Children's Author Books in to Brighton
Brighton and Hove Primary School pupils are all set for a novel lesson in silliness this month as zany picture book author, Chae Strathie drops into their schools as part of the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour. 1500 primary school pupils will be invited to take part in Chae’s series of interactive shows as he visits 10 schools in the area.
Chae will be putting into practice his philosophy that children are encouraged to read and write when they see books, and their authors, as fun. From leading silly sing-a-longs to inventing strange characters and reaching into his magical StoryHat, Chae’s interactive events are guaranteed to have even the most reluctant reader reaching for a book.
Chae is well known for his picture books for younger readers, including the award-winning The Loon On The Moon (Scholastic) and The Fabulous Flapdoodles (Scholastic), although he’s currently working on a series of books for older children. His most recent book, Jumblebum, illustrated by Ben Cort of Aliens Love Underpants fame, was released in Jaunary 2013 and won a Scottish Children’s Book Award in March this year as well as being Highly Commended at the Sheffield Children’s Book Awards.
His books have been translated into languages as diverse as Spanish, Finnish, French, Korean and Thai and have been reprinted and read the world over. Chae has taken his show across Scotland and England, and has even ventured as far as Bucharest!
Commenting on his upcoming tour, Chae said:
I can’t wait to unleash Jumblebum on the kids in Brighton and Hove – I’m sure they’ll love him! My philosophy is that if an author can present their books in a lively, fun and irreverent way that will inspire children to read and engage with books afterwards. So my events are full of singing, imagination and nonsense. Hopefully the children will still be singing ‘Zoom With A Boom’ and tidying up their smelly socks to foil the Jumblebum monster long after I leave.
Calum Bennie, Communications Manager at Scottish Friendly, sponsors of the tour, said:
It’s really exciting for us to be bringing the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour to Brighton and Hove for the first time. We’re sure that pupils here will be as inspired as other children who’ve seen the tour, especially as Chae is such an engaging and fun author.
Beth Bottery, Schools Events Manager at Scottish Book Trust, which is organising the tour, added:
Chae’s lively performances, like his books, are sure to stir the imagination. He introduces children to storytelling with more than just words – using picture books to teach characterisation and story-structure.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is run by Scottish Book Trust, Scotland’s leading agency for the promotion of literature, reading and writing and is sponsored by Scottish Friendly, Scotland’s largest mutual with over 150 years of experience. The main aim of the Tour is to encourage children’s love of literature through inspirational author visits, which bring their books to life.