Available for
Workshop, Talk, Reading, InterviewAudiences
Age 1 to 3, Age 3 to 5, Age 5 to 7, Age 7 to 11, Age 16 to 18+, Further Education, AdultGenres
Humour, Novelty, Picture book, Poetry, SpeechBook types
Fiction for children, Picture bookDetails
I am an award winning picture book writer specialising in humorous verse. I have a lot of experience with festivals (including Hay and the Sunday Times Oxford Literary Festival) and school visits. Here are some of the nice things that have been said about me:
'You have inspired the children and we could not have asked for any more!' (Hook Infant School)
‘Andrew gave a really interactive storytelling performance to our Nursery and Reception children. Our Year 1s were all in hysterics over Dinosaur Doo and our Year 2s couldn’t wait to go home and tell their parents that they recorded an audio book. A fantastic experience for all our pupils and the highlight of our Book Week.’ (St Aubyn's School)
'Excellent delivery, really engaging and all the children loved it. High expectations of the children...books are great!' (Pinkwell Primary School)
'The children and staff all thoroughly enjoyed meeting you. You have definitely inspired the children in Year 1 to write their own "spooky" house story!' (Downsend Pre-Prep)
'You did a great job and the kids really enjoyed themselves … You made a great impression with all the kids and staff!' (Bedonwell Infant School)
'Many thanks for your excellent talk. My students remembered "Write, Listen, Network" so you have imparted a valuable lesson!' (Eastbourne College)
I do lots of other things too. I am a professional actor and singer. I've worked with Sir Alec Guinness, Dame Janet Suzman, and Sir Simon Rattle among many others! I make my own films http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7veUXIbLV4 and write my own songs.
What else do I do? I am a fully trained TV and Radio presenter and teacher. I am currently lecturing at Winchester University on the Writing for Children module. Finally, I help fellow writers develop their work as a freelance editor at the leading literary consultancy, Cornerstones.
Here's what I can offer schools:
Nursery
Poetry: the children wiggle their toes and raise their arms in response to the rhyming verse of a fun movement poem.
Storytelling: the children pose and make noises like the different animals in my counting book A Quiet Day in the Jungle and spot a cheeky little monkey hidden in the pictures.
Reception & Year 1
Guessing game: the children guess what animals will appear in my counting book Newt in a Suit … and there’s a tempting prize on offer!
Poetry activities: the children perform a poem based on my award-winning book Spooky Spooky House with actions and the repetition of rhythmic phrases. They will be chanting it all day.
Films: three of my books are accompanied by hilarious videos, including the ever-popular Nora film that ends with a shockingly stupendous BURP!
Years 2 & 3
Rhyming game: based on my counting book Newt in a Suit, the children guess what clothing the animals are wearing. Is that cockatoo wearing a high heeled shoe or a tutu? There is yet another tempting prize if they guess right!
Creating an audio book: the children become recording stars as they turn the Spooky Spooky House poem into a short audio book. Each class/group gets a copy of the recording at the end of the day to take home and scare the pants off mum and dad!
Year 4 and above
Writing: the children explore how to generate story ideas with three creative/imagination activities.
Poetry writing: the children create their own poems based on shapes, metaphors, images.
Debating skills: activities include Who's in the Balloon, in which children adopt a famous character from history or literature and argue why they should stay in the balloon.
Sixth Form
How to give a great presentation: the ability to present effectively is a key skill for young people. As a professional coach for TED talkers and executives from Google and Coca Cola, I offer plenty of tips on presenting and performing with confidence in interviews.
Writing: advanced creative writing sessions where young people connect to the writer within and understand the hidden structures behind stories.
Preferred age range:
Nursery to Y6
No of sessions per day:
Up to SEVEN 30-minute sessions a day (one of which can be an assembly)
Session Length:
30 minutes per session, preferably to a class of 30
And that's it! For any further information, please don't hesitate to contact me or view the Schools page on my website (http://www.andrewweale.com/andrewweale/schools.html).
I am based in London and willing to travel anywhere within easy travelling distance. Offers from abroad are welcome as I already travel frequently to Central European countries for my presentation workshops.
Fees: I charge £300 (plus travel) for a half day, and £450 (plus travel) for a full. For a one-off talk, my fee is £200.
Event feedback
Andrew worked with 3 of our Year 1 classes. The children loved their sessions! It was interactive and funny and we would love to invite Andrew back to work with more of our children.
Andrew was very engaging with the children and they enjoyed listening to him read the stories. I would recommend him for future events.