Category Archives: blogs

Books – our comfort blankets

There’s a great article in today’s Yorkshire Post by Sheena Hastings about how books can give solace in difficult times. It begins by quoting the actress Emma Thompson (Nanny McPhee) who said that Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen ‘helped … Continue reading

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Children’s books that have influenced me: Part 2 – my teaching years

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler by Gene Kemp I began teacher training college in 1972. Yikes!  Believe it or not, English wasn’t my main subject, it was Environmental Studies. However, because I was training as a primary school teacher, … Continue reading

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Children’s books that have influenced me: Part 2 – my teaching years

The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tyler by Gene Kemp I began teacher training college in 1972. Yikes!  Believe it or not, English wasn’t my main subject, it was Environmental Studies. However, because I was training as a primary school teacher, … Continue reading

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Bravery

After posting yesterday’s piece on  Miep Gries I’ve been thinking about bravery. I write about bravery a lot. Nika’s story, ‘What’s Ukrainian for Football’ is about bravery.  In it, Nika re-tells the true story of FC Start, a Ukrainian football … Continue reading

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Futility

As a writer, I am sometimes asked by journalists, publishers or bloggers to list my favourite things. Books, films, paintings and so on. I always find this difficult, if not impossible. How can I name one painting out of all … Continue reading

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