Christopher Cheng's Blog

... and the Children's Book Council crew in Hobart and Launceston,especially Nella Pickup and Patsy Jones.
Thanks for organising a most splendid four days with you all down there in Hobart and Launceston.

Patsy and Nella Usually I drop a quick bite of my happenings when tripping around each day but down south the wifi was a little hard to come by - even the local library in Launceston didn't have it. So here is a bit of a blurb about the last few days.

Last week we flew down to Hobart for me to do my Children's Book Council of Australia Tassie Branch and SCBWI and National Year of Reading gigs. On Wednesday two sessions were presented, one professional development session on Writing History for teachers in the afternoon at the local Princes Street Primary school (it was so delighful being able to just plug that laptop in and go and have a nice large IWB to display my images!) and then the other session early in the evening to parents and the general community on eBooks, Book Apps and Reading! That session had a few parents and quite a few teachers as well. It generated lots of chat and discussions about using the iPads in schools with a little bit of home usage discussed as well, and of course the continuing issue of being able to use the same book app on multiple devices came up. We had a look at good and bad examples of ones that I have worked on as well as a few classy creations like the Very Itchy Bear and the Yellow Submarine. Lots of chatting too about what makes a good App / eBook and how to go about creating them - and of course some of the pitfalls - all of which I can talk about from first hand experience!!

Then it was a wind driven drive up to Launceston (I am sure the hire car was returned with the imprint of my fingers still in the steering wheel) to do it all again in the upstairs of Fullers Bookshop which was just a terrific setting, with carpet and nice comfy chairs, as well as at the Launceston library. But first things first ... before we got to Launceston we had to stop for some wine and cheese tastings along the way. Okay, I didn't partake of the wine swilling but I did sample lots of cheeses and we have returned to Sydney with more than a few wedges. We also took a stroll around town and came across the museum and I was just thriled to the core when we stumbled across the Albert Ullin exhibition of artwork from children's book creators. Yeah!


The final activity of the Tassie jaunt was to join Corinne and Claire for the regional SCBWI Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia gathering (Corrine is in charge of a few states and she does it so wonderfully well too!) again in the bookshop. It was wonderful to catch up and meet (some for the very first time) with the Tasmanian SCBWI members like Christina Booth, Julie Hunt, and Penny Garnsworthy, many of whom I have emailed with over lots of years.
What was super amazing and completely dumbfounded me was finding out about the status of specialists children's librarians in Tasmania. What specialist children's librarians? I don't think there are many in the state education system, and the community libraries are also devoid of children's specialist librarians. Oh that's right - we've gone digital so we don't need them! How short sighted! Children's specialist librarians are crucial to the efficient operation of any library. Teacher trained librarians are essential to put the right book into the hands of students; to find the right book (be it traditional or digital) for the teaching staff; to find the right website to support the teachers in their curriculum development and with the removal of essential curriculum staff in state education offices this is even more crucial; to choose the right books for the school libraries ... and so much more. I am amazed how authorities can consider that one central buying office for all branches, or the authority in head office, can decide the books that would be appropriate to all. You need a teacher trained librarian to decide the material for his or her school, surely! Or have we decided that homogenised education - the one size fits all policy - is the education of the future. No wonder the standards are slipping!
So, for the Tasmanian branch of the Children's Book Council three cheers for creating the booklet for parents and for getting out there and supporting parents and kids with advice about what to read.
with Christina BoothJust a few snaps of me in action:



contemplating that questionAnd just a few snaps of things discovered along the way!


 a few old bridges ... including the oldest surviving in Australia.




Alexandra Bridge at Launceston Gorge - we walked it of course!
doorway to .....



gathering recalcitrant sheep - the cheese is delicious
sheep jokes on the toilet wall!

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah;
We're happy little vegemites;

So what was the result of that day at the Powerhouse Museum with the ABC TV film crew?
... well I can't embed the ABC TV clip so here is the link. Go on. Have a look. You know I want you to!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-29/australian-inventions-that-changed-the-world/4287332
I thought this was going to be shown tomorrow morning (Sunday) but as it is already out there then obviously not! And yikes ... they even include some playing of the piano too (no commentary from me on that) except that i did have a few people watching and listening.
And I am now officially an amateur musician!

... with ABC TV and that was this afternoon's activity. In fact, straight after the radio session this morning it was off to the museum to have my photo taken for the museum collection - and to accompany an article I wrote for the museum's next magazine.



the black box flight recorder (and not a toaster!)
Then after a quick dash home (via Newtown for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat) it was back to the museum this afternoon for a session of filming with Debbie and the ABC TV crew that will be broadcast this weekend promoting Inventions and Innovations.

But imagine my joy when while sipping a latte Debbie rings and asks me if I can play the piano - oh JOY! And if you don't believe me ... then have a look at this. That IS me playing the Stuart and Sons piano! Thanks to my lovely Bini who didn't even tell me she was taking this. I was just tinkering around while the film crew set up!


and a few snaps too:

atmospheric photo
surprise!

... that was the message from Dot, my publicist at Random House, for the new book created with Linsay, Australia's Greatest Inventions and Innovations. And the Tardis is not some weak joking reference to the blue Dr. Who police box. It IS the Tardis at the ABC Radio Studios. The book is just about to be released and I have already rolled out a few newspaper interviews. This morning, Debbie Rudder (the wonderful curator from the Powerhouse who collated so much of the background material and who is like a living encyclopedia on the objects) was with me for the on-air chat with ABC Radio North Coast.
Lotsafun ... especially listening to Debbie and her humungous knowledge!



door text: ABC Tardis Radio Interview Booths, Master Control
In Tardis Booth 2 with Debbie Rudder

Ahh. The sweet smell of Dencorub and muscle linament filled the early moring train carriage. It must be the Sydney Running Festival - and then when we walked onto Milson's Point Station we definitely knew we were in the right place. Not only was the aroma so very, very strong but there were a gazillion bodies dressed in varying forms of running gear (and lots of lycra). And no - we weren't running. We were in the family and community groups section of the running festival. We strolled across the Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of the orange-clad Books In Homes crew. It was an absolute thrill to be part of the team (thanks Hester for organising our gathering) and we must have stood out because as we crossed the finish line (46 minute stroll) at the Botanical Gardens our team was congratulated over the PA system! Yeah for Books in Homes!

Not sure about Books in Homes? It is one of the organisations which I am delighted to be involved in. Books in Homes Australia’s vision is to re-awaken a sense of wonder in children and excitement in parents, by creating an Australia where every child and family has access to books of choice at home. There are Books in Homes Role Models across the country. We volunteer to inspire young readers and are featured in the Books in Homes catalogues, participate in school Book Giving Assemblies, and promote the enjoyment of reading ... something that is right down my alley!


Find out more about Books in Homes here. We are most definitley walking the bridge again with Books in Homes in next year!

Thursday was the annual Bookfeast gathering organised by the intrepid Teacher Librarian Michael Fraser from Haberfield Primary School ... which I might add is a spectacularly excellent school (even if I do say so myself and I am not too biased!)

Nearly 40 tables, more than 40 authors and illustrators, more than 300 students and their Teacher Librarians from primary and high schools gathered to feast on stuffed chicken fillets with roast potatoes and vegetables (I thought it was quite delicious but some of those lunching with me did not like the green gooey stuff oozing from the chicken) or a vegetarina pasta if you prefered; to listen to a spectacular Q&A session with a panel of authors - and they told all manner of crazy shenanigans; to listen to John Heffernan and Jacqueline Harvey tell of their new titles ... and of course to meet all the authors and illustrators. Our fathering was MC'd by the magnaplurious Duncan Ball. The creative types in attendance was a roll call of Sydney folk with a few extras like Andy Griffths thrown in. We, the creative type, had barely a chance to chit chat but I did get to exchange words with Anna Fienberg, Sarah Davis, Jacqueline Harvey, Peter Macinnis, Oliver Phommavanh, Lesley Vamos, Sue Whiting, John Heffernan and Belinda Murrell - and I did wave to a bunch more too across a very crowded room!


Events like this are glorious celebrations. They are wonderful fun and it is a thrill to spend time with the kids. A big hello to the kids who shared lunch with me from Lansvale and  Clempton Park. T'was rather nice feasting with you all!


Q&A panel

Lesley Vamos signing

... Umina Public School and St John the Baptist Primary at Woy Woy.

Book Bazaar is a lovely little independent bookshop at Umina and they organise a Book Week visit that is just a little different. They have arranged a Lunchtime Author Club with their local primary schools. The premise is simple. Kids who love books and have parents who support that love, sign up for a once a term lunch time meeting with an author or illustrator and they agree to buy one book per term. The kids are enthusiastic and excited about it and look forward to the announcement of who is coming next.

So here I am up at Umina Beach (perfect beach weather too) as the featured author for the term visiting the two schools and even squeezing in a coffee at lunchtime. I signed a nice bundle of books and of course I had fun! Yeah! And ... it is over sooo quickly too!

nice window display
me standing next to nice window display
some of the Umina Lunchtime Author Club crewAnd this is amazing! What a library here at St John the Baptist. It's big and they have a tent, slap bang in the middle of the library - the Reading Tent ... I have sat on Reading Chairs to present but never in a Reading Tent. This is totally fantasmagorical - worthy of a story or two for sure!

 smile!  oops. forgot to do up the shirt!

And I have already received messages:
I have already had great feedback from parents who had children attend and have returned home very enthusiastic. One Mum posted up on facebook pics of her boy at home getting started in his new ideas book!


Thanks once again for a wonderful visit! It was a perfect presentation – funny, interesting and most of all, inspiring for our kids. Great job!


Thanks Mandi at Book bazaar for organising the gig and the wonderful teacher librarians who support the club!

I am sure that I have mentioned this a number of times but one of the glorious things about being a children's book creator is meeting other magnaplurious children's book creators and not once, but twice in the past few days I have been able to feast with Linda Sue Park and her husband.

She was here for the Melbourne Writer's Festival last week and then jumped into the car and took the cruising road with her husband to Sydney - and now they have buzzed up north for the Brisbane Writer's Festival before they venture off somewhere else in Asia.

We had a few long chats, swapped books (I will deliver mine to her next year so that she doesn't have to cart it around on her current expedition) and we shared local dining treats - and some of the cake baekd with my hands too! Wonderful! Seven years ago when she was here with her kids as well as her husband, we caught up then too. That time I forgot to get her to sign the visitors book but that slip of the brain is now rectified!

Thankfully Linda Sue is also on the SCBWI board so I am able to see her at least once a year! Yeah!
Just a lovely time!

swapping our latest creations
just because

Nearly at the tail end of Book Week / Month and one of my final vists for this year was to the lovely school at Dobroyd Point. I know this school quite well as it is near my old stomping ground -- where I spent my early years in primary and high school! And I also visited this school a few years ago so it was lovely to be welcomed back to the school.

The librarians have done a splendid Sounds Spooky investigation in the primary grades - in fact throughout most of the school - so it was wonderful to be able to chit chat to the students about the inspiration behind the book ... some of the students even knew the house that was solidly in my brain when I wrote the text. Thankfully, there was no one who now lives in the Sounds Spooky house althrough there was one student who does live very close to my old house, and also to the Sounds Spooky inspiration house!
And I realised this afternoon too that I don't have a picture of the house so straight after school it was a quick drive and here is the house that was clearly in my head when I wrote Sounds Spooky. It still looks a little like the house that I remember - complete with creaking squeaking gate (left hand corner of photo) although the trees are taller and bushier.



First session this morning at Dobroyd Point School was with years 3 and 4. Lots of tales about writing and books and inspiration and idea generation. I prattled on for ages. Then I glanced at the hall clock and the session was done ... with barely a question asked but at we did talk about Sounds Spooky and Python too!
Straight on to Year 5 and more Sounds Spooky, and a discussion on historical fction too ... but then the real task - writing narratives. Like most folks there were quite a few stumbles as I told them to write about anything they would like to write about. The need for inspiration and ideas was discussed and then the writing continued. I was rather intrigued about a car - the name of which was new to me and which I could not pronounce ... but for one student it was an easy writing task. He knew absolutely everything about the car (which caused much laughter when I called it a gazzoomby umby car)! A chat about descriptions and details and plotting and planning and then we were already at lunch break time (love the lunch time before midday). After lunch it was the turn for year 6 with a session much the same as year 5.

My school day done it was a few minutes drive to my old stomping ground for photos and time to sit in my car and remember!

Today was definitely a day of memories of growing up, of my early years in Haberfield, of vines and creapers, of gmaes and schools, or walking home, of playing in a tree house that I built, of the old house and those spooky sounds.

Thanks Barbara for organsing a lovely day.

Book Week for some of us visiting authors and illustrators has stretched into Book Month and today found me in the library of OLQP at Gladesville.

For the past 6 weeks the library has been doing all things to do with shortlisted books - a short list of books chosen by the students from the books in their library! What fun it was with the OLQP characters - and they ARE characters. I have attended many Book Week parades in my time as a visiting author but never have I had the chance to host the gathering. Today I did! I MC'd the Book Week character parade and it was so wonderful to see character costumes that have been lovingly created from the 'things around the house' with the characters chosen from teh school's shortlist books. And there were heaps! Three amazing boys dressed up as the Three Aunties from Nick Bland's hilarious  Aunties Three, There were many Terrys and Andys from Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton's 13 Storey Tree House - and from the same book there was also one creative student who came dressed as the pillow room with numerous pillows strapped to his body. Ingenious. a spooky haunting of ghosts from Sounds Spooky and a gathering of kids who were exploring the haunted house too complete with teddy bears and torches and even cameras made from boxes! Yeah! I wonder why I liked these soooo much! prominent were the protesting students carrying placards, and fairy tale characters who were adorned with No Bears ... plus a few who wanted Bears! a wonderfully attired Grace from the Our Australian Girl books. The school was also extremely powerfully protected too for there were many ninjas silently and secretly patrolling the grounds from Moonshadow - the Wrath of Silverwolf.Huge congratulations to the adults who helped create the wonderful costumes, and who joined in the celebration watching the parade in the morning. It was wonderful seeing so much enthusiasm and camera flashes and so much laughter and giggling going on. There will be some very embarrassing photos shown at future 18th birthday parties. And HUGE congratulations to ALL the teachers who dressed up for the day and joined in the celebrations! Just look at some of the crew ... I think they had fun!


As well as being MC for the morning I spoke to all the grades - about my favourite subject - ME!
But along with the super book week parade there was a special lunchtime feast for the School Librarians, the Principal, Library staff and the visiting book creator - ME! Quiche, salad, soft drinks, cupcakes ... yummo! And this year Gemma was presented with the Library Monitor badge for her sterling work in the library ... I  have been hearing all year how wonderful she is in the library so this is a well deserved recognition.

Gemma's Library Monitor badge being pinned



Gemma and Shauna with Miss Bini (one of the three aunties) and Me
Now I will say that I adore this school but then I am a little biased, which might have something to do with the fact that I am married to the Teacher Librarian!

Thanks OLQP for hosting me at your school and for such a fun filled day!