What an imposition!

So I set myself the challenge of explaining book printing at Bookaroo Kuching. Simple! I told myself.

I would be talking to kids aged eight to ten who can easily understand the four-colour printing process, the way the pages are laid out on the page (imposition), and the way the huge pages are folded into sections (signatures), so all I needed were some nifty, colourful slides and a few anecdotes of how my own book was printed.

Wrong!
I had a group of kids of random ages. And almost as many adults. 

Would any of the parents be graphic designers, printers or publishers? Hmmm, I tried not to think about it. 

Then I realised that with several very little ones in the audience I'd have to race through my powerpoint and get to the hands-on bit pretty smartish ... or I'd risk people just walking out.

Of course, I had loads of props. I had a wooden block to show that printing was basically "pressing something with inky onto something papery" and I even did a quick demonstration of how the image will be reversed when it's printed, so you need to 'offset' it onto another surface to get the image the right way round. It's called 'offset printing' after all. That's pretty technical for me, and I felt happy when one or two of the dads nodded as I waved my inky fingers and the piece of paper in the air.

Oh dear, was I making a fool of myself?

No! Definitely not. There were kids at the session who had been at the Dragon Mask Making craft session that morning. They were hooked.

I asked my lovely helpers to hand out sheets of A4.  (As seen below, dressed for the occasion.)

Originally I had planned to just talk around the subject, so I hadn't really thought through a hands-on activity, but for someone brought up on hands-on activities, via BBC's ground-breaking Blue Peter programmes, I had no excuse. None at all. And my primary school teacher, Miss Muffett, would be proud of me. 

Now, I told the children, we fold the sheet up and we number the pages, and when we unfold it, we have a strange order - like this:

Thank heavens for nerdy dads and kids who love numbers, I thought as my willing audience began folding and numbering. The father in the photo above was obviously totally absorbed. His daughter could well have been asleep, or cross-eyed trying to see what Daddy was doing. Some of the kids got stuck in, writing a story. 

Yeah! I had got through to them! A few asked politely whether they could use pencils or crayons. And the boys who had been at my mask-making session stayed right to the end. Along with a girl of about seven who was in tears, as she'd made a mistake, and wanted to rewrite her story! I wonder how long her parents had to wait before she was ready to leave.

Please, teacher

The sun was beating down as I approached Sg Apong Primary School with my kind guide and driver, Mas. Everything in the school seemed well ordered and quiet. The library I was ushered into was well ordered and quiet. I took my props out of my huge bag and organised them in a well ordered and quiet manner. I looked at the books on the shelves. They were in Malay and Chinese. There were a few in English.

It's a Chinese language school, Mas explained. 

Hey ho, I'll act up. I'll use lots of mime, I'll ask the teachers to help me, I thought.

The children soon filed in, and they waved and said Hello. Sixty eight kids in all, sitting in neat rows, looking at me expectantly.The head teacher came in and introduced me. 
I started on my Powerpoint. And all seemed to be going well, as I explained where I got my  ideas from. Can you see what's in this picture? I asked, as a photo of an orang-utan holding a stick like a pencil appeared on the screen.

It's orang-utan said one.
Yes, and what's it going to do?
There was no reply.
Will it write a story?
Still no reply.
Don't they understand? I thought.
But no, they just weren't used to being asked.

I read from my book and they enjoyed being entertained. 
I wore my dragon ears and they laughed. 
I let them smell the real gobstoppers I had brought along.
When there was lots of text on the Powerpoint, they read it out loud. Wow - they were doing my job for me!

Soon a few of them were bored. They were talking. A teacher poked one of them gently.  But I didn't mind the little buzz of conversations. I suspected they were hungry. And I had a couple of very bright kids in the front row (put there deliberately) who were drinking in my words. 

Then I started drawing. I got the idea from Candy Gourlay and had practised for weeks and weeks, perfecting a simple picture that the kids could follow. I had simplified Charlotte Micklewright's illustration of Freddy and thought through simple stages the children could copy. Charlotte's drawings are adorable, so it was a happy experience.

While I was drawing there was silence. Complete and utter silence. Not a single titter. 
You could have heard a mosquito biting my ankle, it was so quiet. And when I finished they gave me a round of applause. Gosh! I have never had a round of applause like that, at least not within living memory. It made me so happy I repeated the exercise at the end, letting them call out 'ear' or 'nose' or 'tooth' as took their fancy. This time they were willing to participate. Very willing.

Then the second surprise of the day. The teacher presented me and Mas with presents. Mine was a large drinks container - Tupperware - and was decorated with a handmade paper rose. Wow, thanks you, I said. Shall I fill it with gobstoppers? 
No, water! they replied.
Doh! Silly me.

We handed out stickers and the kids rushed off to lunch. I had enjoyed myself and I had learned a fantastic lesson. 
These kids love watching. And reading out loud. It was to stand me in good stead for the rest of the book festival. 

(This young lady even copied my hasty dragon picture...later during the library sessions.)

On the way back to the car, we passed a class of older students reciting some Chinese text. I can't remember reciting things at school at that age. Maybe at seven years old, going through our times tables. Or repeating the odd word in French when we were older. But it was strangely comforting to hear them speaking 'as one'.

Here is an interview I wrote for GatheringBooks 

Thank you so much for featuring me in your fantasy reading theme issue, Myra.

- What was the inspiration behind Princess Petunia's Dragon?

I started writing ‘Princess Petunia’s Dragon’ as a picture book because I love the format. The story was about a child who wanted a difficult pet, a dragon - who finally came into his own when the weather suddenly turned cold. Each time I did a draft I found myself developing the plot, until it ended up at 7,000 words for a reading age of six to nine. I don’t make many conscious choices as I write, rather my imagination makes demands on me.

- Princess Petunia strikes me as a feisty, determined, self-possessed girl who works for things that she wants. Was she a bit like you when you were younger?

Like you say, Petunia is a feisty little girl and is probably the child I’d have liked to have been. Writing about a quirky, determined child is exciting, especially when she starts shouting back! I love the randomness of writing fiction.

- Tell us about BBB and gobstoppers and cobwebs. Clearly they are important elements in this story.

There are elements in the story of Petunia – such as the gobstoppers – which grew out of the drafting process. Gobstoppers are a mainstay of strip cartoons in the UK and even saying the word outloud makes me smile. Freddy keeps one safe under a flap on his ear. I was teased as a kid because I have a dent in one ear too. These ideas jump up out of my tombola brain when I’m half asleep. (I'll just add that BBB is the big bottom in brown trousers, aka big brown bottom, belonging to the gobstopper trader, Gordon. Just having a bit of fun!)

- You worked as an editor. Tell us a little more about that.

My first job after leaving university with a degree in French and Spanish and a year’s teaching abroad was (obviously!) not teaching or translating. It was at a children’s publishing firm doing everything from typing invoices to packing books. All good experience, despite the chilblains and the blisters. As I worked my way up in different companies, I collaborated with designers, illustrators, authors and other editors, and it was great fun. The editor’s name was never put on the book, but an author might compliment me with a ‘you do it, you’re the expert’. I also worked as a freelance editor in non-fiction – a calmer job, but rather lonely.   

-You also worked as a language teacher. What are some of the insights that you have gained in your teaching that helped you become a better writer?

With language tuition, I showed my pupils how to view the world. Each language has its own mindset, rather like a character’s viewpoint in a novel. As well as speaking languages, I’ve always loved drafting translations over and over again until I’ve done my very best.

What led you down the path of becoming a children's book author?

Why do I love children’s books? Well, in the beginning there was an imaginary friend and I told her stories. And then I told stories to my little sister, who was not imaginary. Later, my daughter had two imaginary friends at once – oh dear, such competition! I also grew up surrounded by fabulous books and parents who loved reading out loud and often quoted our favourite characters. The rhythm and sound of the text is magical to me. 

When did I start writing fiction? When a very feisty friend decided that I should provide her with a taxi service to a writers’ group. Shades of Petunia in the making.

- You are an active member of SCBWI. How do organisations like this help aspiring authors and artists?

Although a writer is somewhat of an ‘outsider’, being an insider of a supportive organisation like the SCBWI is fun. It doesn’t matter if you have to move to a new country, you can still find great people for mutual feedback and moral support. And get involved in activities such as workshops and retreats.  

- What are some of the best fantasy stories you read as a child, and to your own children?

For me, fantasy is inherent to all stories. It’s the author’s imagination which introduces the reader to characters who can do things the child would love to do, or at least witness. Paddington Bear, Little Mrs Pepperpot, Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland are the stories that took root in my imagination. Later I read Tom’s Midnight Garden where fantasy plays a role in a realistic setting. And I should add that humour is the thing I remember most about the stories I read as a kid. My children were lucky enough to grow up as the Harry Potter series was being published.

-What do you think is the role of fantasy in children's literature and its impact on children?

All good stories are stuffed full of imaginative writing that allows a child to relax, dream, and create their own world. I wasn’t asked to discuss the fiction I read in primary school - I would just slip into a book and puzzle things out, or not, owning my reading of the story in my head. I don’t know how fantasy affects children other than the fact that young readers will naturally pick books containing the type of emotion or action they find most intriguing and satisfying. Allowing them to own this space for personal pleasure is so important.

- What should we look forward to from you in the coming months?

As for me, I am working on an adventure for nine to twelve year-olds, set in the tropics. The characters find their inner mojo in a believable setting, though an enhanced version of reality is obviously integral to my fiction. There are other similar stories in the pipeline. There may be more stories about Petunia and Freddy, so please watch this space.

I am excited to be giving a talk at the AFCC in June 2015. I will be doing more school and library visits as I love sharing ideas directly with my readers. My next trip is to Mumbai at the end of April!
Please see my Facebook page for updates

Emma Nicholson Children’s Book Author More options

Falling out of a tree with mirth ... and Princess Petunia

"I nearly fell out of the tree laughing"   A Princess Petunia's Dragon Moment

So wrote, and drew, an artist by the name of Jane Smith.  She was sitting in a tree in Finsbury Park. She hadn't read anything about Princess Petunia's Dragon before.  In fact, she hadn't read a whole book for five years.  So there's my claim to fame.  Encouraging Jane to read a whole book, in one go, one fell swoop ... or one missed fall.  

She goes on to say  - "in this sketch I seem to have one black eye and am huge compared to the tree."

But I think it's perfect.  Thanks a million, Jane! 

A perfectly Petunia morning

A perfect morning starts with coffee. So where do you find yours? In the Botanic Gardens?

You see, I couldn't resist picking away at a fresh red coffee seed to find the moist bean inside.  

I was in the Botanics, waiting for my walking group to come marching past. My excuse for not getting to the start was the traffic. (Oh yeah. Pull the other one! More like sitting on the balcony, enjoying the unusually cool breeze.)   But still, it gave me the chance to inspect the coffee bean and to watch the ducks enjoying their morning splash. And best of all, to indulge in some pure Petunia pleasure with dry leaves.  

Here I am, swishing my trainers through the dry leaves that this cool weather has given us.  It made me feel just like a princess stomping through the Deep Dark Woods in her Wellington Boots. That 'beginning of the Autumn Term feeling' when leaves are everywhere, begging to be kicked.  Thankfully there were no nasty surprises underneath. Just a musty smell.  

Now it's later in the day, and things have got even better!  I've had a text from a young reader. Hannah, aged 8, was given Princess Petunia's Dragon today. Or rather, she was given a copy of the book! 

Hannah -    Dear Emma. I liked Princess Petunia a lot. The part that made me laugh was when the dragons flew over the cake and it went everywhere. My favourite drawing was when she met Freddy and they were walking together.

Emma -    Thanks, Hannah, I can see you are a real 'people person'. Or should that be 'dragon person'?  

Perhaps I should have asked her - do you like kicking leaves in Wellington Boots? But there again, perhaps not. Because everyone enjoys that, don't they?

Of marmalade, hats, tiaras and gobstoppers...

There was once a bear called Paddington, and there was once a young reader called Emma. And the two were inseparable.  

And now, in MPH Books, in Raffles City, Singapore, I'm thrilled to find my own book cosying up to this inimitable bear from darkest Peru.   

The bear called Paddington always wore a hat that hid a marmalade sandwich, just in case of emergencies.  It took no time to fall in love with the characters in these stories.  And it made me start eating marmalade - that scrumptiously bitter-sweet jam without which toast is really not worth eating! 

Thankfully, Petunia in my book does not hide anything under her tiara, or it might spoil it! Freddy, on the other hand, does keep a gobstopper sweet in his ear. But for dragons it's very important - it keeps their scales shiny and their eyes bright. You can see them clearly in Charlotte Micklewright's drawings.      

I'm now the proud owner of a beautiful Princess Petunia dress, tiara and a set of ears for Freddy. I'll be using these for school visits and readings.  Or for anyone who just fancies getting all dressed up. 
  
Here's my young friend, Kitty, wearing the costume for Princess Petunia. Great modelling skills, Kitty.  And thanks for the wonderful tailoring, Kinnetia!  

 

Sittin' on the dock...with Petunia

Today I'm writing from my kitchen in England. The weather is wet and windy, though yesterday on our return we were greeted with glorious blue skies which lasted all day long. 

Here is what I was doing at the beginning of the week, when I should have been wrapping Christmas presents.  Well,  I was just sittin' on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away (what tide?)...Wastin' time

See how many places you recognize. And, if Singapore isn't familiar to you, enjoy the views:

The weather was sunny and breezy ... a little too breezy at times - Ooops!

But, like mad dogs and Englishmen we didn't give up.... Most people ignored me as I balanced Petunia in random places. Does this happen all the time, maybe?

We were tempted to have a splash...

We passed several bridges:

and stopped to cool off in a shopping centre:  

We skirted what must be Singapore's smallest park,

and finally headed off to Patterson Road

to catch the bus home.  If I don't have time to write again within the next few days, please have a Very Merry Christmas. And if you already have a copy of Petunia, please enjoy reading it.