Andrew Weale

Awards

• Shortlisted Sheffield Children's Book Award 2013
• Winner Red House Children's Book Award 2013
• Winner Wakefield Picture Book Award 2015

Organisations

• CWISL
• SCBWI
• Winchester University (lecturer)
• Cornerstones (freelance editor)

Details

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, Kevin Spacey, 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:

Reception

Storytelling. With the help of beautifully prepared slides, I tell funny stories about my childhood and perform my picture books with plenty of audience interaction! I can bring my own projector.

Drawing activities. The children draw an animal from One Newt in a Suit or create animal masks for the drama activity!

Drama games. As a professional actor I know tons of fun drama games. Using the masks they have made, the children learn how to create their animals with their voices and bodies and we finish with a performance of One Newt in a Suit where everyone joins in!

Films and songs. I give a special viewing of my latest films and sing some of my songs. I’ll need some help with the songs though, so plenty of interaction here too!

Years 1/2

Creating an audio book. I teach the children some spooky sound effects and we record our very own version of Spooky Spooky House. Everyone gets a copy of the audio book at the end of the day to take home and scare the pants off mum and dad!

Writing. The children write their own ending to Nora! OR they create their very own monster for Spooky Spooky House! OR they create and perform their very own poem!

Verse. I run a classroom competition in which two teams guess the rhymes in one of my books.

Years 3 to 5

Writing. I can do one day or extended writing projects with these year groups. In mid 2013 I completed a 5 week writing project at the William Tyndale Primary School in Islington, London. I am also one of the resident authors for the Chelsea Young Writers.

Debating. I am a coach in Presentation Skills and can give sessions on how to debate more effectively.

Sixth Form and Adults

How to get published. In this presentation I share some of the secrets that helped me to get published. There’s plenty of opportunity to ask questions and also some exercises that will get everyone writing!

How to give a great presentation. I give professional coaching in presentation techniques to many different clients worldwide. The ability to present effectively is an important skill for young people entering the work place and for those already there. My workshops offer plenty of tips on presenting with impact.

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 £400 (plus travel) for a full. For a one-off talk, my fee is £200.

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