On Tuesday 22nd April, renowned children’s author, Steve Cole, graced the eager minds of our Year 7 students with his invaluable insights into the art of storytelling.
Steve began the session by introducing some of his work giving examples of just some of the repertoire of captivating books under his belt including ‘Welcome to Trashland’, ‘Swarm Rising’ and his ‘Astrosaurus’ and ‘Young Bond’ series. With a knack for blending adventure, humour, and suspense, together with his mastery in crafting stories that entertain and educate in equal measure, Steve proceeded to discuss topics of environmental issues such as pollution and recycling. This in turn led Steve to talk about his new book, ‘Drowning in my Bedroom’, the inspiration for which initially came from a real-life news article he’d read about a wheelchair user who’d died during floods in America. ‘Drowning in my Bedroom’ is told as a dual narrative through the voices of two children, who at first glance have nothing in common, the book stresses that despite our differences, as humans we have so much more in common than we might think.
During his session with the Year 7 students, Steve shared invaluable tips and techniques aimed at enhancing their own storytelling prowess. Drawing from his own experiences as a writer, Cole emphasized the importance of imagination and creating vibrant characters. In particular, the students enjoyed a very interactive section about ‘Upcycling Sentences’, where Steve jumped/stomped/skipped/trudged across the stage pretending to be a dinosaur, as the children chose the verbs and adjectives to improve simple sentences.
The session was filled with funny anecdotes and served as inspiration for budding writers, with the aim of igniting their passion for crafting compelling narratives. By sharing his own journey as an author, Steve instilled in students the belief that they too could be authors of short stories, comics, novels, fiction or non-fiction and beyond.
Steve Cole has served as Leighton Park’s Patron of Reading since 2020, delivering numerous captivating events at our School over the years. This event marked his final engagement as our incumbent Patron of Reading, yet we hope to welcome him back to the Park in the future.
Take the next step by selecting an option below, or if you want to drop us a quick message, you can do so with the form.
Δ