Category: News

Author, Illustrator and ex-Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell visited Tower Hamlets for World Book Day – Thursday 1^st March 2018!

A huge thank you to all the schools who braved the conditions and managed, by hook or by crook, to bring a class to one of the Chris Riddell events today. Chris himself said he was just doing what he loves doing – sitting and drawing and talking about his drawings!  And this was exactly what he did, interspersed with some reading from some of his books – which then immediately sold out at the bookstall outside.

He even answered the questions with drawings – and the lucky questioners were able to take those drawings away with them so there were quite a few very excited children leaving clutching these valuable bits of paper.

For those schools who pre-ordered books but were unable to come – we have your order here at the Schools Library Service, so you can either come and collect if you want them immediately, or over the next few weeks we will arrange to deliver them to the school.  Please get in touch if you are one of those schools.

Pea Green Boat Books will also be in touch with everyone with a special offer of signed copies of books for the next week or so.

Special thanks to Canary Wharf Group Plc for enabling this event to take place at the Genesis Cinema.

Donald “Trump” drawn live to loud applause.

Chris signing books after the morning presentation.

Recounting a story about meeting two of the worst politicians in British history.

From http://www.globallearninglondon.org/current-projects/angel-of-poplar/

Angel of Poplar : A HEC Global Learning Centre project

On 13 June, 1917, Upper North School (now Mayflower Primary School) was bombed. A centenary of the event was held on 15th June, to remember 18 children who lost their lives.

Over the past year, HEC Global Learning Centre has been working with schools in Poplar and beyond to think together about the causes of conflict, how we can live together and what constitutes constructive peace.
Using the bombing of Upper North School 100 years ago as our starting point, we explored the history of Poplar, its stories and people, as well as what it means to us as a place today. We considered how the tragedy that left 18 children and 150 people dead all those years ago in East London, is connected to the making of 1000 origami cranes in a place as far as Japan.

This project is dedicated to the children who continue to lead unstable lives under the terror and violence of war and conflict today.

Special thanks to Linda Barker, John Varah, Hazel Varah and Same Sky.

We are proud of our children for counting the Queen as one of their guests for the day.

Kim Slater’s ‘Smart’ was voted best book by Tower Hamlets pupils in the 2015 Tower Hamlets Book Award.

Kim was presented with the award at the grand finale at Swanlea Secondary School on Friday 27th November.

Kim previously wrote about how impressed she was with pupils’ work based on her book when she visited schools this month

Link : A TRIP TO TERRIFIC TOWER HAMLETS!

“Smart” is a powerful story of an autistic young boy with a difficult home life trying to discover the mystery behind the death of a homeless man in his neighbourhood.  Kim Slater occasionally uses tough language to deal with issues of homelessness, domestic violence and neglect as well as telling an exciting and gripping adventure / detective story.

Nearly 300 pupils and teachers attended the award from 29 schools to watch performances based on the shortlisted books and find out which book would win the coveted Tower Hamlets Book Award.

Manjot Bami, Swanlea School’s librarian, made the announcement to loud cheers from the audience who clearly agreed with the vote!

Present at the finale were four of the shortlisted authors who met pupils and signed books throughout the afternoon – Kim Slater, Sam Gayton, G.R. Gemin, and Polly Ho-yen. The Schools Library Service would like to thank Manjot Bami and all of the staff at Swanlea Secondary School for all of their help and for letting us use their hall, and to Bow Secondary School for loaning us a stage!

 

St Pauls Primary School won the presentation competition – appropriately based on Smart. Blue Gate Fields Juniors were commended on their performance of Lilliput by Sam Gayton.

Winners of the bookmark competition were also awarded prizes and will see their work in print in 2016. The winners were:

• Aniqa Ahmed from Marion Richardson School
• Hafsa Uddin from Woolmore School
• Janna Firdaws from Marion Richardson School
• Mahmuda Begum from Lansbury Lawrence School
• Maria Aziz from Old Palace School
• Yasmeen Ayesha Raynor from Old Palace School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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