Children’s author Hilary Robinson is set to give a special talk at the first meeting of Harrogate Children’s Book Group in 2022.
The event is free to attend. Those who are interested just need to register interest by sending an email here by January 24.
Hilary Robinson will give a presentation and sign copies of her Poppies series of books, which explores stories from the First World War and is now included on the reading list in Key Stage 2.
The meeting will take place at Woodlands Methodist Church Hall in Harrogate from 10.30am to 1pm on Saturday, January 29.
Fiona Brady, chair of Harrogate Children’s Book Group, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming Hilary to our AGM. Her poetic books are touching tributes to the memories of war.
They celebrate the humanity and compassion that thrive even in the darkest of times, and explore difficult themes in a way that is perfect for younger readers.”
Ms Robinson is a radio producer and broadcaster who has written more than 70 picture books, including the Mixed Up Fairy Tales.
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Harrogate Children’s Book Group was first formed in 1980 and has since encouraged hundreds of local children to read for pleasure.
It is part of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, a charity that promotes enjoyment and interest in children’s books and reading.
The Federation organises the highly-regarded Children’s Book Award, which is the only national award voted for solely by children from start to finish.
Children at 11 primary schools and seven secondary schools in the Harrogate area take part in the voting process each year.
Fiona added:
Children’s author visits Birstwith school“We are looking forward to resuming our regular storytelling events and author talks in 2022 and continuing to work with schools to provide books for pupils.
If anyone with a passion for encouraging reading among children is interested in getting involved in the group, we are always looking for volunteers to join.”
Pupils at Birstwith independent prep school Belmont Grosvenor were taken on an educational journey Down Under when children’s author Eleanor McKone visited.
The Leeds-based writer of the children’s series of Piper’s Passport books read her stories and encouraged pupils across all age groups to write.
Her visit was one of only a small number of in-person workshops she has run since the start of the pandemic.
Sophie Johnson Bannister, head of English at Belmont Grosvenor, said:
“Author days are an excellent way of giving children purposeful reasons to write. Listening to Eleanor explain the process of writing, how she corrects mistakes, proof reads and works on her books for long periods helps our older BGS pupils understand the processes they go through when writing.
“Having an author into school gives the children the opportunity to ask questions about story construction, about what it takes to be an author and ideas behind the books,” she added.
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Ms McKone said:
“It’s so lovely to be working with pupils in person, rather than over zoom, and I hope I have inspired them to travel, when Covid fully allows, as well as encouraged their love of reading and writing.”
Belmont Grosvenor, along with its Magic Tree Nursery, caters for children aged three months to 11 years and is based at Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith.