Award-winning children’s author Nadia Shireen inspires local school pupils

Award-winning author and illustrator Nadia Shireen recently spoke to and performed to more than 350 pupils from across the region during a special event at Yarm School’s Princess Alexandra Auditorium.

Pupils from Layfield Primary School, Priors’ Mill Primary School, Brambles Primary School, Junction Farm Primary School, and Yarm Primary School gathered for an interactive morning with Nadia, who shared her journey as a writer and illustrator.

Nadia, known for books such as Good Little Wolf and Barbara Throws a Wobbler, has received multiple accolades, including the UKLA Book Award. She has also been shortlisted for prestigious honours such as the Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and the Laugh Out Loud Book Awards.

The event began with storytelling, as Nadia discussed her creative process and the inspiration behind her latest book, Grimwood: Party Animals. One of the highlights of the session was a live draw-along, where pupils enthusiastically sketched Eric Dynamite, the woodlouse narrator of the Grimwood series.

The visit, coordinated by Drake the Bookshop, was rounded off with a book signing session and an opportunity for the children to spend some one-on-one time with Nadia.

Richard Drake from Drake The Bookshop commented: “It is always a joy to do author events with schools and even better when those events become multi-school events. Yarm School is a great partner and working together allows hundreds of children from across the region the chance to engage with and meet an author. Nadia was brilliantly engaging, funny and informative on all things writing and drawing. The pupils responded with (as ever) some great questions AND drawings!

Seeing children with a book and a smile on their face as they left the event was a real privilege and something we will never stop enjoying. Reading is a Superpower and we consider it an honour to be able to help children become even better Superheroes.”

David Boddy, Head of Co-Curriculum & Partnerships at Yarm School added: “We love welcoming Drake the Bookshop and inspiring authors like Nadia into our school. Seeing so many children engaged and enthusiastic about books reinforces the importance of reading for pleasure. We are proud to support partnership events that bring schools together and allow children from across the Tees Valley to explore new opportunities.”

Yarm School organises a programme of workshops and events for Primary Schools, including Microbits workshops, Virtual Reality sessions, Singing days, STEM days, Sports afternoons and more. For more information contact partnerships@yarmschool.org.