NATE (Scotland) blog

Using Holocaust Fiction in the Classroom – a resources list.

Many thanks to Susan Brownlie, who has put together this helpful resource document for those interested in following up on the Using Holocaust Fiction in the Classroom webinar presented by Dr Paula Cowan and Professor Henry Maitles, University of the West of Scotland, in association with SATE, on 19^th of August, 2020. You can view the webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddgJwZkQQNQ

Resource List

Webinar References: Academic Research and Pedagogical Guidance

Cowan, P. & Maitles, H. (2017) Understanding and Teaching Holocaust Education, London: Sage.
Doherty, R. (2019) Only half of adults know what antisemitism means, Jewish Chronicle, 15 March, p.1.
R. (2007) Boyne’s Dangerous Tale, Jewish Chronicle, 23 March, p.53
Eckmann,M., Stevick, D, & Ambrosewicz-Jacobs, J.(2016) Research in Teaching and Learning about the Holocaust: A Dialogue Beyond Borders, Berlin: Metropol.
Holocaust Educational Trust Teaching Guides (Primary, English and Drama)

https://www.het.org.uk/images/downloads/Primary/A_Guide_for_Primary_School_Teachers.pdf

(contains a recommended reading list and useful guidance on The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)

https://www.het.org.uk/images/downloads/Resources/Teaching_the_Holocaust_in_English.pdf

(contains a recommended reading list for different age groups and a copy of David Cesarani’s Literary Review article from 2008 on The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas)

https://www.het.org.uk/images/downloads/Resources/Teaching_the_Holocaust_in_Drama.pdf

IHRA (2016) Working Definition of Antisemitism,

https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitismAbout

Gilbert, R. (2010) Grasping the Unimaginable: Recent Holocaust Novels for Children by Morris Gleitzman and John Boyne, Children’s Literature in Education, 41:355-366.
Gray, M. (2014) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas: A blessing or a curse for Holocaust Education? Holocaust Studies 20(3): 109-136
IHRA (2019) Recommendations for Teaching and Learning About the Holocaust

https://holocaustremembrance.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/IHRA-Recommendations-Teaching-and-Learning-about-Holocaust.pdf

Kokkola, L. (2003) Representing the Holocaust in Children’s Literature. Routledge: London.
Lipstadt, D. (2019) Antisemitism: Here and Now, Melbourne and London: Scribe.
Majaro, N. (2014) Looking for Ideology in Children’s Fiction Regarding the Holocaust, New Review of Children’s Literature and Librarianship, 1:1-14.
C. (2014) Second Thoughts, Prism 6: 127.
Rich, J. & Pearcy, M. (2018) The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Critical Analysis of a Film Depiction of the Holocaust, The Social Studies,109(6): 294-308.
Teo, H. (2015) History, the Holocaust and Children’s Historical Fiction, TEXT Special Issue 28,

http://www.textjournal.com.au/speciss/issue28/Teo.pdf

UNESCO & OSCE (2018) Addressing Anti-Semitism Through Education: Guidelines for Policymakers, Paris: UNESCO, Warsaw: OSCE.

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000263702

Webinar References: fiction and non-fiction

Boyne, John (2006) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, David Fickling Books.
Glatshteyn, Yankev (2007) Emil and Karl, Scholastic Children’s Books.
Gleitzman, Morris (2005) Once, Puffin Books (the Once series will comprise 7 novels, the final book, Always, will be published in 2021).
Morpurgo, Michael (2007) Waiting for Anya, Egmont Children’s Books.
Morpurgo, Michael (2007) The Mozart Question, Walker Books.
Palacio, RJ (2019) White Bird: A Graphic Novel, Penguin Random House.
Spiegelman, Art (2003) The Complete Maus, Penguin Books.

Additional Recommended Reads

Folman, Ari (2018) Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, Penguin Random House.
Fried, Hédi (2019) Questions I am asked about the Holocaust, Scribe Publications.
Palmer, Tom (2020) After the War: From Auschwitz to Ambleside, Barrington Stoke.
Rosen, Michael (2020) The Missing: The True Story of My Family in World War II, Walker Books.
Volavková, Hana, ed. (1993) … I never saw another butterfly … Children’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration Camp, 1942-1944, Schocken Books Inc.

Picture Books

Elvgren, Jennifer (2014) The Whispering Town, Kar-Ben Publishing.
Dauvillier, Loïc (2014) Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust, First Second.
Vander Zee, Ruth (2003) Erika’s Story, Creative Paperbacks.

University of the West of Scotland: School-based Holocaust Education in Scotland

Vision Schools Scotland

https://www.uws.ac.uk/research/research-impact-influence/holocaust-education-vision-schools-scotland/

Level 11 Module in Citizenship and Holocaust Education

https://www.uws.ac.uk/media/5108/level-11-module-in-citizenship-holocaust-education.pdf

More news from NATE(S)

It’s been an interesting August for Scottish education, hasn’t it? With a furore over SQA results – happily now resolved by the government’s unusual decision to actually trust teachers’ judgments – and justifiable concerns about a full time return to school in the middle of a pandemic, there’s been a lot to occupy our thoughts.

NATE(S) has been busy trying to support you. We’ve held a number of webinars, all available on our SATE YouTube channel. Google guru Tom Coles kicked off with a session on Blended Learning, and NATE(S) coordinator Raymond Soltysek followed that up with a webinar on techniques for teaching RUAE. A panel discussion for probationers and NQTs featured Sharon Loder from the University of Strathclyde and Leanne Welsh, student mentor and author of the NQT Reflections blog, along with former probationers.

A session on Decolonising the Curriculum with Nav Govender from the University of Strathclyde and Mélina Valdelièvre of the Anti-Racist Educator collective provided some timely advice on how we can construct and deliver a curriculum that is truly anti-racist. Follow the collective on their blog and on Twitter.

The SQA results situation prompted a high level panel discussion featuring Tom Coles, Raymond Soltysek, Mélina Valdelièvre and the legendary Kenny Pieper and Lindsey Duncan. NATE(S) hopes to have an input at all levels of future discussions, and we will publish our response to the SQA consultative exercise shortly.

Our last webinar featured Susan Brownlie and Tom Coles in discussion with Paula Cowan and Henry Maitles of the University of the West of Scotland about the teaching of The Holocaust in the English classroom. NATE(S) has visited this in the past (see our previous blog for reactions to an earlier session with The Holocaust Education Trust), and we’d recommend their advice on resources which are appropriate to use (and resources, such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which are inappropriate to use!) when considering The Holocaust with your classes. You’ll find some here and here.

Upcoming, we have a range of fascinating sessions planned, on alternatives to National and Higher courses, personal reading, the Scottish set texts and using Scots in the English classroom. If you have any requests for sessions you’d like to see or you’d like to offer a session yourself, please get in touch at connectsate@gmail.com and we’ll have a chat. Consider joining NATE, our parent organisation, which offers access to a plethora of resources and to the only magazine and research journal dedicated solely to teaching English in the UK.

In the meantime, stay safe, enjoy your time with your pupils and subscribe to our blog, YouTube channel and Twitter account to keep updated.

News from NATE(S)

16-TE-Spring-2018-Cover-Issue-16-400x600 NATE(S) hopes that you are all safe and well in these extraordinary times. The lockdown has focussed us on our development, and new and exciting offerings are on the cards.

Thanks to Tom Coles from Portree High School (follow him at @mrtomcoles ), we’ve established a NATE(S) YouTube page and held two webinars, one with Tom discussing Blended Learning and one with Raymond Soltysek on Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation. Each had over a thousand attendees signing up, and have had almost 2000 views since. Subscribe and watch out for more coming up!

First on the new webinar agenda is a session for new English teaching probationers in Scotland on Thursday 2nd July, but we’re sure there will be something for any new teacher in any subject. A ‘Question Time’ panel will include Sharon Loder, who teaches on the PGDE English course at the University of Strathclyde, and Leanne Welsh, student co-regent and a probationer mentor who teaches in the west of Scotland. They’ll be joined by some current students and probationers. Watch the SATE feed for details and opportunities to pose your questions!

We’ve been discussing ways to take the webinar programme forward with the legendary Kenny Pieper, founder of Pedagoo and so many other good things in education. We have a number of great sessions up and coming, including: Kenny talking about developing personal reading; The Anti Racist Educator collective on anti-racism and the decolonisation of the English curriculum; Holocaust Education in the English classroom; curricular options in the senior phase with James McEnanay; Leanne Welsh on Reader Response strategies in the Scottish Set Texts option for Carol Ann Duffy; and many more! If you have any ideas for sessions or presenters you’d like to see, please get in touch!

We’re also considering having a weekly 40-minute Zoom meeting to discuss pressing issues, possibly in conjunction with the weekly topics set by the amazing English and Literacy Scotland Twitter collective; watch out for that!

Scottish teachers have also been active in the more traditional areas of the work of NATE. Look out for the next edition of Teaching English, which will have an article by new teacher Rachel Sharp, a graduate of the Glasgow University PGDE course, on vocabulary teaching in the BGE English classroom. Rachel summarises her project below. The magazine will also contain an article by Raymond Soltysek on the post-pandemic educational landscape in Scotland and beyond; Raymond will become a regular contributor to the magazine in further issues. If you would like to write for Teaching English, please contact NATE(S) at the email indicated on this site, or the magazine editor, Gary Snapper.

At a time of great uncertainty for us all, this is, paradoxically, proving to be an exciting time for NATE(S). Please consider joining us through NATE; the professional development opportunities it offers are amazing!

Rachel Sharp: Vocabulary Instruction at BGE, Level 3

Summary of Intervention

The purpose of this intervention was to implement a programme of vocabulary instruction in the secondary school English classroom. The approach I adopted focused on three support strategies which incorporated a variety of student and teacher-led learning methods. One of the strategies deployed was a word of the day exercise. At the end of the intervention, students were issued with a vocabulary test comprised of a random selection of 10 words from these exercises. Although this strategy lent itself to easily monitoring students’ learning, it was ultimately limited by a lack of flexibility. There was no option to conduct the test orally or for students to use the words in sentences as an alternative to writing down their definitions. Furthermore, the words chosen for this component of the programme were selected on a lesson-by-lesson basis. This helped to contextualise the new vocabulary within the content of the lesson, but a programme of vocabulary instruction that taught students more about word families may have allowed students to work out meanings for themselves and potentially improved overall final assessment performance.

The second strategy I implemented was issuing weekly homework exercises which were peer-assessed every Monday. These assignments exposed students to four new words and four exercises to reinforce learning. In contrast to the word of the day exercises, the homework assignments encouraged active processing of words and their meanings, particularly activities that emphasised how different words connect to one another. Such exercises required students to use more complex problem-solving skills than the word of the day strategy and subsequently stimulated more class discussion and curiosity. Incorporating peer-assessment into the weekly homework assignments further differentiated this dimension of the vocabulary programme from the word of the day exercises. Swapping booklets with their peers and grading one another’s work gave pupils an opportunity to revisit the new words and take more responsibility for their learning.

The final strategy employed was scheduling five minutes of independent reading at the beginning of each class. This helped to settle students into the lesson, but one of the problems I encountered with this particular strategy was ensuring that students selected sufficiently challenging texts from the school’s library facilities while still fostering the principles of enjoyment and choice. Moreover, some students consistently refused to observe this allocated reading time. One way of overcoming this might be to introduce whole-class daily read-alouds, whereby students are read to orally or listen to audio books while following along with the written text. Such techniques, though removing the element of choice from this exercise, might help to create a more meaningful and engaging reading experience for all pupils.

NATE(S) seminars – two conversations on RUAE.

IMG-20190802-WA0001 (2) Raymond Soltysek, former lecturer in English at the School of Education, Strathclyde University, and Coordinator for NATE (Scotland), will lead two conversations on Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation, discussing some basic principles and looking at some effective strategies.

At one of the meetings, he will be accompanied by his puppy, Nellie – but we’re keeping which one secret!

These will be held at

Levenmouth Academy, Fife, 4.45pm on Tuesday the 12^th of November

and

St Margaret’s School for Girls Aberdeen, 4.45pm on Monday the 18^th of November

Please bring along resources you’ve found useful for a ‘swop shop’, and your own refreshments.

SATE returns – with a new name!

SATE has been very quiet over the last year as the volunteers who organise it have had to concentrate on their own professional targets. However, we’re looking at reviving in some form the seminars and workshops we ran successfully for over three years, and at creating some impetus in bringing English teachers in Scotland together to discuss issues which affect them.

First, we’re rebranding. We are continuing our association with The National Association for the Teaching of English (NATE) which supports us logistically in our work, and we will therefore become NATE (Scotland). However, we also want to develop a unique voice for Scottish teachers, and so while we still feel membership of NATE is desirable and would recommend it highly, we will concentrate less on recruitment and more on professional dialogue. Therefore, anyone, NATE member or not, will be very welcome at any of our events.

Secondly, in the past, SATE offered workshops which entailed a fee, to cover speaker’s expenses and catering. We would like to move towards a largely free seminar programme, hosted by interested departments around the country and delivered by enthusiastic English teachers who have a story to tell. This has been a format which has been hugely successful for Teach Meets and Pedagoo events, and we’d like to try the same approach.

To do that, we need presenters willing to donate an hour or so of their time after the school day to talk to colleagues about their interests. This might be a teacher or, indeed, a whole department who would like to share and discuss their experiences of, for example, teaching texts or the delivery of aspects of the BGE curriculum; it may be individuals engaged in Masters research who would like to test their ideas in a supportive forum; or it may be organisations such as the SQA interested in disseminating information about best practice.

We already have a number of possibilities. Raymond Soltysek, former lecturer in English ITE at the University of Strathclyde and NATE (Scotland) coordinator, would like to talk to teachers about Reading for Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation, sharing some of his thoughts and strategies. He is willing to offer this in three venues, anywhere in the country. Alan Gillespie, Principal Teacher of English at Fernhill School and renowned author (you can support his novel The Mash House here) has offered a workshop on stimulating creative writing. Lastly, Raymond Soltysek and Leanne Welsh can offer a repeat performance of their NATE 2019 conference workshop on Reader Response and dialogic strategies in the classroom.

If you have any ideas for something you would like to offer in a NATE (Scotland) seminar or have suggestions of what you would like us to offer, please get in touch using the email link on this website.

Of course, we also need English departments willing to host a NATE (Scotland) seminar. What we would require is a room with IT or audio visual equipment between 4.30pm and 6.30pm on a weekday. It would be great if host departments could offer tea and coffee – and even some biscuits! – but attendees would be encouraged to bring their own refreshments with them. And, obviously, some publicity around local schools to encourage colleagues to come along would be fantastic.

If you would like to offer to host a NATE (Scotland) seminar, again please contact us using the email link on this website. We’d love to hear from you.

We are open to any and all ideas that will help build a strong community of English practitioners. One member has suggested a NATE (Scotland) You Tube channel, showing webinars from practising teachers on aspects of policy and practice that can be easily accessed for CPD or Departmental Meetings. If you think this is a good ideas and would like to offer a You Tube seminar or if you know of someone you think could offer some advice that you would like to hear, let us know and we’ll try to arrange it.

Best wishes

All at NATE (Scotland).

NATE conference – join the bus!

nate conf

NATE’s annual conference is going to be a stoatir this year as the Association hosts the International Federation for the Teaching of English. Teachers of English from all across the world will gather in Birmingham to share research, ideas and practice (including Leanne Welsh and Raymond Soltysek from SATE on responding to literature).

The conference is always inspirational: you can read some reactions to it in earlier posts to this blog, and on SATE’s previous blogsite here. It never fails to enthuse, and the opportunities to meet with and chat with (and drink with) other teachers are not to be missed.

Sign up for conference here. Bear in mind that because of the benefits of the conference, it is always possible that your school or authority will cover at least part of the cost of attending and cover for your classes; if you don’t ask, you won’t get!

And to help with travel costs, you can join the SATE bus! We’ll be taking a people carrier all the way to Birmingham and back, leaving on the afternoon of Thursday 21st and returning on the 24th of June. The cost of sharing the transport hire and petrol is significantly less than a return train journey, taxis, etc., and the company isn’t bad either!

Email us at connectsate@gmail.com if you’d like to join us!

Upcoming SATE events

SATE are currently rearranging Kenny Pieper’s SATE seminar “There’s more to life than books…but not much more” at Larbert High School, which was one of the casualties of the Beast from the East! Those who booked the previous event on the 28th of February will be contacted as soon as possible and offered a refund or a ticket at for the new date at the end of May. Thwack out for SATE on Twitter for details if you’d like to come along.

We are also delighted to announce that Simon Wrigley will be doing a seminar for us on Teacher Writing: Research and Practice. Simon is the director of the National Writing Project, will talk about what his research into the importance of teachers who write has shown and doing some practical exercises which can inform classroom practice. The date for this is the 19th of June, and the venue will be a Glasgow school. Pencil in the date!

Finally, Lisa Hamilton has announced a programme of dates for the Glasgow branch of the National Writing Project. Feel free to contact her at lisananettehamilton@gmail.com and come along to a (free) meeting soon!

April 25th – Drygate Brewing Co. 86 Drygate, Glasgow G40UT

May 30th – Thornwood Primary School, 11 Thornwood Avenue, Glasgow, G117TW

June 18th – Thornwood Primary (with Simon Wrigley)…

Meetings will start at 5pm.

Hope to see you all soon.

New SQA arrangements for Higher English.

On the 20th of April, new arrangements to update the Higher English course specification to match changes made in National 5 last session will go live. You can find them from the SQA website here or download them from the attachment to this post below.

HigherCourseSpecEnglish

Write Times 2

The SQA recently published Write Times 2 to celebrate the writing of pupils in National Qualifications. Leanne Welsh went along to the launch event to represent SATE.

Opportunities are often taken to celebrate the success of pupils involved in physical activities such as sporting achievements and practical accomplishments; however there are not always opportunities to celebrate the written accomplishments of young people in Scotland – until now.

Write Times 2 is a collection of fantastic creative writing produced by SQA candidates over the past academic year. The book includes: fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama. The pupils in this collection of writing have used their talent to share compelling personal experiences, as well as thought-provoking pieces on fairy-tales with a twist. The work in this collection is inspirational and a free copy will be sent to every school in Scotland!

The SQA Write Times 2 launch was a fantastic night filled with fascinating readings and performances from pupils across Scotland. We were introduced to the event by John Loughton who is the chief executive officer of leadership training company Dare2Lead and a motivational speaker. John stressed the importance of putting young people’s voice at the heart of what we do as they are, after all, the future. Their views need to be taken into consideration and prioritised as they will be the ones who will inspire positive change for future generations to come.

The Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, followed on from John’s speech and he also emphasised young people’s shrewd awareness of current world affairs. Some of the pupils in this collection have chosen to write about these concerns and the affect they have on them personally. This is one reason why this collection is so inspiring. The collection clarifies what our young people are capable of. They are often more aware of what is going on than we are because, as we get older, we are often too wrapped up in our own world to see the bigger picture. The pupils show maturity when dealing with the major issues of today and there is no doubt that this collection reflects the talent and ambition of the young people in Scotland.

In addition to these fantastic speeches, we were also lucky enough to hear some of the pupils read their work at the launch event. Hannah, from the High School of Dundee, started the readings with her creative story: ‘Gone Mad’. This piece is a fairy-tale with a twist and tells the story of what really happened after Cinderella met her Fairy Godmother and animal friends. Hannah’s use of language in this piece is superb. An example of language is shown through her description of a hut as ‘showing the scars and wounds left by the forest and its harsh climate’. She also adds humour to her story and, again, shows young people’s awareness of the issues around them with the lines: ‘Well ladies. Never invest all your happiness in happy ever after – develop your own independence’. ‘Gone Mad’ is an enjoyable and, at times, dark piece and I’m sure it will inspire many pupils in Scotland to have the confidence to adapt another fairy-tale or story.

Another amazing piece of writing came in the form of a poem by Mahee from Kelvinside Academy. Mahee’s poem, titled ‘My Grandfather’, describes his experience of being a first generation Scot and the difficulties that can derive from the confluence of two cultures. One of the many lines that stood out to me was: ‘he holds my soft hands in his calloused paws’. Mahee’s use of language clearly shows the contrast between his roots and the life he lives now. Many pupils have shied away from poetry in the past, however I hope that Mahee’s piece will inspire many to take on the challenge and create their own poems in order to express their own thoughts and ideas.

The final reading of the night came from Michelle, from Eastwood High School, and this was a performance to remember. Michelle created a non-fiction piece titled: ‘Nyumbani Means Home’. The audience were lucky enough to witness this piece as a theatrical adaption. Tram Direct Theatre supported Michelle, and her co-star Asante, with the performance and it was spectacular. Michelle took on the role of herself in Scotland, and Asante performed as Michelle from Kenya. In this piece Michelle explores her experience of both Scottish and Kenyan culture and the potential for conflicting feelings to arise. We were treated to Kenyan culture and ceilidh dancing as Michelle tried to decide where she really belonged. However, by the end of the performance, Michelle stressed the importance of being an individual with the powerful line: ‘I’m Michelle Mwende Nyawira Musyoka, daughter of all counties and citizen to none.’ The performance was truly inspirational and Michelle’s piece can be read in the non-fiction section of Write Times 2.

The launch event filled me with ideas to share with my own classes and I’m sure pupils, from across Scotland, will read these pieces and be inspired to create something that is just as powerful and thought-provoking. I was enthused, but not surprised, by the confidence and talent showcased at this event. I’m sure that all the young people in this collection will go on to inspire the next generation of pupils to be ambitious and original.

Al Dapre – a writer’s view of Get Write in! (2017)

Alan_Dapre_PorridgetheTartanCat_UF-BCD-BB-MidShot_ps-ws

A large part of my childhood was spent in children’s homes and foster care. Thinking back, the adults I remember most were the ones who offered me consistency, gentle guidance and a chance to express myself creatively. Self-expression is so important because care institutions – however well-meaning – can at times be soulless rule-driven places. Some days I felt the walls close in so I withdrew into my imagination or took comfort in children’s stories. Books were always a reliable refuge; small doors into big worlds full of comforting themes and nurturing narratives.

Children, regardless of circumstance, often look for stability. They value love and caring support. I remember being driven in a minibus away from my primary school and watching my pals with their parents. Holding hands. Happy. Carefree. Parenthood, to me, is a wonderful life-affirming opportunity. A privilege too. I always wanted a family of my own. Becoming a father gave me a real purpose in life. Hopefully, I will inspire my child to find her feet in the world. To then take a big run up – and fly. As high and as far as she wants to go.

GetWriteIn! (2017) had high hopes too. It was an inspirational creative writing competition that sought to inspire looked after or care experienced children to write. It hoped to bring out their creative voice, and get them writing from their imagination or personal experience [on the theme of ‘Random Moments’].

An online post by Raymond Soltysek brought the competition to my attention. As soon as I read about its child-centred intentions I was motivated to write the organisers at CELCIS a note of support. I was delighted that such a valuable initiative was available. I loved writing as a child – still do – and it would have been a dream to enter something specifically tailored for someone like me.

Before long, the team at CELCIS invited me to attend the Get Write In! Winners’ Event. The stories presented that day were poignant, funny and thought provoking. As I read through an accompanying booklet, I was moved to tears by the power and honesty of each child’s story. These were truly unique voices – freed from labels – speaking passionately about random moments from their lives and imaginations. I sat alongside my wife and daughter and thought about my journey. My family. A wave of happiness flowed over me. Lucky man.

A short while after the Winners’ Event, I was invited by CELCIS, to run a creative writing session for some of the competition finalists. Supported by NATE & SATE, it was full of upbeat practical activities based on my zany Porridge the Tartan Cat books. The children who took part were quiet at first, but soon began to express themselves creatively. There was a lot of joining in, shouting out, silly wordplay and quirky problem solving. The bright, colourful location in Glasgow’s city centre really added to the upbeat atmosphere. The young writers who took part left with big smiles, happy to be valued for their considerable writing talents.

Looking back, I believe the GetWriteIn! (2017) competition was successful because it bypassed stereotypes, and reached out to a section of society that isn’t often heard. It offered care experienced children an opportunity to say something personal. I have a deep admiration for every young writer who took part. It takes courage to say something from the heart, in public.

I hope the prize winners will continue to write. Writing for pleasure is an important thing. Writing for other people can be a challenge. And I’m so glad the children were up for it, because what they wrote was inspiring.

For everyone.

About the ‘Porridge the Tartan Cat’ series:

Twitter_UnfairFunfair_BB_BCD_KK_LNM_UF_Header_web

In this funny, furry new series for young readers, Porridge PURRfectly CAT-a-logs the family’s hilarious adventures from a cat’s-eye perspective.

With wacky twists, zany wordplay and MOGnificent illustrations in every chapter, readers won’t even want to paws for breath.

Book Summary of my latest book: Porridge the Tartan Cat and the Unfair Funfair

In Unfair Funfair, sneaky Fangfair owner Fangus McFungus turns Roaring Ross into a Scarewolf to help him stink out Tattiebogle town & steal stuff while everyone is asleep. But Porridge has plans to save the day and turn Fangus into a silly Scaredy-Cat! Me-howl!

Reviewers have picked up on the engaging wordplay, positive energy and zany humour (see reviews below).

AUTHOR & BOOK INFO:

Here are some links to my www.alandapre.com website: bio, news, reviews, interviews). Also my Live Lit profile which sets out my published books, writing background & experience to date.