TWO children's authors delighted pupils with their magical tales at a book festival in Cirencester.
Pupils from 12 schools in the Cirencester area were invited to two workshops on Friday, March 8 to mark a special chapter of The Corinium Education Trust's Year of Reading.
The project promotes reading for pleasure and aims to ensure all pupils can read at least in line with their chronological reading age.
During the morning, Key Stage One pupils excitedly gathered at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester to listen to Tracey Corderoy's talk about her Shifty McGifty and Slippery Sam book.
Many attendees were on the edge of their seats, eager to hear about all the mischief the characters got up to in the book.
Tracey said: "It was a wonderful atmosphere celebrating the magic of stories.
"Such a valuable event to be a part of."
Later in the afternoon, Cirencester author Steve Skinley shared his new book The Otherlands with children in Key Stage Two.
In his initial slide show, he communicated a strong sense of place which was conjured up from his own childhood memories.
This was illustrated with photos of the local area which many in the audience instantly recognised.
Steve invited the children to explore the wonders of Cirencester and create their own characters.
Using Steve's memorable characters as inspiration, Grace from Chesterton Primary School created Red Fluff Man.
Grace said: "His work is so imaginative, I will use his book as inspiration for the book I am writing."
Following their engaging workshops, both authors signed books for the children and took the time to learn a little more about each child's reading interests and habits.
Chiquita Henson, trust lead (CEO) at Corinium Education Trust, said: "It has been a privilege to see schools coming together to explore ways in which we can overcome common challenges by working collaboratively.
"Our Year of Reading focuses on engaging the most reluctant readers, equipping them with the skills necessary and inspiring them to become even better readers.
"I am grateful to Rachael Scott who is co-ordinating the project and for her extraordinary and incredibly supportive networks."
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