Searching for material to include in the leaflet for my exhibition at Newby Hall, I came across some childhood work: stories I wrote and illustrated in the late 1950s and early 1960s. One was the adventures of our dog, Grippa; another, Black Tentacles, was set in 'one of the Phillippine Islands' - terrible spelling in both.
I wonder where I found my facts for the second story: is there a Sulu Sea and are Hikuai and Tojo really Philippine names? I failed the Eleven Plus exam around this time for letting my imagination run riot and not sticking to the facts.
In Black Tentacles, I got round the problem of not being able to spell by making my younger sister type it out so any errors are typos. I also charged sixpence if anyone wanted to read my story. I do hope I gave a cut of the profits to my poor, put-upon sister.
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