Remembering Anne Frank at the People's History Museum

Today, an audience was taken back in time in the People’s History Museum’s event ‘Walking in their Shoes: Responding to Anne Frank.’ The event kicked off with an immersive monologue from an ex-MMU student who was playing the part of an elderly Jew who was held in a concentration camp, which gave the audience a clear context for the morning.

The monologue was performed in the People’s History Museum’s Mini Theatre, an incredibly intimate performance space which is designed to blur the line between audience and actors. The set for the performance, however, was minimal, the only backing being several banners which gave information about the life of Anne Frank and the opinion of children on MMU’s event, which was also based on Anne Frank, and took place in the Geoffrey Manton Atrium.

Marianne, who is part of the Anne Frank trust, then spoke briefly about the history of the concentration camps: “Very, very few people under the age of 16 survived, and very few people over forty. They were considered useless,” and then went on to speak about Anne Frank’s fate after her death. “Anne Frank is somewhere in Bergen-Belsen, but we don’t know where.”

Afterwards, the children were given the opportunity to take part in a workshop which encouraged them to develop their own opinions on human rights issues, and to relate the story of Anne Frank to modern times, and modern problems, such as forced marriage and forced child labour. The workshop was set up as a treasure trail, in which the children were given various key words and given the task to find the information in the various displays around the exhibition.

The events were repeated twice throughout the morning, and had a very good turnout. The event was largely supported by the students and staff at MMU, who ensured everything ran smoothly, and it was enjoyed by everyone involved.

FM

Meet Manchester's latest - and youngest - graduates - kidsunlimited graduation ceremonies at the Manchester Children's Book Festival

 

Meet Manchester's latest - and youngest - graduates. A very special kidsunlimited event, held as part of this year's Manchester Children's Book Festival, saw kids from around the region graduate from pre-school at a first class ceremony.

 

In full caps and gowns, the children gathered to sing songs to their parents in the audience and tell everyone gathered what they want to be when they grow up. We are pleased to report that you can expect a future that includes lots of firefighters, doctors, princesses and maybe even the odd dinosaur!

 

In total, three kidsunlimited nursery schools took part in the event - Macintosh Day Nursery, St. Mary's Day Nursery and Didsbury Day Nursery. Jo Maitra from Didsbury Day Nursery said,

 

"It's been a pleasure for all the staff to see [the] children learn and develop over the past year. It's always a bit crazy trying to keep thirty five three- and four-year-olds under control but they've all really enjoyed it and we've had lots of parents thanking us."

 

Macintosh Day Nursery Site Manger, Sarah Wildon, agreed, saying,

"It's been absolutely fantastic, the kids and the parents have all really enjoyed it. We were the first nursery to come here [to Manchester Metropolitan University] for the ceremony a few years ago and we later invited the others to join us.

 

"This has been the best year yet, even better than last year. One of the parents this year works here at the university and he performed the presentation for us, so that was really lovely because all of the children knew him. It's had the same great impact as every year we do it. Everyone has really loved it."    

 

We spoke to some of the parents and children after the event to find out if they had enjoyed their special day.

 

Charlotte Bentley, mother of Scarlett, aged 4, from Bramall, told us “Scarlett had quite a difficult start in life and she spent a lot of time in intensive care, so the focus wasn’t on education and learning to read and write, and now it is. This celebrates how far she’s come, for us, from where she was because we didn’t think she’d make it at all.”

Scarlett’s Dad, Matthew, added “Singing and dancing or doing some kind of performance helps with [her] confidence. Interacting with larger groups really helps as well.” While Scarlett told us, “I was excited. I sang lots of songs. I want to be Spidergirl when I grow up!”

 

 

 

- NH & SA & Kaia Spurret-Hogan

 

 

 

 

 

Liz Kessler Inspires Young Writers at The Portico Library

Multi-million selling children’s author, Liz Kessler, delighted fans as she shared some of her writing secrets in the magnificent, yet intimate, setting of Manchester’s Portico Library. The Emily Windsnap writer also read a sneak preview from the first chapter of her latest book which is out next month, entitled Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?

The event, which was brought to Manchester Children's Book Festival by the Institute of Humanities and Social Science Research, saw Liz inspire the would-be authors in the room with a treasure chest full of keepsakes which related to her writing life. She invited members of the audience to remove objects from the box before going on to discuss their significance, all the while giving useful hints and ideas about how to be a successful writer.

“When you are writing a story or a book, it kind of exists already. The story isn’t something that you’re making up – it’s something that you have to find. As a writer, you have to prove yourself worthy, you have to show the story that you are the one who can tell it and the more that you give the story, the more it will give back.”

Life Changing 

Returning for a third time to Manchester Children’s Book Festival, Liz, a former Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) student now living in Cornwall, is clearly a Festival devotee and speaks with fondness of her time in the city. We asked what it was that keeps her coming back to the Festival. She told us,

“I feel really proud to be part of this community. When I did the course at MMU it was the first year they had run the MA [in Creative Writing]. I was teaching sixth form at the time and I was having a nice life. But because I was teaching sixth formers, they were all going off on their exciting, creative courses and I got to the point where I thought ‘I want to do something,’ but I didn’t know what.

"Then, one day, we were in the Lake District and we were playing a game which was, basically, ‘name five lives you’d have, if you didn’t have your own.’ My five were ‘writer, writer, writer, writer, writer’ and it hit me – that was what I had to do. So, I quit my job and I applied for the course.

"It changed my life, doing that course. I’m getting quite emotional now. But it did change my life. It was really important. The MA sent my life in a different direction and it has carried on going that way ever since. It’s led me to the passion and the future career that I always wanted. So if I get asked to do anything to support the [Manchester] Writing School, be part of it, or recognise the community that all of this came from, then I’ll take that opportunity every time.”

After the event, we spoke to Liz Kessler fan, Lillie Hampson, aged 11. Clutching a freshly signed book, Lillie told us,

“I’ve learned where Liz gets her ideas from and how I can start to come up with my own. My favourite book of Liz’s is The Dream Maker’s Daughter. When I’m older I want to work with animals but now I’m thinking I might be a writer too.”

We are sure many other of the children present were similarly inspired. 

Has Anyone Seen Jessica Jenkins?  is available to buy from August 14th, published by Orion. For more great author events see mcbf.org.uk


-NH

Next stop: Chorlton! Andy Cope's brilliant Manchester adventure continues

Following a dynamic performance to over 200 school children at the People’s History Museum, we joined Andy Cope, author of The Art of Being Brilliant and the Spy Dog series, for his second talk - this time to a more intimate but equally enthralled crowd at Chorlton Library. Once again, Andy was accompanied by the unassuming genius that is Star the Spy Dog (so unassuming, in fact, that she spent most of the afternoon sleeping in the corner!).

According to Andy, life is a lot like a sausage machine: you get out what you put in. Put in vegetables, you’ll get a vegetable sausage; put in happiness, you’ll have a happy life. The crucial part, then, is getting the ingredients right. Andy gave the example of his old school friend, Melanie, who complained that everything at school was “boring”. Some thirty years later, when Andy accidentally bumped into Melanie at the supermarket, she still thought life was just as “boring” because she’d done very little to change it for the better. Andy inspired his listeners by suggesting ways in which they could bring positivity into their lives, such as washing their neighbour’s car or making drinks for their family. These small suggestions for self-improvement certainly seemed to strike a chord among Andy’s audience.

Another topic on Andy’s agenda was libraries. Andy praised his local library for fueling his love of literature when he was a similar age to the children in the audience. He talked about his favourite book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and how it had inspired him to let his imagination run wild when he became an author. The wonderful thing about libraries, Andy pointed out, is that although joining them costs absolutely nothing, the joy and rewards you get in return are invaluable. Everyone in the library nodded their heads, appreciative of the building we were sitting in.

Of course, no trip for Andy would be complete without mention of the Spy Dog series for which he is most renowned. Members of the audience were invited to ask questions about Andy’s latest Spy Dog book, which we discovered was the number one bestseller in South Korea last week. Andy revealed he enjoys writing late at night when his children have gone to bed, whilst listening to some music. After answering a few questions about being an author, Andy held a book-signing and many of his fans gathered round for a chance to talk to him personally and get their copies of Spy Dog signed.

Andy also brought along his suitcase of goodies to reward members of his lively audience for asking top-notch questions throughout the performance. Tom, age 10, was awarded the highly coveted top prize of a Spy Dog t-shirt for his efforts. He was really pleased with his prize and said: “I feel really good about standing out. I love the Spy Dog books, so just seeing Andrew Cope in person was really good. I like him because he’s really funny and doesn’t talk about boring things like some people do.”

Well, Tom, we couldn’t agree with you more. Andy Cope is many things - an author, a scientist, a motivational speaker, owner of the best dog in the world - but he certainly isn’t boring. What an entertaining and altogether inspiring day we’ve had with him.

This event was brought to you in association with IHSSR: The Institute for Humanities and Social Science Research at Manchester Metropolitan University.

- SA

The Lancasterian School and Andy Cope at the People's History Museum: Two very different but equally inspiring performances

We’re now a week into the Festival and the fun shows no signs of slowing down yet. Au contraire! Yesterday’s jam-packed schedule featured the motivational Andy Cope travelling across town to share some pearls of wisdom on The Art of Being Brilliant, his trusty four-legged sidekick, Star the Spy Dog, in tow. 

Andy’s first stop was the magnificent People’s History Museum. Before his talk, the audience were treated to two fantastic performances by pupils from the Lancasterian Specialist School for Communication and Interaction. The creative cast of forty children had been rehearsing for many months.

The first of their performances was a version of Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo, where they introduced a new character to the story called ‘Mr Pie-goo’. As well as chomping on gooey pies, Mr Pie-goo also wielded a gimeganormous axe, with which he threatened to chop down all the trees in the forest. Thankfully, along came The Gruffalo, a fierce and gruesome creature to behold, who scared away Mr Pie-goo and was hailed a hero.

Stevie, age 8, who played the rather fearsome Gruffalo, is no stranger to fame having appeared on CBeebies’ Mr Tumble. She said: “Do I look scary?! I scare off Mr Pie-goo!” Stevie was looking forward to lots of people coming to watch the performance, “...even mummies and daddies! My mummy and daddy are coming. I’m excited.”

The second group of budding actors from the Lancasterian School based their performance on adaptations of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes. The two poems they chose were Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf and The Three Little Pigs. One particular highlight of these sketches was the superbly cast Three Little Pigs, each perfectly suited to their roles.

Noel Fagan, a Manchester Metropolitan University MA Creative Writing graduate who’s been supporting literature and drama projects at the Lancasterian School since 2010, said: “We been doing writing activities with the Lancasterian for around the past four years now and last year we decided we’d have a go at scriptwriting. Rather than start with a blank sheet of paper, we tried to pick stories children already knew and developed them. 

“They use different communication aids as well, which is important. Some children are able to talk and others use electronic talkers, which enable them to participate. Everyone’s got a role...I think there are a lot of assumptions about children with disabilities, that they can’t participate but they can. I do think more writers need to go into special needs schools, really.”

With such show-stopping performances from the Lancasterian School, Andy Cope had some tough acts to follow. But he’s not the kind of person to be put off by that kind of thing. Andy was in town to impart some wise words from his acclaimed title, The Art of Being Brilliant, which encourages both adults and children to think positively and strive for the best possible version of themselves at all times. "Every day of your life, you have a choice about the version of you you want to be", Andy said.

According to Andy, only 2% of people actually achieve the dizzying heights of everyday brilliance. Lots of people choose to be ‘mood hoovers’ instead - so-called because they suck the life out of you! Andy encouraged the children in the audience to strive for happiness and fulfillment as soon as possible, because habits formed at an early age stick with you into grown-up-hood. Andy gave them some top tips for being happy, such as being thankful for every day you don’t have toothache. The audience were encouraged to join in and respond to Andy’s talk using their own examples. There were lots of prizes up for grabs for eager contributors.

William, age 11, was one of four lucky children to be awarded a copy of the Spy Dog for his enthusiastic participation in Andy’s talk. He said: “I thought [the talk] was really funny and it’s really inspired me to go out and do some of the things Andy suggested.”

The event was extremely well attended by nearly 200 pupils from schools across Greater Manchester, including Wentworth High School, All Saints Upton Primary, Bury & Whitefield Jewish Primary, Beech House School, Burnage Academy for Boys and Cheadle Hulme School. They were accompanied by many proud and enthralled teachers and parents.

After Andy's talk, we all hurried over to Chorlton Library for his second performance of the day. Stay tuned to the blog for our roundup of what happened at his next destination!

- SA

'Timelines' Takes Over Historic Ordsall Hall

Ordsall Hall

Historic Ordsall Hall provided the stunning setting for the Timelines anthology relaunch, as part of Manchester Children's Book Festival. A number of the contributors to the anthology - a "unique project" written and illustrated by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) students - were brought together in the magnificent surroundings of the Tudor manor house to read excerpts from their own short stories.

Manchester Writing School's Livi Michael and Iris Feindt

Speaking to us ahead of the readings, in the impressive main hall of the building, Livi Michael and Iris Feindt from Manchester Writing School were clearly overjoyed by the choice of venue. Iris said "I don't know why I've never been here before, it's such an amazing place. I could just sit here all day!" Whilst Livi added, "We were at (the Family Fun Day) all day yesterday, which was rather noisy, so it's lovely to be here at this beautiful, rather calmer, place. We love the setting, we hope it will make everyone feel happy about doing their readings."

Asked about the Timelines anthology itself, Iris told us,

"It came about last year. Livi and I edited it and it's a collection of short stories written by master's degree children's writers and some of their tutors. It's to give the writers a 'leg up,' because it is really difficult to get published, to get that first step on the publishing ladder. It was illustrated by students from the Manchester School of Art and we feel that the illustrations completely bring the collection to life.

The authors of Timelines

"The writers on the anthology had a really professional attitude throughout, whilst it was being edited. We didn't have anyone who was really precious about their work. We made them jump though so many hoops, just to try to make the ending work, we'd say "try this, try that ..." and some of them had to write it several times, but they did it and they all had a really good attitude which was nice to see. It's good for them to have been through that process. It's a university publication, but it doesn't look or feel like a university publication because there was a strict selection process and it's been handled so professionally." Meanwhile, Livi added,

"We publish Timelines to a professional standard and it's marketed through Amazon and Blackwells, so it is also sold professionally. Every story in there has been edited and proofread many times over. And the illustrations are great."

Dan Seitler and Yosef Kanter, both aged 7.

Iris was first to read from her short story The White Line, which is set in Berlin during the Cold War and deals with the building of the Berlin Wall. 

Another contributor to the anthology, Marie Dentan, had traveled all the way from Paris to be at the Festival and read from her short story Robin and the King. Marie told us, "Ordsall Hall is amazing, it's really beautiful. For the Timelines event it is perfect."

Last to read was Kim Hutson who not only works at Ordsall Hall but also set her own short story at the Tudor manor itself. She said, "I realised that the things we usually talk about here are to do with Tudor times and the 16th and 17th centuries. I wanted to do something different with my story, The Silver Spoons of Ordsall Hall, so it is actually set in 1831."

Oscar and the White Lady illustrator Adam Pryce shares his craft

In fact, Kim had yet another reason to be excited about the event, as her latest children's book Oscar and The White Lady, again set at Ordsall Hall, was enjoying a pre-launch party in the manor house kitchen. Children were busy learning to draw some of the book's characters with the illustrator Adam Pryce. He told us,

"It's a story about a young boy who is obsessed with ghosts and he comes here to search through each of the rooms. The book will be launched here properly in a couple of weeks at a special outdoor event. I'm just working with the children here, who are drawing Oddy the Mouse, a new mascot I invented for Ordsall Hall, who appears on every page of Oscar and the White Lady."

In addition to exploring the hall's many interesting chambers, the children at the event enjoyed loads of great activities, including dressing up and, for a brave few, even a spooky storytelling in the haunted attic! We had to leave that particular activity quite early on ... eek!

***

The follow up book to the Timelines anthology is a brand new collection entitled Crimelines and will be the focus of a further Festival event on 5th July at John Rylands Library. Find out more information here.

- NH

Arthur's Dream Boat at Z-Arts

The Festival Family Fun Day was an enormous success! Children and families packed into Manchester Metropolitan University to meet their favourite authors and enjoy all of the many events and activities on offer. Despite the hectic schedule, however, we still found the time to head down to Z-Arts Centre for a special performance of Polly Dunbar's Arthur's Dream Boat, by Brighton-based children's theatre company, Long Nose Puppets. And boy, were we happy we went.

c/o longnosepuppets.com

From the moment the lights went down, the filled theatre was entirely mesmerised, children and adults alike. A voice addressed the crowd, "Ladies and Jellyfish..." and we were introduced to a snoring Arthur. The story follows Arthur (and his mischievous pet dog) as he wakes from a dream about a boat with pink and green stripes and a sail with red spots. He tries desperately to tell his family all about his dream, but he finds them all either too busy, or too lazy, to listen to him. 

The original music which accompanies each scene of this extraordinary production would, if it were to be released in its own right, probably storm the charts. Composed by Tom Gray, guitarist/vocalist/keyboard player with the band Gomez, the songs are beautifully crafted to fit the show perfectly. A scene in which Arthur tries to tell his older brother about his dream, for example, only to be met with digital, teenage obliviousness, is an absolute triumph. The song which opens the scene will stay with you for a long, long while after, and you wont mind one bit.

 

As Arthur's frustration at being ignored by his family grows, so too does his dream boat. What is more, strange things begin to happen in the house - not that his family notices. The dream boat gets bigger and bigger until the show reaches a surprising crescendo, which left the audience in the Z-Arts theatre delighted. This adaption of Arthur's Dream Boat is full of belly laughs, amazing tunes and beautifully original puppetry and storytelling, if ever you have chance to see it, do not miss it, whatever age you are.

After the show, the children in the audience were invited to meet the puppets, which are made "out of anything and everything: latex, wood, found objects, socks, old umbrellas and the odd lampshade."

The Long Nose Puppet Theatre was originally cofounded by Arthur's Dream Boat and Tilly and Friends author, Polly Dunbar, along with university friend and fellow illustrator, Katherine Morton, in 2006. The theatre has adapted four shows from Polly's books, including Arthur's Dream Boat. They have had a hit show at the Edinburgh Festival and performed at the National Gallery and the Downing Street Christmas Party.

For more great Manchester Children's Book Festival events visit our What's On Guide. For more photos from the Family Fun Day you can head over to our Flickr page.

“Every snowflake is different, every snowflake is perfect”: Cerrie Burnell entertains everyone at the Festival Family Fun Day

CBeebies presenter and Manchester Metropolitan University graduate, Cerrie Burnell, joined in the Family Fun Day festivities with a special visit to Lecture Theatre 1 of the Geoffrey Manton Building.

Cerrie was here to promote her new book, Snowflakes. Cerrie said: “Books are magical adventures. When you open one, you can go anywhere.” During her appearance, she recited Snowflakes in its entirety. The book’s illustrations, which were drawn by Laura Ellen Anderson, were shown on a large projector. Throughout the reading, Cerrie encouraged her audience to join in and some younger members of the crowd were even called upon to act as Mia, the book’s main character.

We were told that Mia had moved from the city, where she lived with her parents, to live with her grandmother in the countryside. Mia considered herself different to all the other people around her because she no longer lived with her parents, which made her feel sad. Learning about snowflakes helped Mia to understand that we are all unique and have different lives, yet every single one of us is important: “Every snowflake is different, every snowflake is perfect.”

During a break in the performance, the children were invited to colour in their own pictures of snowflakes whilst Cerrie toured the lecture theatre to meet her fans. The children all stood at the front to show off their beautiful pictures.

Whilst the colouring was taking place, we spoke to some of the children in the audience.

Maisie, age 4, who was visiting the Festival with her grandma and granddad, said: “I’m looking forward to getting a new book.”

Solomon, age 3, enjoyed listening to the story with his mummy. He said he most liked hearing, “…all about the snowflakes and watching the lady from CBeebies.”

Bryn, age 6, who was visiting with his sister, Freya, said: “I really like looking at the books and I’ve read Oliver and the Seawigs so we’re going to meet those authors later too.”

After the reading was over, Cerrie held a short Q & A session. “Did it take a long time to write the book?” asked one of the children: “From the moment I wrote it to it being on the shelf, it took two and a half years”, she answered. Cerrie also explained that with each new book she writes, the time it takes to publish would be shorter.

Later that morning, Cerrie held a book signing in the Geoffrey Manton Atrium. She really enjoyed meeting her fans. She said: “It’s always such a lovely, warm and receptive audience in Manchester. Two children came to join me on stage spontaneously and read poems, which was wonderful and very endearing.”

- FM & SA

Secrets of success: A thought-provoking morning with Sufiya Ahmed

Day one of the Festival saw experienced political activist turned children’s author, Sufiya Ahmed, visit Manchester Metropolitan University’s Geoffrey Manton building to share her tips on becoming a published author and talk about her debut novel, Secrets of the Henna Girl.

Prior to becoming an author, Sufiya’s career in marketing and politics exposed her to various new experiences, enabling her to discover her true passions. She started out working for an advertising firm, which allowed her to travel across the world, visiting parts of America, Asia and Europe. Following this, she went on to work in Parliament, where she met members of a lobbying group who campaigned against forced marriages.

Inspired by these women’s stories of courage against adversity, Sufiya wrote Secrets of the Henna Girl. The book deals with the controversial topic of forced marriage, based on the experiences of a fictional 16-year-old girl called Zeba. Although harrowing, Zeba’s tale is ultimately one of hope and empowerment. Sufiya hopes to convey the message that it is possible for women to make a change and break free of forced marriages: “The story is about how she finds the courage to come back home”, Sufiya said.

Although focused on women’s rights, Sufiya’s talk also touched upon aspects of her experience as a writer. Sufiya explained how she conveys a sense of place to her readers – despite having sometimes never visited her fictional destinations - and shared her experiences of working with publishing houses: “There’s absolutely no point sending anything to anyone unless it’s done to the best of your ability.” Publishers rejected Sufiya three times before she was successful. On meeting some of her readers, Sufiya said:

“I think it’s really important to reach out and meet your readers. It’s also important to give them a chance to ask about the writing process so they can learn about it. I think the lesson I’m trying to communicate is that despite taking fifteen years to get published I didn’t give up. It’s important to keep plugging away.”

Many students local to Manchester attended the event, including pupils from Whalley Range 11-18 High School, The Lowton Church of England High School, Canon Slade School, and Smithills School. The event was very audience-friendly, encouraging students to test their knowledge of women’s rights and share their opinions. Sufiya's talk ended with a short Q & A session and a book signing.

A further highlight was the prize book draw. Mohima Ali, a Year 7 pupil at The Lowton Church of England High School, won a signed copy of Secrets of the Henna Girl. Mohima was delighted with her prize and said: "It was really surprising to win...I'm gonna read [the book] now!"

A group of eight pupils from Whalley Range 11-18 High School then met with Sufiya to discuss women’s rights in modern day Britain. Sufiya was keen to hear their thoughts on forced marriage – particularly how it’s addressed on the school curriculum. Year 10 pupil, Aala Alshami, said: “I thought it was really interesting to meet Sufiya Ahmed and hear about forced marriage because it could happen to anyone.”

Overall this thought-provoking and at times challenging event encouraged pupils to think about the author’s artistic licence and opened their eyes to the harsh every day realities behind the books they read.

- FM & SA