I had great fun this morning, visiting the super-creative Year 3 children at St Thomas of Canterbury R C Primary School. They have been finding out about the benefits of darkness, so they invited me into their class to share my book Jacob Starke Loves The Dark, and work with them to develop narrative through illustrations. What a clever bunch they are!

We used two lines from the book:

The Dark then whispered: ‘Don’t you see:
All living things depend on me?’

The children were challenged to illustrate the lines but also tell me something the words don’t say. We ended up with some really fantastic illustrations, extending the story in all kinds of unexpected directions! From bunnies and black panthers afraid of the dark, to martians  holidaying in the moon! The children were full of ideas! The illustrations will make fantastic starting-points from which to write their own stories.

The visit was part of an initiative by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) on the Isle of Wight to highlight the importance of Dark Skies. The CPRE gave a copy of Jacob Starke Loves The Dark as a Christmas present to every primary school on the Isle of Wight, and I am supporting this initiative by giving FREE, YES FREE, author visits to Isle of Wight primary schools between now and the end of February 2019. I still have a few slots left! So to claim a visit, please email me at petarainford@gmail.com.