reading stories and drawing pictures...

Monkey & Robot seem to come in and out of our lives...there was obviously a buzz a couple of years ago when the books first came out, and then things went a bit quiet. I have done various book festivals and school visits- introducing monkey and robot to lots and lots of excited nippers.  Monkey & Robot have even got pie in the sky ideas about being made into an animation - but we'll let that one float in the sky for a bit longer before we can get genuinely giddy...

But on a more domestic level, M&R have been making quite a big feature in our lives as our little girl, Ursula is falling for them.  Whenever the car doors steam up, she asks me to draw monkey & robot, when we have been planting seeds in the garden over the last few weeks, she quotes from 'in the garden'  "bigger and bigger and BIGGER!"when we talk about 'friends' she says "like monkey & Robot"...its really nice. I makes me feel really proud.

After a kick up the bum back in march for World Book day, I went into a brilliant school and talked about illustration (having to give a whole school 30 minute assembly...aggghhh!!) and then ran a couple of workshops, I was reminded that although I get pretty nervous beforehand, I absolute LOVE going into schools and feel like I get lots out of it and see little brilliant brains being a little bit interested in stuff I say too- which is blummin ace.

So on a domestic level, I asked Ursula's nursery if they'd like me to come in and do a session..they said yes please! I suddenly realised I hadn't read to such a young audience before, but they were brilliant, a couple of cry breaks- and not from me! One of the 'practitioners' afterwards said she couldn't believe I'd managed to get 18 x 2 years all listening and interacting so beautifully. I have to say it did feel pretty amazing!

So today and on tuesday, I went and visited my neices' school. The eldest is a bit too old for M&R now, but I did stop in for an end of day story with Rosa's class, who were gorgeous; thoughtful, funny, clever, responsive, delighted- you know just what you want a reception class to be like! And I also did  a couple of sessions with the nursery group. Just like Ursula is falling for M&R - I'm sort of falling for them again- seeing the delight these silly wee stories brought. Its not high art or anything, but books are pretty special. Today we actually got to do some drawing too. It was really really brill. Small people drawing - totally awesome (in the real meaning of the world, not the american teenager-Bill n Ted kinda way!!)