Are you sitting comfortably?

Posted on February 2, 2016

A story is like a cat – it finds you, jumps into your lap, curls up and starts to purr.

I remember having stories read to me every night as a child and I read to my own son. The joy of reading aloud and listening to stories was the main reason for writing 10 stories from both the German and the British perspective for my latest WW1 project Lone Wolves.  Based on historical accounts of sailors and submarines as well as weaving Greek myth, traditional Scottish folk tales and Grimm’s fairy stories into each story there are also 10 mystery cats!

If you are reluctant to pick up and read a book by hearing stories read aloud you can still build vocabulary and get to know what elements make a good story!

To reflect the make-up of the Primary 7 class I also wanted to discuss multiculturalism as many of the mariners on both sides had met, worked with each other on merchant ships leading up to August 1914. By asking the P7’s to think about how it would feel to face danger on and under the sea we have – I hope – embedded empathy and as  a collaborative artist we have naturally spent time illustrating their favourite part of the stories during each session.

What the Commander saw...

What the Commander saw…

We are now in week 4 – half way through the project at Grange Primary and Bo’ness Library and this week they have written their own story – set in Bo’ness in 1919 – which we will be turning into a comic ‘novella’ over the next 3 weeks.

I can’t wait to hear what they have come up with today and to see their latest drawings.

The Stoker drifted with the tide...

The Stoker drifted with the tide…

The order echoed through the submarine...

The order echoed through the submarine…