STUDENTS at St Joseph’s School in Gloucester have been collaborating with professional writer and illustrator Sami Bayly to create their own children’s book.
A school assembly on Friday, 21 March, provided a platform for the soft launch of the book titled “A Fire In The Tops.”
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In an interview with News of the Area, principal Amy Maslen said, “We wanted to develop students’ engagement with writing and help them understand the connections between images and words in picture books.”
The project has been a school-wide effort with Year 4, 5, and 6 teacher Sophie Emerson playing a crucial role in the process.
“Every student in the school has contributed to the book including last year’s Year 6 group who came back to work with Sami,” Ms Maslen said.
Sami Bayly is an award-winning author and illustrator from Newcastle, known for works such as “The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Ugly Animals” and “The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals”.
The students began brainstorming ideas last year and, with Sami’s assistance, completed the book in under three weeks this term.
“Gloucester has experienced several natural disasters, and we wanted the students to consider how these events impact the environment and animals,” Ms Maslen said.
The students chose bushfires as the basis for their story, decided on the animal characters, and structured the story using the orientation, complication, climax, and resolution framework.
“I didn’t think I would ever have the chance to illustrate and write a real book,” said Year 5 student Hamish McGregor.
“It took a long time to refine the language. We had to change words to make them more exciting and descriptive.
“I learned about the water vine that grows in the Copeland area, which helps put out fires.”
“Sami was incredibly helpful,” said Year 6 student Rebel Rejo.
“We learned about motifs and how to frame our illustrations, realising that pictures play a significant role in telling the story.”
“Fire In The Tops” is currently with the editor, and the final hard copy will be launched later this year.
By Wendy BUSWELL