TALK
The journey of a non-fiction book
(Y3, Y4, Y5, Y6, Y7, Y8, Y9)

Overview
In this session I describe the journey of a children's non-fiction book, from the first idea to the finished pages. I outline the work of key people - the editor, the author, the illustrator, and the designer, and explain who does what, when, how, and why. It is a factual talk, in which children gain a great insight to the publishing process. It is fully illustrated with examples of relevant books and materials, some of which are in-house publisher's items. Children are fully engaged throughout, as I encourage them to ask and answer questions.

Age range
Suitable for Y3 to Y9 pupils (age 7 to 14).

Size of group
Works best with individual classes or with whole year groups.

Duration
60 minutes, with 15 minutes for questions at the end.

Location
Large groups - school hall or library
Small groups - classroom or library

Pre-visit general preparation
Your children will get a lot more from my visit if you do some background work a few days before I come in.

Here are some ideas:

  • Introduce children to my books.
    - Can they find any in the school library?
    - Can they borrow any from the local public library?
    - Can you borrow a selection of my books from your School Library Service?

  • Introduce children to this website.
    - Set them a self-directed research task, such as a piece of biographical writing or storyboarding about the author John Malam.

  • Click here to see examples of biographical work produced by Y5 and Y6 children in preparation for my visit: Examples of Y5 / Y6 pocket biographies

Preparation on the day of my visit
 On the day, please make sure I have:

  • Two or three good-sized tables to set up my display materials.

  • Lots of water to drink.

  • A school dinner!

A typical school display with use
of an interactive whiteboard.