What about this one... it's so fabulous! Such lovely imagery and rhythm... wow. I first encountered this poem when I was at primary school - probably around year six. It made quite an impression on me then. I already loved driving across Dartmoor, and this helped grow my fascination with the eerie desolation of the moor. I ended up living there for a while, as an adult, and it still held a sort of romantic, but slightly scary, spooky grasp on my imagination. In The Highwayman

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , is another of my absolute favourite poems - I love the rhythm and the wonderful imagery. What I love most is beautiful old Nokomis, Hiawatha’s grandmother, a wise and caring figure. I'd luv to have snuggled up with her when I was little - her stories would have soon soothed me to sleep. She's deeply connected to the natural world and the spiritual realm, passing on her knowledge and cultural stories to Hiawatha. Through her, the poem introduces

This is one of my top favourite poems, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson - narrative verse can be so brilliant and evocative... I absolutely love the descriptions - especially the ones about Sir Lancelot - they're sumptuous. 'His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd; On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode...' Omg this is soooo gorgeous. And, 'Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather...' - scrumptious, I swear I fell for him every bit as much as the Lady of Shalott did. For me, argument

I'd like to share with you this beautiful poem for children, written by Eugene Field and first published in 1889. Apparently the original title was "Dutch Lullaby" - and lullaby it most certainly is... It's a fantasy bed-time story about three little children sailing and fishing among the stars from their little boat, which is a wooden shoe. The names imply a sleepy child's blinking eyes and nodding head, and the spelling of the names, and the "wooden shoe," suggest Dutch lan

As I prepared to visit Roselands School for my book reading event, I felt excitement mixed with a few nerves. I'd visited over 20 schools...

What a journey this was for me… I suppose it started all the way back in my childhood. From the get go I was extremely obsessed with colours and patterns - my earliest memories are of things I could see around me in my cot - and I had strong preferences then which I retain to this day. Some things give me tremendous pleasure to behold, others I find physically repellent - perhaps it’s a symptom of some sort of neurodiversity, but there it is. So, as soon as I could get my lit

So, from my first ever visit to a primary school, Upton St James in Torquay, on 21st May 2024, performing ‘Chloe and the Bright Idea’, to now, 30 schools later, it’s been a steep learning curve. One of my preconceived ideas was about how much knowledge the children would have - it turned out to be a lot more than I’d given them credit for. Some of their questions really had me stumped, the science ones in particular. I had to consult a chemist I know to learn the reason why a

Have a listen to my first interview with Radio Cornwall. I must say it was a bit nerve-racking... Prior to the event I was invited to...

A couple of days ago I went to this school to do a performance of my book, 'Chloe and the Bright Idea'. It seemed like the whole school...

I'm delighted to say that my wonderful children's book, 'Chloe and the Bright Idea', published in August 2024, is now stocked in the...