I know that folk often want their meaning delivered in 20 seconds or less these days but, for a number of reasons, I hope you’ll take time to enjoy the total 1.5 minutes of glorious video above. What you’re seeing is a very exciting week for a group of 32 children I’ve been working with all year; helping them to envision, write, illustrate, design, print and launch their own book. By way of debate and vote, they chose the title ‘The Wise and Wondrous Wishing Tree’ (a theme inspired by the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree, which occurred just as we began our journey).
On Monday, we hosted a book launch for their families, followed today by a special road trip to Seven Stories, the National Centre for Children’s Books, where they read their tale aloud in the famous story attic and left their book on the shelves beside many a famous author and illustrator.
We call this project ‘Bobble Hat Books: A publishing company run by children’ because it is designed to give the maximum creative control over to the children and families we work with, with a colourful hat given to each child to signify a welcome, along with a story about putting on a magic thinking hat.
I love what comes out of children when you let them lead, respect their ideas and do everything in your power to let them fly. And yes, this area DOES have some of the lowest literacy levels in the country and many other challenges, especially post-Covid, but does that matter? I’d rather not label for now, especially when I see the absolutely unique genius that comes out of each child.
The result has a been a year full of colour, imagination and a magic that is only just beginning in some senses, as we set our minds on working with the wider community to dream up a five year vision for the area; an easy thing to care about because I’m doing this work on my own doorstep, in the village in which I live, as part of a place-based philosophy about the work I put my energy into these days.
For my part, the role is something like a combination of improv actor, weaver of threads and emotional support animal; like a sort of slow analogue version of AI who helps articulate creative dreams with paint and scissors and songs instead of digital data, over six months instead of six seconds. More simply, I’m just a neighbour, a mum of someone at school who happens to make books for my job and is happy to show you how.
These talented kids have created a ripple now, unleashing their story book on the neighbourhood and showing what absolutely CAN be done. I’m already hearing amazing feedback in the streets and know that they’ve well and truly started something.
Bobble Hat Books is part of a social enterprise called “Hidden Story” which I co-lead with my talented friend, artist Hope Simpson. We are a very small non-profit in County Durham.
A Beautiful Interlude