry is a fantastic writer and thinker too, because that’s what you become when you read lots of books for leisure and fun! Well done Harry!

ps Harry was born in the Year of the Tiger and I was born in the Year of the Rat – hence the books we are holding!

Desmond Dog’s Beijing launch at the Bookworm Cafe was fabulous fun!

January 28, 2018 at 8:16 pm | Posted in Beijing, Book launches, Bookshop event, Bookworm Cafe Beijing | Leave a comment
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Desmond Dog and I had fabulous fun this afternoon at Beijing’s famous Bookworm Cafe! A lovely bunch of kids, mums and dads came to hear The Tale of Desmond Dog and all the scrumptious Chinese history behind the story! Then we had a fun quiz with questions for everyone from 2 years old to some really ancient ages :), with toy dog prizes, and finally a book signing! It was wonderful to meet such an enthusiastic crowd who love their Chinese history just as much as I do! Huge thanks to Peter Goff, and his lovely assistants Zoe and Nancy, for hosting me today – I look forward to working with the Bookworm Cafe again when I return to Beijing in March for the Literary Festival!

And thank you Zoe for these fabulous photos of the story reading…

and the book-signing…

and last but not least, some new friends!

thumb_IMG_5205_1024 (1).jpgPeter Goff, owner of the Bookworm Cafe! I wonder if you can guess which animal family in the Chinese Zodiac Peter belongs to, and which one I belong to?

EhxbpSima and Nicky Tebbutt and their lovely parents Tatjana and Dan from Ukraine and
Australia (together with “their” animals of the Chinese Zodiac)…

The marvellous creators of the Heckerty series (about that crazy green witch Zanzibar and her adventures), Allan Davidson and Jan Ziff! Here, my dragon Billy Boy is trying to eat Zanzibar, but gives up in the end and lets Zanzibar fly him away! I think they’re going to be firm friends too!

Another great day at Keystone Academy!

January 24, 2018 at 10:41 am | Posted in Beijing Schools, Keystone Academy, workshops | Leave a comment
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Some fabulous Grade 4s!

Thank you to the fabulous library team for another great day at Keystone Academy! I met more of the fantastic Grade 3s and 4s, as well as the Grade 5s, and we talked all about the historical figures in my Chinese Calendar Tales – it was wonderful to find that the Keystone kids know a LOT of Chinese history and I learned some really interesting new facts…like, for example, that the name of Genghis Khan (who is represented by Temujin in The Tale of Temujin) can mean not just “mighty leader” but also “leader of all from  the skies to the earth“. One of the primary librarians Lizzy Wong did some more research and found that “genghis” can also mean “powerful“, “gift of the gods” or “ocean“. I think it’s fair to conclude that whatever it’s meaning, “genghis” means something rather magnificent! Then to conclude we had a fun book signing! Thank you to all the fabulous parents, teachers and kids who bought my books!

With Grade 9 student Tori Gu

Here is Tori Gu, the Grade 9 student and library helper who helped pick me up at the airport. During my visit, Tori and I became firm friends. Tori is a remarkable young woman with ambition and great poise, who I’m sure is going to go far! Tori told me that her ambition is to study medicine at John Hopkins University in the United States – and I’m quite sure she’ll make it! She also introduced me to one of her friends, a young man from Afghanistan who has great ambitions for his country – especially for elevating the status of women. I think the future is in safe hands!

Finally, I would like to thank Primary Principal, Mary Jew, for her warm welcome and conversation at dinner, and for my very comfortable accommodation in the guest room in Keystone’s beautiful boarding house.

Hello Keystone Academy!

January 22, 2018 at 7:08 pm | Posted in Beijing Schools, Keystone Academy, Uncategorized, workshops | 2 Comments
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Keystone Academy

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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!

Meet Burger and Long Long!

January 16, 2018 at 12:59 pm | Posted in Children's Chinese Zodiac Books, Kingston International School Hong Kong | Leave a comment
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Whenever I visit a school to give the VERY FIRST reading of my new Chinese Calendar Tale, I give the kids in the very first session what I call “naming rights” for the two little extra creatures that our fabulous illustrator, Harry Harrison, adds to all the pictures in the book!

Yesterday, at the very first ever reading of The Tale of Desmond Dog, that session happened to be for the kids of Grade One at Kingston International School in Kowloon Tong!

After hotly contested debate, they came up with the following:

Burger the Hermit Crab:               Long Long the Sea Louse:

The crab

The woodlouse thingie

 

I think those names are great!

So when you get your copy of the book here, make sure you check every page and see if you can find Burger and Long Long!

 

 

WOOF! Introducing The Tale of Desmond Dog!

January 14, 2018 at 4:58 pm | Posted in Book launches, Books about Chinese Zodiac, Buying my books, Children's Chinese Zodiac Books, Chinese New Year, Online Sales | Leave a comment
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desmond hi res cover.jpg

Helloooo everybody and a very Happy New Year to you all! I hope that you had a wonderful festive season full of good fun with your families, and, of course, that you read a whole lot of fabulous books!

Speaking of which…here is the newest member of The Chinese Calendar Tales family, out just in time for the Year of the Dog! It’s full of fun verse, a terrifically exciting plot and Harry Harrison’s wonderful illustrations, as wacky and witty as ever!

It’s 1810, and infamous pirate queen Ching Shih and her Red Flags are terrorizing the South China Sea. Enter Desmond Dog, hero of the fishing village of Hong Kong! He’s noble, honest and kind, and loves to help others. But he’s also strong, daring and brave, with an excellent nose… in fact, he has the makings of an excellent pirate! Will Desmond be lured into a life of crime? And what will become of Ching Shih and her crew? Find out in this exciting tale of trickery, temptation…and treasure!

Don’t forget to buy your copy in your local bookshop OR you can order it online here right away!

And if you’d like to come along to the funny and fabulous Hong Kong launch of The Tale of Desmond Dog, make a note in your diary for Saturday 10th February at 2pm at Bookazine in Princes Building, Central. I’ll be posting your official invitation on this blog soon!

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