What Cat Does in Schools

A full school day usually consists of 4 x 50 minute story sessions, though Cat can be flexible about this. Ideally the sessions are with one class at a time but she can work with year groups or key stages (up to a maximum of 150 children) Cat doesn’t read from a book and never sits down for long! She is a physical performer who combines language, characterisation, gestures and musical instruments in a seemingly effortless but marvellously captivating way.

Cat will help you plan a busy but successful day. It is possible to mix and match sessions eg a ‘Meet the Author’ book session for KS2 + a performance session for the infants + a book design workshop for Year 6 + a visit to the Nursery. Please note that on a ‘mix and match’ day, some infant programmes might not be possible because of time /group number/hall availability constraints – but please ask!

Infants

Cat is especially fond of infants and will work with children from 3 years old. She combines age-appropriate stories with action rhymes, music, singing, physical objects, dance and games to create highly interactive sessions for little listeners. They are imaginative, engaging, memorable, educational and great fun! She sometimes works with puppets too. Her BEAR TALES show has proved enormously popular.

Cat has a general repertoire of infant and nursery stories but she also offers themed days: ONCE UPON A RHYME (famous fairy tales with Cat dressed as a fairytale princess!) SHINE! (stories on the theme of light – perfect for autumn term because it complements Divali, Hanukah and Christmas) BEAR TALES (wonderfully entertaining bear stories from around the world, fascinating facts about bears and gorgeous bear and teddy bear hand puppets) TALES FROM FROZEN LANDS (stories about the people and animals that inhabit the coldest parts of the world plus some truly beautiful hand puppets and toys – seals, penguins, polar bears, reindeer etc) WORLD TALES (glorious stories from around the world. Great for exploring cultural diversity).

Juniors – Performance

Cat tells WORLD TALES in her junior sessions, choosing age-appropriate stories that will engage and challenge her audience. Years 3 and 4 love magic and humour, for example, but older children often feel they have outgrown such fanciful fare, so Cat will give them problem-solving stories, lateral thinking and word play.

For juniors, Cat can also offer MEET THE AUTHOR book sessions. Author events can be quite dry, but Cat includes all her characteristic flourishes – a high energy performance style, music, fairy lights and plenty of audience interaction – to create lively, entertaining programmes that really bring her books to life. All sessions include Q & A and inspirational talk about writing and being an author. One performance can accommodate up to 150 juniors, so a real ‘book buzz’ is generated – especially at the book signing!

Studying Myths & Legends? Cat’s touring family show SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT is available as a special one-hour show, suitable for Years 3 – 6. For more details see the full show listing of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Juniors – Workshops

BOOK DESIGN WORKSHOP – A fascinating ‘behind the scenes’ look at the evolution of a book cover suitable for Years 5 and 6. Working in small groups, the children assess various Barkbelly cover designs, learn about marketing and the book business, and design a cover of their own.

BINNORIE – A highly interactive rhythmic speaking workshop for Years 5 & 6 based on a traditional Scottish ballad.

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOPS are available for Years 3 to 6, based on various themes eg dragons, old age, writing a novel, the Brothers Grimm.

Seniors

With teens, Cat favours the ‘big’ themes of life and death, love and loyalty. She often looks at relationships – between lovers, friends or family members. Through her intimate, emotionally-charged stories, Cat shows that life is frequently confusing and love is rarely straightforward. But for all the brutality of our times, life can be beautiful too.

COMING SOON: A special workshop for teenage girls, working in-depth to study the symbolism and powerful emotional issues contained within a traditional tale.

Fees

A full day costs between £275 – £300 depending on what is requested and the location of the school or library. Cat is based on the English-Welsh border near Hay on Wye. Day visits are readily available in Herefordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire (west of M5) parts of Gloucestershire, mid and south Wales. Cat is happy to travel further (she frequently works in Birmingham, for example) though a modest travel contribution and/or accommodation fee (£25) might be added. For some areas (eg London) a two day booking may be required (this can be in two schools with the travel expenses divided between them).

Half day visits are possible in local areas (£150).

Generous funding (up to 40%) is available for schools in Wales via Academi’s Writers on Tour scheme: www.academi.org/funding/i/130594