On Monday I set off on my bike to St Mary’s
School to meet fifty-six Year 6 pupils
and their teachers who had read the first chapter of The Hidden Tales of
Cambridge last week. Their feedback was so positive they had asked if I would be
happy to read to them the next chapter and answer any questions they might
have. My Hidden Tales co-founder, Sorrel May, came with me to observe how the
children responded to the new chapters and take notes of their questions.
When I arrived, Mrs Cliff and Mrs McKay
debriefed us on the previous week’s Hidden Tales workshops where their
children had listened to the story, pored over one of Jenny Bell’s
illustrations and tried to decipher Fiona Boyd’s new alphabet. We looked at the
children’s worksheets and the quality of their work was outstanding. Their
understanding of the story and the way they linked together the clues from the illustration was
impressive and I was delighted that they were able to decipher some of the alphabet as
well.
I hope they enjoyed the reading and the question and answer
session as much as I did. Their questions were excellent and I was particularly
impressed at how well they listened and worked together. It was a pleasure to
spend time with such an intelligent and engaging group of young people.
I promised Mrs Cliff and Mrs McKay that I
would keep them informed on progress and promised to read another chapter to the children when we are closer to publication.
With the Easter Holidays around the corner, let's see if some of the children go in search of more Hidden Tales around the local museums!
