Yesterday we launched the second book You’re Snug With Me in the You’re With Me series at Chestnuts Primary School in North London.
It all began when the librarian Tanya Efthymiou of Chestnuts Primary and I tweeted to each other about a school launch for the next book. It would be fantastic to share the new book You’re Snug With Me with children and parents, and teachers, we thought.
And the idea was born and we took it to the wonderful team at Lantana Publishing who embraced it with wholehearted support.
Then we decided on a date that worked for everyone, we designed an invitation, we planned the day and it all came together wonderfully yesterday.
First I met with Reception and Y1 children before the big event in the evening. Then we decorated the hall with the help of amazing library helpers who had read the book and wanted to be part of the launch.
Y6 had done a project on plastics and the ocean and had used art work inspired from both You’re Safe With Me and You’re Snug with Me. It was brilliant to see how the books transcend from the confines of its form and reaches the readers.
As the bell rang for the final time that afternoon, parents and children started filing in.
We started with a storytelling from the book in which children joined in enthusiastically and then Alice Curry, publisher of Lantana Publishing spoke about books for under-represented children and why reading the 1% was so important.
Then it was party time – colouring in masks and colouring sheets kindly given to us by the illustrator Poonam Mistry, who couldn’t make it to the launch (we missed you!). I signed loads of books for parents and children, the school and the library too.
What a surprise, I had an author friend Paul May who came to celebrate the launch with me too!
All in all, a wonderful way to celebrate the publication of a new book. My heartfelt thanks to everyone at Chestnuts Primary School who came to the event, helped us make it a success. A special Woot-Woot to the head-teacher Mrs Katie Horwood and librarian Tanya Efthymiou who hosted us.