Bridget Marzo

Awards

• Young Quills shortlist 2025
• Society of Illustrators New York Original Art Show
• British Book Design Award Shortlist
• SNCF prix d'album petite enfance

Organisations

• The Society of Authors
• CWISL Children's Writers and Illustrators for Schools and Literacy
• The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
• La Charte des Auteurs Illustrateurs France

Details

I encourage children from Nursery up to KS2 to ask questions, feel empathy with characters and their stories, and create them too with pictures and/or words.   

I have an enhanced DBS and follow The Society of Author's fee guidelines.I’ve had a long experience of school, library, bookshop and festival visits in the UK, France and even in China for the Beijing Bookworm festival.   

I am proud to be a member of the Children's Writers and Illustrators for Stories and Literacy CWISL

I am happy to travel and don't always need expenses covered.

School assembly talk options

Fun interactive talk for primary school children using one of my recent books:

In my presentation of Mo's Best Friend, A Stone Age Story I encourage children to imagine life before houses, roads and technology, discussing life of our distant ancestors and animals, and our first pets,  and what we know of the Stone Age.  I share prompts with glimpses of the work and sketches that went into the making of the book.

In my presentation of You, Me and Our Whole Wide World (Walker Books) I point to details in my illustrations of people of all ages for answers to questions about the diverse people they see,  and discuss what might make them look happy or sad.  What makes us all unique and also we do we all have in common from youngest to oldest? be

Inspired by Tiz & Ott's Big Draw,I offer a 'Quick Draw Story Characters' session, getting everyone drawing to create instant characters and connect them to each other. 

I also offer Live drawing and interactive storytelling on a table with an overhead projector (or flipchart).

School classrooms and libraries

I use themes in my recent books for more in-depth class discussion and activities

Mo's Best Friend, A Stone Age Story (Otter Barry Books 2024)  Here's a great review on the School Reading List!   https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/books-for-topics/stone-age-bronze-age-iron-age-childrens-books/ 

A new look at the Stone-Age with a empathetic story inspired by the recent discovery of 26,000 year old dog and child paw prints.   We look at daily life of Mo and her family...'on a hill not so far from where you live now'.  Adaptable to a range of ages: 

1. Reception - Year 2   A fun interactive reading of the book (with role play in small group),   we discuss our families, what ancestors are, pets and  empathy with animals: 'dos and don'ts' when meeting dogs -  and how to respect their feelings. 

2.Years 2- 4  Stone age life and skills   How would you survive in the Stone Age without technology, shops, schools and roads?  We look at some real traces of our earliest ancestors in caves and stone circles and in 600,000 year old footprints too.   I can offer a handout for recognising animal paw prints and following their tracks.    With advance prep we can replicate some simpler skills that Mo and her family use eg sculpting, decorating a journey stick and even  'Stone Age' jewellery.

You, Me and Our Whole Wide World (Walker Books)

A useful book to develop the theme of inclusivity adaptable to all Primary classes from Reception to Year 3. 

I show my sketches of people in London stations and we look at people of all ages and kinds and their diverse 'uniqueness' and different lives. 

What do we have in common from youngest to oldest?    My 45min to 1 hour workshop "Same but different' starts with cut-out chains of paper people (done in class or prepared earlier depending on class age) .  Then using coloured pens, I share tips to prompt children to draw and differentiate each of their 6-8  cut-out people and make characters 'interact' with each other.  All the different people children make can then form one big ‘peace’ circle for the class.

Tiz & Ott's Big Draw (Tate UK)

With pencil and brush Tiz and Ott create a house and get carried away by a storm and draw and paint their way out of a hole.  This story inspires lots of mark making and creative story opportunities.  I share a simple step by step guide for each child to create  2 characters of their own which they can introduce to each other and create their own story book.

About Me 

I am open to working locally at whatever level and as member of the Children's Writers and Illustrators for Stories and Literacy (CWISL) I work in collaborative projects too.

I've appeared on Woman's Hour BBC Radio 4  talking about the representation of Mothers in Children's Books  and continue to give talks about children's books to students and colleagues at conferences, appearing on panels about illustrated books from London ( the Association of Illustrators), Paris, Bologna BookFair, and at the SCBWI New York and was appointed the first International Illustrator Coordinator for the SCBWI)

I am English mother tongue and fluent in French.  I have translated art books including Claude Monet's letters, alongside illustrating and writing picture books.  I also have long experience of working with children  - in a bilingual kindergarten class  for ages 4-5 and in mixed age art classes.  I also taught art and 2D design and illustration for over a decade in the US-founded art school, Parsons Paris. 

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