A bit about me
I write picture books, fiction and non-fiction for children. I’m probably best known for the award-winning Very Little picture book series, which sets brave (and argumentative!) Very Little heroines in versions of fairy tales. I also write fiction and non-fiction for a wide range of educational books for series including Oxford Reading Tree. Before I became a writer, I was a Commissioning Editor in educational publishing.
My school visits
Going into schools is one of my very favourite parts of being an author! I love sharing my stories and answering children’s questions about what I do. I cater for a wide range of ages, from nursery to Year 6. I specialize in sessions on twisting fairy tales and how a book is made, sharing my notebooks and the very beginnings of a story.
I often start with a whole school assembly, and then various class workshops, which can be tailored according to age. For younger children, I use puppets and a song (with lots of joining in!) and explore the children’s very own characters through drawings. For older children, I go into more detail on how I write stories, and support them in writing their own stories, through a combination of shared and independent writing.
You can read my blog about my school visits here: http://www.teresaheapy.co.uk/twisting-fairy-tales/
Do please feel free to contact me to contact me to ask questions about visits - I’d love to hear from you and am very happy to shape a visit according to the needs of your school.
Testimonials
“Our children and staff loved your books, your commitment and your obvious pleasure in storying with children. The assembly was lively, upbeat and engaging for KS1, whilst the story writing workshops in KS2 were inspiring and highly motivating. The whole day created a real buzz throughout the school – I’d wholeheartedly recommend you to other primary schools.” Darrell Wood, Headteacher, Five Acres Primary School
“Teresa intuitively understands young children and deals with their questions without patronising them but also without talking over their heads. She ran writing workshops, which sparked the children’s imaginations. As we toured the classes, children of all ages in KS1 and KS2 were keen to share what they had written and it was evident that they were engaged with the process and the task that Teresa had introduced.” Nikki Gamble, Director, Just Imagine
Details
I charge the Society of Authors rate of £350 per day for an all day visit. If I have to travel outside of my home county of Oxfordshire, then I charge for travel.
It was a real pleasure to have Teresa visit our school. Our children were absolutely fascinated with the insight they were provided from her explanations of the writing process. It was truly priceless for our children to be so inspired and some have already begun writing their own stories!