Author Visits: Parklands Primary

I want to say a massive THANK YOU to legendary Headteacher Chris Dyson, inspirational librarian Aimee Allpress, and all the amazing children and staff I met when I visited Parklands Primary School!

I had seen pictures of Mr Dyson's incredible assemblies on Twitter, but I was absolutely blown by the joyful atmosphere in the assembly, where I handed out certificates to some brilliant young readers, writers & mathematicians!

It was then a total pleasure to talk to Years 6, 5, 4 and 3 about reading, writing and books.  Mr Dyson had with incredible generosity bought a copy of my new book TYGER for every single child, and at the end of these sessions, it was an extraordinary and wonderful thing to hand them out as gifts to everyone.

At the end of the day, the brilliant school librarian Aimee Allpress showed me the display they'd made about my books in the library, and inducted me as an honorary member into the school's Parklands Perusers reading club, and gave me a badge that I will wear with pride!

Thank you so much again for a truly memorable school visit!  Happy Christmas – and Happy Reading Every Day – to everyone at Parklands!

Author Visits: East Hunsbury Primary

I'd like to say a huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to Kathryn Pennington, Ruth DeChastelain, and all the amazing students and staff I met when I had the pleasure of visiting East Hunsbury Primary School last week!

I had a sense that this might be a brilliant visit when the school posted a picture of their librarian dressed as a tiger, with a copy of my new book TYGER!  

This is definitely a school that works tirelessly to inspire the love of reading, and it was wonderful to talk to Years 6, 5, 4 and 3 about reading and writing and books, and to hear all about their favourites.  

What I was not prepared for was the fact that they had decorated their doors with book covers – and put some of my books among them, alongside some of my own favourites!

It was a total pleasure to sign books at the end of the day for everyone who wanted a book.  But if anyone missed out and would like a signed book, you can order one from Pea Green Boat Books, who did the bookselling on the day.  And if anyone from East Hunsbury would like to ask me another question, or to say anything about the visit, just leave me a comment below!

TYGER interviews & conversations!

If you'd like to know more about my new book TYGER – I've done quite a few interviews about it lately that you might enjoy.

Here's a video of an online event I did with The Blake Society, where I talked about TYGER with the brilliant bookseller and artist Tamsin Rosewell.  We covered lots of topics in our conversation, especially how it was inspired by the work of William Blake, and his great poem The Tyger:

If you'd rather read something than watch a video, here's a written Q&A interview I did with the Tyger Tale blog.  I think this is one of the best-named and most brilliant of all children's books blogs, and they asked me lots of great questions about TYGER, including its connections to my earlier books, like Varjak Paw.  They also featured lots of Dave McKean's beautiful artwork from TYGER, such as this incredible image:

If you're looking for a longer interview, here's a really thoughtful conversation I had with the critic Imogen Russell Williams for Books For Keeps – the UK's leading children's books magazine.  We talked a lot about TYGER's roots in my own life and experiences, and went into a lot of detail about the inspirations for both the story and the artwork.

And finally, if you want to read something a little different, here's an interview that takes the form of a walk through the world of TYGER, in the company of the terrific children's literature blogger Nick Campbell.  This is one of the most original and interesting pieces I've seen about the book, and I hope you enjoy it too!

TYGER - more reviews!

I've been absolutely blown away to see the responses to TYGER!  Nine years is a very long time to spend writing a book, but all the hard work feels more than worthwhile when I see responses like this...

TYGER was picked as The Times Children's Book Of The Week by Alex O'Connell.  The review is behind a paywall, but she described it as "spectacular" and "another roaring success".

TYGER was also children's book of the week in The Sun, whose reviewer Zak Hope apparently couldn't put it down!

There are so many great books being released this autumn. I absolutely loved Sometimes People Die by @TheSimonBot and my Zak (I've got him working for his keep) couldn't put Tyger by @WhatSFSaid down. Thanks to @williamjtodd and @JDWhitelaw13 for your reviews too! pic.twitter.com/pkRFDB1vMQ

— natashahardingwrites (@natashahwrites) October 14, 2022

Meanwhile, Louisa Farrow's wonderful review on Reading Zone described TYGER as "absorbing, uplifting and joyous - my book of the year so far. Buy it, read it, share it!"  

It was a children's book of the month on LoveReading4Kids, where Tricia Adams described it as "much anticipated and destined to be a classic that will be taught everywhere."

One of my favourite reviews was this long one on the children's literature blog Achuka, which gives lots of detail and context, and concludes: "it is important to recognise when some books, and some authors, reach extraordinary heights of excellence. SF Said has done so with this novel."

Another review that meant a lot to me came on the Library Lady blog, where Anne Thompson wrote: "Tyger is a wonderful example of why children’s books matter and will, I think, be a book that today’s generation of young readers will remember and refer back to as adults."

I loved Laura Ovendon's review for Just Imagine, which said: "For me, this novel deserves to become a children’s classic. It belongs in every school library and will inspire many, many children, teachers and librarians."

The literacy charity BookTrust described TYGER as "a thought-provoking, profound, political and spiritual book... a book to cherish and read again", while Alison Leach picked TYGER as a book of the month for BooksForTopics, and said: "SF Said's fanbase will be thrilled to read this new adventure - laced with danger, edged with fantasy and packed to the core with thinking and discussion points that link to very real issues in society."

And here's one last TYGER review for now, from the Inkdrinker blog, who totally made my day by concluding: "Said says he thinks this is his best book yet. It’s actually one of the best you will ever read: a true classic has been born."

A huge and heartfelt THANK YOU to all these writers and publications for covering TYGER and writing such amazing things about it - it means more than I can say!

TYGER is published today!

My new book TYGER is finally published today! I think it's my best book yet, and I hope you love it as much as I do. I hope you love Dave McKean's incredible artwork too – I think it's some of the best he's ever done!

Here are some places where you can buy TYGER:

Waterstones 

Amazon

Foyles

Blackwell's

Find your local independent bookshop

Incredible TYGER artwork!

I've just made a short video of Dave McKean's incredible art on the front, back and spine of TYGER!  Please do watch, it's a thing of beauty.  

And if you'd like to pre-order a copy, you can find all the information on this link to my publishers' page for the book.

TYGER early reviews!

There have been some amazing early reviews for my new book TYGER!

It was Editor's Choice for October children's books in The Bookseller magazine, where Charlotte Eyre gave it this wonderful review:

TYGER has also had amazing reviews on various blogs!  Here's the verdict from Through The Bookshelf:

It was everything I had hoped for - and more. The word ‘masterpiece’ is often bandied around, but in this case, I feel it is truly justified. I loved 'Tyger' and, for me, it is easily SF Said’s best book so far.

Here's Kate Heap's review on Scope For Imagination:

Where do I even begin with this incredible book? An adventure woven with mythology, magic and the power of the human spirit, Tyger by SF Said is a story to be internalised and drawn upon again and again. This book is destined to last – it already has a classic feel.

And here's Dawn Finch on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: 

Varjak Paw is an absolute classic and with books like Phoenix adding to the Said shelf it is clear that there was a lot of weight and expectation on Tyger. Breathe easy, it delivers. In spades. There is no doubt that this book earns one of those rare spots on the shelf marked "Future Classics".

A huge thank you to all these writers for their amazing reviews – after the nine years it took me write Tyger, these words mean more than I can say! 

TYGER video!

I'm very excited to share a short video about new book TYGER!  Watch this if you want to know more about the story and its inspirations:

Please do share this video with anyone who wants to know more about TYGER – and if you want to pre-order a copy, here are some helpful links from my publishers:

Waterstones

Blackwell's

Foyles

Bookshop:org

Amazon

Find a local independent bookshop

TYGER is available to order now!

I have some incredible news.  After 9 and a half years of work, we finally sent my new book TYGER to the printers yesterday!  This is the final version, fully illustrated by the brilliant Dave McKean, who illustrated my other books.  

And TYGER is now available to pre-order!  You can reserve your copy, so it will be delivered to you first, as soon as it's published on October 6th.  Here's a helpful list of links my publishers have put together, of various places where you can buy it:

Waterstones

Blackwell's

Foyles

Bookshop:org

Amazon

Find a local independent bookshop

And just to give you a taste of it – here's a sample of Dave's incredible artwork from the book, with Adam and the tyger...

TYGER - first reactions!

My publishers have been sending proof copies of my new book TYGER out to various readers in the past few weeks – authors, booksellers, teachers, librarians – and it is amazing to see people's reactions coming in.  I worked on this book for 9 years, so it means more than I can say to read responses like these:

It took @whatSFSaid nine years to write #Tyger (artwork from @DaveMcKean ) but it will still be read in a hundred years. This sublime, shimmering Blakeian fantasy - for children and adults alike - thrills, enlarges and heals the soul in equal measure. An out and out masterpiece. pic.twitter.com/EBggCkKzBj

— Piers Torday 🇺🇦 (@PiersTorday) June 19, 2022

  

I was so excited to read #Tyger. Nervous too, because my hopes were so high. But it is phenomenal. This is a book which will stay with children for the rest of their lives and shape their imaginations & the way they see the world. Congratulations @whatSFSaid it is extraordinary. pic.twitter.com/3zLgoE8Z1Y

— Kate Ereira (@klereira) June 10, 2022

 

What a book!!!

Nine years in the writing and completely and utterly worth every ounce of effort and painstaking toil. “TYGER” by @whatSFSaid is an utter masterpiece. Powerful, beautiful and totally unafraid. Outstanding achievement. Can’t wait to see the fully finished version pic.twitter.com/BVV2ZDVnDk

— Simon Smith (@smithsmm) June 10, 2022

 

You wait years and years for a masterpiece and then one comes along. Blimey @whatSFSaid pic.twitter.com/IxaJ3bAZFd

— Frank Cottrell-Boyce (@frankcottrell_b) June 16, 2022

 

#TYGER by @whatSFSaid, illustrated by @DaveMcKean

What on earth do I say about this?

Absolutely blown away and don't know how I'm going to wait until October to read it all over again with every one of Dave McKean's illustrations.

I have a new favourite book!@DFB_storyhouse pic.twitter.com/fU8ls9bakP

— Miss Cleveland 📖🌻 (@MissNCleveland) June 9, 2022

 

Finished this this morning. As good as expected! Like William Blake & C.S. Lewis & Diana Wynne Jones & Pullman & Aiken got rescued from a whirlwind by @whatSFSaid & made into something new & visionary & exciting & hopeful & deeply-dreamt & truly-lived. (With @DaveMcKean too.) pic.twitter.com/MDsXrv2pjL

— A.F. Harrold (@afharrold) June 12, 2022

I have finished Tyger by @whatSFSaid. I LOVED it so much. A masterpiece of a story: beautiful, brilliant, perfect! https://t.co/gQUz6XsALX

— Peter Bunzl (@peterbunzl) June 12, 2022

I was supposed to get all my other jobs done first… but I weakened and read it from cover to beautiful cover. Honed and chiselled over nine years, TYGER made my heart burst with its relevance. True food for the soul ⁦@whatSFSaid⁩ ⁦⁦@DFB_storyhouse⁩ pic.twitter.com/lINZDWesdQ

— Dr Laura Ovenden 🇺🇦 (@OvendenLaura) June 12, 2022

Finished at three in the morning but it was worth it. #Tyger is everything I hoped it would be & a whole lot more. The @whatSFSaid @DaveMcKean & @DFB_storyhouse combination have produced something incredible. However high your expectations are for this book, it will exceed them. pic.twitter.com/nBJErAZw5T

— Jon Biddle (@jonnybid) June 12, 2022

Watch out for Tyger by @whatSFSaid What a glorious triumph of a book. pic.twitter.com/quU2e25xFD

— Berlie Doherty (@BerlieDoherty) June 18, 2022

"... you should never stop questioning the world and everything in it; wondering how it could be different." This book is magnificent. This #Tyger burns bright. @whatSFSaid @DaveMcKean @DFB_storyhouse pic.twitter.com/rsDTPCoAeN

— Gill Ward (@fortislibbie) June 19, 2022

Tyger @whatSFSaid is breathtaking, in turns heartbreaking and achingly beautiful. Imagination-stirring, wise and thought provoking, it will make a brilliant class read. Cover art and internal illustrations by @DaveMcKean. Publishing with @DFB_storyhouse Oct '22. pic.twitter.com/TLfIW9OE2I

— Sophie Anderson (@sophieinspace) June 22, 2022

I am taking this book VERY slowly. There are moments when I have to stop reading because the writing is so breathtaking, I can’t read on. Some passages are like nothing else I’ve read and so intensely vivid I have to remind myself that I’m not *there*. Uniquely inspiring. #Tyger pic.twitter.com/tZa0EAuN8V

— Ben Harris (@one_to_read) June 21, 2022

TYGER COVER REVEAL!!!

I am beyond excited to share this with you all at last – Dave McKean's stunning cover for my new book TYGER, which will be published by David Fickling Books this October 2022!

Isn't that incredible?!  People have been talking about it a lot on Twitter.  Here's an interesting thread where they're discussing all the little details you can see if you look closely...  

What can YOU see?  If you're on Twitter – why not join in the conversation?

TYGER is coming in October!

I have some big news!  It's just been officially announced that my new book TYGER will be published this October 2022 by David Fickling Books!

It's official! It took me 9 long, hard years to write it, but my new book TYGER will be published this October 2022 by @DFB_storyhouse, with stunning illustrations by @DaveMcKean, who also illustrated Varjak Paw & Phoenix. I think TYGER is even better - my best book so far! https://t.co/T8ppJ8qff8

— SF Said (@whatSFSaid) March 1, 2022

It was announced in The Bookseller magazine; you can read the full article by clicking on the link, but here are a few highlights!

"David Fickling Books has landed Tyger, the fourth novel from SF Said, marking the return of his partnership with illustrator Dave McKean.

The synopsis for Tyger reads: “In a strange alternate world, where the British Empire has never ended, a young boy called Adam has uncovered something incredible in a rubbish dump in London – a mysterious, mythical, magical animal.  A Tyger.”

Commissioning editor Rosie Fickling said: “Tyger isn’t just a book, it’s a gateway into another world.  A world where we all have sparks, hidden powers, inside of us.  It’s the kind of book where you start to wonder: What if? Could it be?  I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in this story with SF throughout the editorial process and I can’t wait to see the same light in readers’ eyes that I feel in me now.  After reading, I hope they also find themselves increasingly noticing the world around them, looking more closely at a flower, at a grain of sand – and perhaps, every time they smell honeysuckle, hopefully whispering ’Is the Tyger nearby?’”

SF Said said: “I believe Tyger is my best book so far.  I wanted to write a story even more exciting than Varjak Paw, and even more ambitious than Phoenix.  It’s taken me nine long, hard years to do it but I am thrilled to be publishing it at last this year – the Year of the Tiger.”

I will tweet and post more about TYGER in the weeks and months to come - starting with a cover reveal of Dave McKean's incredible artwork next week!

World Book Day 2022

Happy World Book Day 2022!  I'm in favour of anything that celebrates books and reading, so I love World Book Day!  I made a video again this year, and it's been amazing to see that go out into classrooms, libraries and homes around the world. I also love seeing all the different ways that people have found to celebrate their favourite books. So here are some of the brilliant pictures I've seen this year, with thanks to everyone involved!

Celebrating World Book Day and his favourite book 🐈‍⬛ pic.twitter.com/8rWAnfknBo

— Francesca (@franmathew) March 3, 2022

 

World Book Day SWJS @whatSFSaid We LOVE Phoenix! Today is all about reading our favourite book, making comics and trailers all based around Phoenix! Watch out for more photos later but here’s Bixa to start us off! pic.twitter.com/hMJMV6rdlM

— Mrs Banks (@mbaswjs) March 3, 2022

 

@whatSFSaid we are celebrating #WorldBookDay and these year 6 girls have all dressed as cats from Varjak Paw - one of our favourite books! Don’t they look purrrrfect?! #lovereading #readingforpleasure 📚📚 pic.twitter.com/06HyiGsM1G

— Hilderthorpe Primary (@HilderthorpeSch) March 3, 2022

The world's biggest Varjak Paw fan has come dressed as her favourite character for #worldbookday2022 #WorldBookDay @whatSFSaid pic.twitter.com/qZhxL5ldqW

— Griffin Primary School (@griffinprimary) March 3, 2022

@swalneyj World Book Day has started at South Walney Juniors. Lots and lots and lots of reading today both of Phoenix by @whatSFSaid and Cosmic @frankcottrell_b pic.twitter.com/xqXvx0GN4Y

— Mrs Banks (@mbaswjs) March 3, 2022

Our decorated door for #WorldBookDay @whatSFSaid 5GA love Varjak Paw pic.twitter.com/q9Og3V39BI

— Kingsley Community (@KingsleyLpool) March 3, 2022

Reading one of my favourite books for #WorldBookDay @whatSFSaid @MissCartwright8 #GangstaGranny @CognitaSchools pic.twitter.com/iJBTQnFpNw

— Nicola Sands 💙 (@nsands4) March 3, 2022

Y6 listening to SF Said on World Book Day and exploring his books this morning. @whatSFSaid pic.twitter.com/EfYEc42lhr

— Charborough Road (@CharboroughRd) March 3, 2022

Children in year 3 enjoyed reading their own books to the class and creating a new front cover for our core story ‘Varjak Paw’ to celebrate World Book Day 📚 pic.twitter.com/pMhswZDvJ2

— stmatthewsce (@stmatthewsce) March 3, 2022

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Little Miss Sunshine and Varjak Paw amongst others #wbd22 #worldbookday #gpaenglish pic.twitter.com/laB3kqR64Q

— Greenacres Year 5 (@GreenacresYear5) March 3, 2022

The Gruffalo and Varjak Paw for us today! pic.twitter.com/Gzr6J9Daa7

— Sophie Conway (@sofielofie) March 3, 2022

Varjak Paw silently, but compassionately, supports 🇺🇦 #WorldBookDay #globalcitizen #compassion #StandWithUkraine️ @smiskobe @whatSFSaid pic.twitter.com/JGvtR0S7JD

— Padmaria (@AriaPadma) March 4, 2022

Storm Class loved creating shadow puppets to show our favourite scene from VarJak Paw with the help of @PhilWickins narrating. @whatSFSaid #WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/pHLjHOnxDj

— CharterYr4 (@CharterYr4) March 4, 2022

@whatSFSaid Good morning sir. My little boy wanted to dress as, Varjak Paw for world book day. It's his favourite book and he's now sharing the story with me 😊 pic.twitter.com/29kTUlD0Al

— Kymbo (@kymberlysian) March 4, 2022

Bixa enjoyed WBD @whatSFSaid !
The hand cannon (water gun) went down a treat at break time too! pic.twitter.com/M647Xrolrt

— Myddelton College Preparatory School (@Myddelton_Prep) March 5, 2022

World Book Day Video 2022

Here's a brand new video I've made for World Book Day 2022!  It's all about reading and writing for pleasure.  There's also a sneak peek of my new book TYGER, which will be published later this year!

It's absolutely free for anyone to watch on YouTube.  I'd also be delighted for schools and libraries to show it in World Book Day assemblies and activities; you don't need to ask my permission to show it!  

I hope you enjoy it – and if you do, please pass it on to anyone else who you think might enjoy it, too!

Virtual Visit to Park Hill Junior School

 I've had the pleasure of visiting Park Hill Junior School in Kenilworth a couple of times in the past, because this is a school where they've been reading my books for a long time now!  I wrote about those visits in these blogs.  But this year, I made my first-ever virtual visit to Park Hill after Year 6 wrote me some wonderful letters about Phoenix, which they've been reading:

So I had the pleasure of chatting virtually with Year 6 about Phoenix, and all its inspirations.  I also talked to Year 3 about Varjak Paw, which they were reading, and to Years 4 & 5 about all my books, and about reading and writing in general.  In every year group, it was great to see so much enthusiasm for reading and books, and to answer all the brilliant questions they asked me.   This really is a school with a lot of fantastic young readers and writers!

I also had the pleasure of working again with the wonderful Kenilworth Books, one of my favourite bookshops, who organised a virtual signing session so that everyone who wanted a signed book could get one!  But if anyone missed out on the day, I did sign some extra bookplates for them, so you can still get a signed book there.  

Thanks to Kenilworth Books for doing such a terrific job, and for these fabulous photos – and thanks to everyone at Park Hill Junior School for a brilliant virtual visit!  And if anyone at Park Hill would like to ask me another question, or to say anything about the visit or my books, just leave me a comment below!

TYGER!

I've just tweeted some news about my new book, TYGER!  

I've been off Twitter for ages now, trying to finish my new book TYGER. Incredibly, we signed off on the copy edits today, so the writing is finally done - only took me 9 years this time! I'll tweet more about about it in the new year, but at last I can say: TYGER is on the way!

— SF Said (@whatSFSaid) December 16, 2021

I've blogged a little bit about TYGER here before.  It's a project that I started 9 years ago, and it's been through many twists and turns in all that time.  But last week, I finally finished writing the book, and I feel sure it's the best book I've written so far – a big step up on Varjak Paw, and on Phoenix. 

TYGER is currently scheduled for publication in October 2022, but I will blog more about it next year when I have more information.  Please do check my Twitter feed for more updates too – but in the meantime, I want to wish all my readers a very happy new year, and happy reading in 2022!

Varjak Paw chosen as one of the 100 best children's books of the past 100 years!

I have some amazing news! The reading charity BookTrust has put together a list of the 100 best children's books of the past 100 years – and Varjak Paw is on the list!

It's such an honour to see it included as part of a fantastic selection that combines established classics with newer, more contemporary books.  Have a look around the list in full – it includes some of my own favourite books of all time, like Philip Pullman's Northern Lights, Malorie Blackman's Noughts & Crosses, Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard Of Earthsea, Alan Garner's The Owl Service, Jamila Gavin's The Wheel Of Surya, Andy Stanton's Mr Gum, and many many more!

I think there's something for everyone here.  The selection is divided into four age groups: 0-5, 6-8, 9-11, and 12-14.  Varjak appears in the Best Books for 9-11 list.

Huge thanks to everyone who was involved in putting this list together!  I don't find writing easy – Varjak Paw took me 5 years to get right, and I'm currently 8 and a half years into work on my new book TYGER – but things like this make all the hard work worthwhile!

World Book Day 2021

Happy World Book Day 2021!  This has been a strange World Book Day, because of the lockdown, but I've been inspired to see all the different ways that people have still found to celebrate books and reading!  It's an amazing thing for an author to see their books and characters being celebrated – so here are some of the brilliant pictures I've seen this year, with thanks to everyone who's taken the time to make these astonishing creations! 

I know #WorldBookDay can get a bit silly but my nephew loves reading all year round *and* loved making this cake for his school’s #WorldBookDay2021 bake-off.

You can do both. 😊🍰📚

(How good is it! 🤩) @whatSFSaid pic.twitter.com/b5mngVWQ2l

— Claire Lotriet #ubuntu (@OhLottie) March 3, 2021

 

Hello @whatSFSaid it is Ruby here. I have been doing a #WorldBookDay competition for @DraytonJunior and I decided to do Varjak Paw! You will probably recognise the characters and I really enjoyed doing them. My favourite character is Hollie. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/uc8vwKvSHT

— Becki Jennings (@beckijennings) March 3, 2021

 

The Astraeus of Creation and Destruction from Phoenix in potato form - created by Max for #worldbookday @whatSFSaid @BPSTrafford @WorldBookDayUK pic.twitter.com/EyyIFMsQyr

— Mikaela Sitford (@mikaelasitford) March 3, 2021

 

What a fantastic World Book Day! @CharterYr4 have made their favourite Varjak Paw scenes in their shadow puppet theatres! 🎭🎭🎭 pic.twitter.com/apJpRPcjuN

— CharterYr4 (@CharterYr4) March 4, 2021

Here are 3 Peregrines modelling the masks they created, inspired by @whatSFSaid's Varjak Paw (Mrs Fitzscott's most favourite book ever). 🐱🐾🐱 pic.twitter.com/96HA2VRogF

— Shelley Primary School (@ShelleyPrimary) March 4, 2021

 

My 9yo and I painted and drew on some tiles for World Book Day tomorrow- we chose our favourite books @charliemackesy @whatSFSaid pic.twitter.com/rxUPxoy1oF

— Alexandra Johns (@MrsASJohns) March 3, 2021

 

@whatSFSaid it’s Cludge! pic.twitter.com/BIsR5dXN2B

— Lorna (@lornajaggard) March 4, 2021

 

Not dressing up as Varjak, but your book was the book I chose to hide behind for our online Who’s behind the book competition pic.twitter.com/ZK8zv3QNFP

— Sam Carhart-Harris (@S_CarhartHarris) March 4, 2021

 

World Book Day 2021 - Dog Man 🐾 and Varjak Paw 🐈 #worldbookday2021 #shareastory #book #reading @whatSFSaid #davemckean #davpilkey #dogman #varjackpaw @randomhouse @scholastic_uk pic.twitter.com/usVccE3Fmg

— Joanna Sawkins (@JSawkins) March 4, 2021

 

Happy World Book Day!! 📚 We had Varjak Paw and Sally Bones in school today, inspired by our class novel and virtual visit with @whatSFSaid #varjakpaw #sallybones #WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/r14IUw1ebX

— Kirsty Campbell (@KirstyC63314571) March 4, 2021

 

All about Varjak Paw today @BPSTrafford @whatSFSaid #WorldBookDay #sevenskills pic.twitter.com/zXSUkVFveo

— Ally Johnson (@MrsAllyJ78) March 4, 2021

 

#WorldBookWeek Dylan - Varjak Paw. #WorldBookDay pic.twitter.com/zoUAFCE806

— Bells Farm Primary (@BellsFarm) March 4, 2021

 

@whatSFSaid @OWPSchool Gave everyone a giggle today dressed as sally bones from the Varjak Paw books! If you haven’t read them yet they are brilliant books! pic.twitter.com/Z6BoDZaA57

— nicola marchant (@nic_marchant) March 4, 2021

 

Home Learning

What a great way to celebrate @WorldBookDayUK - we love your 3D Varjak Paw. @whatSFSaid https://t.co/qywmDuxaFa

— Golborne Community Primary Lower Key Stage 2 (@GCPSLowerKS2) March 4, 2021

 

#WorldBookDay2021 of course we had to dress up as our class author @whatSFSaid’s most famous cat! #VarjakPaw pic.twitter.com/4zjBJPyLLU

— G Surtees (@MissGSurtees) March 4, 2021

 

Our first potato World Book Day character is Varjak Paw! @CroxtethC @whatSFSaid @RainbowEduMAT
What character will you create? We can't wait to see your creations tomorrow on Seesaw or bring them to our welcome zoom at 9am! 🥔🐈‍⬛📚 #WorldBookDay2021 pic.twitter.com/ta6orfN5rk

— Year 3/4 at Croxteth Primary (@MrsNash16) March 3, 2021

 

@whatSFSaid My son (who also made the Varjak Paw cake you saw yesterday!) has dressed up as Varjak Paw for #WorldBookDay2021 today! Our ears and face paint didn’t arrive in time, so we had to put something together last minute, but he really wanted you to see it anyway! pic.twitter.com/hRMibyft30

— Aimee Marie (@helloaimeemarie) March 4, 2021

 

My DS loves Varjak and is already reading it again.thank you for a wonderful book..it is such a delight to read📚....he has been after us to get Outlaw Varjak Paw 🙂 Happy World Book day !! pic.twitter.com/O5u4lCPPy5

— SteepleMorden (@Shikhamerchant1) March 4, 2021

 

@whatSFSaid There was only one character Daisy was dressing up as! pic.twitter.com/l7n9LFHmyu

— Holli Hunter (@MrsHJHunter) March 4, 2021

 

📚WORLD BOOK DAY 2021📚@Y5StocktonWood
Potato book characters #WorldBookDay #StocktonWoodEnglish #PotatoBookCharacter #ReadingforPleasure pic.twitter.com/aLN4ZDNXKF

— Y5 Stockton Wood (@Y5StocktonWood) March 4, 2021

 

@whatSFSaid Hope (10) celebrating #WorldBookDay as Varjak Paw pic.twitter.com/M2fRU8v5ve

— Holly Dixon (@holly_1105) March 4, 2021

A Message For World Book Day 2021

Usually on World Book Day, I'd be visiting schools, talking to classes about reading and books. This year, because of the lockdown, that won't be possible – so instead, I've made a World Book Day video, all about reading and books!  

This video is absolutely free for anyone to watch on YouTube, so if you or your school would like a message from me on World Book Day, here it is:

I hope you enjoy it – and if you do, please pass it on to anyone else who you think might enjoy it, too!

Virtual Visits

Until 2020, I'd never done a virtual author visit. Until this year, I never even did videocalls with friends, because I wasn't comfortable with the technology! But with the Covid-19 pandemic, many things have changed, and this has been the year that I've embraced the technology, and started doing virtual visits. 

What better way to enthuse children to read & write, than to ‘meet’ the author of their favourite books. 😁 An amazing & inspiring virtual author visit with @whatSFSaid for our Year 4 classes & their teachers this afternoon! 😁 #readingforpleasure #readtowrite pic.twitter.com/5KBINtzacu

— KEJ Cox MCCT (@kejcox) October 22, 2020

As a children's author, I've been visiting schools since 2003. I believe it's worth doing anything that gets children excited about reading. All the research shows that reading for pleasure has the biggest impact of any factor on a child's life chances. And the personal interaction and connection of an author visit can engage them and get them excited about reading in a way that nothing else can. 

📖 📚
Years 4 and 5 were very lucky to be visited virtually by the award-winning author of Varjak Paw, @whatSFSaid S F Said!

To learn to read is to light a fire 🔥 pic.twitter.com/AdMtbgH3CB

— HPABeckenhamGreen (@HpaGreen) October 6, 2020

Over the years, I've met many children who never liked books before, and thought reading was for other people, not them – but then got it during an author visit, and now couldn't stop. I've met children who had struggled to write a single sentence, but went on to write books of their own. Sometimes I've heard from them years later, telling me how the visit inspired them. It's clear that it was a turning point in their lives.

Year 4 had a fantastic afternoon meeting @whatSFSaid on Zoom. They loved reading Varjak Paw in class and had many interesting questions to ask him. Thank you S.F.Said for inspiring our young writers. pic.twitter.com/is9WDoU0NP

— Allington Primary (@AllingtonPS) December 11, 2020

I wasn't sure if a virtual visit could have the same kind of impact. But I do the same thing on a virtual visit that I do in person: I talk to the children about stories. I share my favourites and I hear about theirs. And it becomes clear to them that books are for EVERYONE, and that everyone can be a reader. And they see that authors are people like themselves, which helps them to see themselves as writers, too; people who have stories of their own to tell. 

Book Week is underway with students taking part in quizzes and competitions across the school. Y5 and 6 enjoyed 'meeting' author @whatSFSaid yesterday and posing their own questions to him! #bookweek #OFScreativity #OFSempathy pic.twitter.com/ITrpnbXXYg

— Orley Farm School (@OrleyFarmSchool) October 14, 2020

It's been brilliant to see the impact of the virtual visits I've done this year, even when children were isolating at home.  I am so glad that technology gives us a way to keep the interaction and connection going, and to continue inspiring children to read. So THANK YOU to all the teachers, librarians, schools and festivals that have organised virtual visits with me this year.  And for anyone thinking about organising one, and wondering if it's worth it – I absolutely believe that it is!

What a treat! 🐱
This afternoon we were lucky enough to have a virtual Q&A with one of our favourite authors from Year 4, @whatSFSaid. The children were so inspired about the writing, drafting and authorial process. Thank you, and thank you @RewLeonie for organising! #nextlevel pic.twitter.com/Z3RvYeUjGi

— Roundhay School Y5 (@RoundhayY5) November 6, 2020

 

The Books That Change Our Lives

A version of this piece was originally written for the CBC Diversity Blog.

=========================================================

I write children's books because I believe they're the books that change our lives.  

My favourite book as a child was Watership Down by Richard Adams.  I've re-read it more than once as an adult, trying to understand why I loved it so much.  As a child, I saw a thrilling adventure story about rabbits trying to survive in the wild.  But now I can see that it's a story about the big questions of human life.  Who are we?  Where do we come from?  Where do we belong?  How should we live? 

I think that's why it meant so much to me.  My family's roots are in the Middle East.  My ancestors were Iraqi, Egyptian, Kurdish and Circassian Muslims.  I grew up in Britain in the 1970s, where such origins were unusual.  Negotiations around identity, difference and belonging were daily facts of my life.  

Even my name was an issue.  It's an ordinary Arabic name, but totally unpronounceable in English!  Whenever it came up, people would question it to such an extent that I ended up using initials, to make life easier for everyone.  

So when I read Watership Down and saw that the hero of the rabbits' myths was called El-Ahrairah, it struck a very deep chord.  The greatest rabbit who ever lived had an Arabic-sounding name?  That gave me what Junot Diaz has described as a feeling of seeing myself reflected; realising my background could be something more than a burden.

A children's book had given me a way to think about myself and my place in the world.  That's why I decided to put everything I have into writing children's books.  I put years and years of work into making each book the best it can possibly be; making them as thrilling as I can, but also filling them with those big questions.  Who are we?  Where do we come from?  Where do we belong?  How should we live?

In my first book, Varjak Paw, these questions are explored through cats and dogs.  Varjak is a cat who's been told that dogs are monsters, and that cats and dogs can never even communicate, let alone be friends!  Yet he transcends these prejudices to make friends with a dog, and learns that a dog can actually be the best and most loyal friend a cat could ever have. 

My most recent book, Phoenix, is set in a galaxy where humans and aliens are at war with each other.  The humans have even built a spacewall to keep the aliens out.  The main characters are a human boy and an alien girl whose lives have both been damaged by the war.  They discover that they have much more in common than they thought possible – and together, perhaps they can even save the galaxy.

I didn't write Phoenix about any specific situation in the real world.  But I did want to explore those ideas of identity, difference and belonging that I've been living with all my life, and that I think lie at the roots of so many situations all over the world.  

Things have changed a lot since my childhood.  People are on the move as never before; hundreds of millions of us now live outside our countries of origin.  One response to that is to build walls.  But another is to build bridges of understanding, as my characters must do to survive.  

Young people everywhere are hungry for stories to help them navigate this world.  My highest hope is that a book like Varjak Paw or Phoenix might help them think about the world, their experiences of it, and other people's experiences, just as Watership Down helped me.  I love the idea that children's books can be bridges connecting people, showing them that however different someone else might seem, the things that unite us are greater than those that divide us.  And that difference can be a source of richness: something to be celebrated, not mocked or feared.