Once Upon A Time

Over the years, I have shared my stories with many children, and my visits have always been met with excitement and curiosity. But an author visit is not just for ‘World Book Day’; it can be any day.

“Meeting an author, illustrator, poet or storyteller in real life and hearing them convey their passion for their work can fundamentally alter a child or young person's relationship to books and ignite a life-long love of reading. An author visit can contribute to the recommendations in the 'Moving English Forward' OFSTED report. This encourages schools to develop policies to promote reading for enjoyment."

I’m always pleasantly surprised that children and adults are fascinated to hear about the original Playbus and how it led to the storybooks.

Once Upon a Time in Crawley… it was the first ever mobile project in the South-East of England, and many visitors came to see and learn about the bus and its work. It even represented the Girl Guides and the community initiative in Barcelona, Spain. 

Visiting Bewbush

A fellow author and I were invited to a school to talk with years 4, 5, and 6 about our writing and publishing journeys. My colleague writes in Welsh, her mother tongue; her stories are adult fiction.

The school was in Bewbush, where I had once taught and where the Playbus stories began. With the original Bewbush Playbus.

The date was set for Friday, 27th February.

As my stories are aimed at children aged 4 to 8, they would be good for the children in Key Stage One.  So my day would start with 3 sessions with the younger year groups, Reception to Year 3. I was sure the children would be interested in the bus story. Perhaps many of their older relatives might know the Playbus too?

Friday, 27th February, was ‘National Tell a Fairy Story Day’,  so I decided to use this to start my introductions.

Meeting Key Stage 1

My morning timetable was set, with the morning sharing the Playbus history and the background links to the stories. I had a PowerPoint and a few props. But, as always, there would be some flexibility.

I was greeted and shown into the hall, where I set up to meet the children.

It turned out to be a truly amazing day. The children not only sat and listened with interest but also loved knowing it was about where they lived.

The reception classes were the first group to arrive.  

‘Once Upon a Time… in a place called Bewbush'. Yes, this is your story, I told them.

I began to tell them about the Playbus and how it came to Bewbush.

I told them about how this led to the storybooks, and then they listened to ‘A Spooky Tale’. 

This story is based on a class walk around Bewbush. You can still follow this route today, although you won’t find the scary witches or giant caterpillars and certainly not a fiery dragon.

The children were able to tell me about their favourite page in the book and why.

Could they guess my favourite page?

A bus full of mean monsters, of course. 

But I think they were children in disguise, playing and having fun. Maybe they were celebrating World Book Day?

Barty Barton, the teddy bear, had also come along, and the children loved meeting him. Of course, they would never get rid of their old teddies, you can’t, can you? 

Years One and Two

It was another ‘Once upon a time…’ start.

There were five classes, and despite the large number, the children sat and listened with interest. I was able to go through the first part of my PowerPoint, which had photographs of the Playbus and what it did.

At the end of this session, we ended with a shortened version of ‘Jay-Jay the Supersonic Bus’.

Year Three

This would be in the studio. The studio space was smaller and cosier, and the computer was more accessible.

Once again, I started with the fairy story opening.

Then, with the PowerPoint, I was able to talk more about the photos and explain that the questions in the presentation were those often asked by children. These questions led me to write the first story. We read about each of the books and the connections to the Playbus. Then we looked at four remaining storybooks, which were not yet on the PowerPoint.

Year 3 asked questions about the books and my writing.

I read Year 3 the poem, ‘A Mouse Maze’ from my latest book,  A Ticket to Ride. This is a poem in which I played with words, turning the book around to read as the mouse journeyed across and around the page.

A break for lunch before getting ready once again in the hall, and for years 4, 5, and 6.

There was a definite buzz in the school as excited children passed by, saying hello or asking if I was the author for the afternoon visit. 

Afternoon Key Stage 2 (Years 4, 5 and 6).

The afternoon was an author talk together with my Welsh friend, and we set up and were ready.

This session would be a little different. Mrs Lona Patel would talk to the children about how she published her books, her research into her story, and her writing in Welsh. She told the children a little about Welsh culture and her forthcoming new book, which she was currently researching and working on.

Once upon a time, I started, and yes, I could say this is your story. It is a Bewbush story.

I told them that when the area of Bewbush was built, it was a new area of the town. When it was built, it did not have shops or a school. The area was a building site; it would be dangerous for children to play, and with summer holidays coming up, it would be even more dangerous. So along came the bus.

I talked about how the original photographic history book had been written with information which had been on display in exhibitions. The displays were to highlight and promote the bus and its work.

After telling them about Queen Elizabeth II and her Silver Jubilee, I told them how the book was written. This led me to tell a story about our work when visiting schools.

Children outside Bewbush didn’t know what a Bewbush was? Or even where? They only saw the name Playbus, and answering their questions led me to tell the story, which was eventually written down and published. From Fact to Fiction.

We went through not only the PowerPoint but also the books and the connections along the way.

I might not speak a second language like Mrs Lona Patel, but it did lead to my books being read in Spain. This was certainly a fascinating part of my journey.

We ended the afternoon with children’s questions, not just for me but for Mrs Patel too.

Lona and I enjoyed sharing our insights on writing and research with the children in years 4, 5, and 6.

The children were wonderful. They listened very well and asked relevant questions. It was a thoroughly pleasurable afternoon to visit the school in Bewbush, where both Lona and I used to teach.

For me, this was a very special school visit.

Reception; years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

It was my ‘Once Upon a Time’ moment as this was where my writing started!

The children were inspired, and it was wonderful to see and hear their enthusiasm. 

The school had organised a fantastic event, and the children loved the stories, the links to where they lived and an opportunity to buy a signed book.

The enthusiasm and excitement were great to see.

What a wonderful experience for myself, the school and the children.

At the end of the day, I headed to the library where children and parents had been invited to come along, say hello, and buy a signed book.

I left a set of books with the school as part of the booking. It is good to know that copies of my books are available for the children, should they like to read them.

Jenna Scott, who organised the event, sent me a lovely message and photos of the children enjoying the books in their library.

"I thought you might like to know that your books have been very popular with the children in the library. I created a big display using your books, and the children have been sitting in the library reading them." (Jenna Scott) 

It was most certainly a day when the bus was beeping at me once more.

I like that.

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