Yr 4M at Wordplay

It was a very excited group of year 4M students who boarded the bus yesterday for a trip into the Cultural Precinct at South Bank to attend Word Play sessions conducted by well-known Australian authors. The class had won a competition run by The Courier Mail, which gave this group of children free entry into the festival for the day. To start the day, children were treated to a puppet show and reading of  Hatched, the first book in the 'The Grimstones' series by author Asphyxia - a hearing impaired circus performer, puppeteer and author. Following morning tea, the children had a hilarious half-hour with Andy Griffiths, author of the very popular 'Just...' series and 'The 26 Storey Tree House', his latest work. The children then had lunch out on the grass, entertained by street performers from QUT. Finally, the children attended Alison Lester's session and learnt lots about the publishing process. Alison is a prolific and much-loved author and we have many of her titles in our library. The children were extremely engaged all day and asked some great questions of the authors. The highlight may well have been Book Signing, when the children were able to get autographs from their favourite authors. Thanks to Mrs Griffiths who organised the day and the parent helpers who came along to help. It was a memorable day!

This what a couple of the children who attended had to say:

 Wordplay

Our names are Indiah and Keely and we are in Class 4M at St Anthony's Catholic Primary School, Alexandra Hills. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Writers' Festival at Wordplay. We loved meeting Andy Griffiths, Alison Lester and Asphyxia. Andy Griffiths talked to us about his new book called 'The 26 Storey Treehouse' and another good book called 'Just Doomed!'. His books are very funny and interesting and we recommend you read them. Alison Lester spoke about her life and the books that have influenced her writing. We also spoke to Asphyxia and we learnt a lot about her as she has had some tough times throughout her life. Asphyxia is deaf which has made her writing career harder than usual. Her book 'Grimstones' is extraordinary, considering her troubles.

We would like to thank 'The Courier Mail' for this wonderful and creative opportunity. Our class had so much fun learning about the authors and their lives!

Take a look at a slideshow of the day!