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PAM ROYDS 1924 - 2016

Pam Royds on Grasmere , 1971 with Sally Christie, children’s author and daughter of Philippa Pearce. I was just twenty two when I fir...

About Me

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United Kingdom
My blog is about writing and illustrating children's books which I have been doing since 1974. www.gillianmcclure.com has all my books. I also have another blog: www.paulcoltman.blogspot.com where I publish my father's poems.

Friday, 27 June 2014

ILLUSTRATOR FAIR




 Last Sunday some SCBWI members were taking part in the first ever Illustrator Fair. No one knew what to expect. It was held in a newly developed area near Kings Cross.
 I followed the signs from the station, 
led on by the illustrations along the way, 
passed the open square of water spouts,
and the brand new House of Illustration, into an area of stands  
and found SCBWI friends and colleagues setting up.
We displayed our artwork and sold our books and all had a great day!



Thursday, 12 June 2014

AN ISLAND SCHOOL

This is the smallest school I’ve ever visited – Kilchattan Primary School on the Isle of Colonsay.
My workshop was for an hour and I based it on two of my picture books that were inspired by the island, Selkie and We’re Going toBuild a Dam.

I worked with the whole school at once – here they are – all five of them – all different year groups!
At the end of the session, one of the boys asked if I’d like to see the school hens in the field at the back of the school. They had a lovely hen house built by the father of one of the girls. I asked whether they were troubled by foxes and was told there were no foxes on the island – “except,” said the son of the driver of the refuse lorry, “when one came over from the mainland on the ferry in my Dad’s lorry.”
Well there’s an idea for a story!
    I was over for The Islands Book Trust conference, celebrating the heritage of Colonsay and Donald Mackinnon. There was a photo of the old school and an account by Donald Mackinnon of his school days there in the 1840s and 50s. The school house was low and whitewashed on the outside; walls blackened by peat inside and two doorways but no doors. In the winter, to keep out the cold, the doorways were packed with furze until it all got burnt on the central fire. Then the furze was replaced with straw until that was eaten by cattle. The pupils wrote on slate with goose quills. Tables and benches were slabs of stone. Outside they played shinty.
    The day before the conference started I hired a bike and set off  for Balnahard and the beach. I passed the children in the school bus. They waved and I felt sorry for them; it was the most glorious day. Here are some sketches: