In 2007 I started writing stories and poems for young children to support my teaching work in primary schools.  In 2009 I got a bit excited and started thinking these stories and poems might get published. What do you think?

Novels for children

Connie and the Unbelievable Chameleon

It's the story of a seven year old girl called Connie who dreams of traveling the world. One day she finds in a pet shop a talking chameleon who, sadly, cannot change colour to suit his environment. Instead, when he licks a photograph, he can transport himself and his owner to that place - in effect, he changes his environment to suit himself. So the magical world-wide traveling adventure begins…

• Download the full synopsis of the novel

 

Poems for Children

The Cow That Went ‘Miaow.’

There once was a cow called Henry.
An ordinary cow he would look to you.
But Henry the cow was far from ordinary.
He was a cow who could not go ‘moo.’

He tried as hard as he could, you know.
He so badly wanted to be a normal cow.
But when he saw the farmer approaching,
All he could said was, ‘miaow.’

‘Well I never,’ said the amazed farmer.
‘A cat noise coming from a cow?
Are you feeling unwell, Henry?’ asked the farmer.
Henry replied with, ‘miaow.’

‘Do you do anything else like a cat, Henry?
Do you scratch? Do you purr? Do you prowl?’
Henry gave it some thought, chewing grass.
Then shook his head and said, ‘miaow.’

So the worried farmer called out the vet.
The vet came and wanted to know how
A cow could make a cat noise.
All Henry could say was, ‘miaow.’

‘Let me check inside your throat,’ said the vet.
‘Maybe a cat has stuck somehow.’
But there was no cat in Henry’s throat.
Just poor Henry going ‘miaow.’

‘Well, Mr Farmer,’ said the amazed vet,
‘You have an extraordinary cow.
This beast can make you lots of money.’
On hearing this Henry said, ‘miaow.’

The farmer called all his friends and family.
‘Come see a most extraordinary cow.
You’ll never believe what he can do.
No, not moo, he goes, miaow.’

They came from far and wide, the people,
they all wanted to hear Henry and go, wow!
But on seeing such a large crowd of people,
Henry could not say, ‘miaow.’

He ran into the farmer’s house,
and hid his head under a large towel.
‘Now you listen, silly Henry,’ said the farmer.
‘You come back out and say, ‘miaow’.

Henry would not come out of the house.
Oh, there was a terrible row.
But no matter what the farmer said,
Henry would not say, ‘miaow.’

So all the people went back home
and the farmer’s mood turned very foul.
He was furious with poor Henry,
the cow that said neither ‘moo’ nor ‘miaow.’

Eventually, Henry came out of the house
and back to looking like an ordinary cow.
But when the farmer came to find him,
instead of moo, Henry said ‘miaow.’

‘But why didn’t you say that before, Henry?
Think of all the money we could have now.’
But Henry cow doesn’t think of money.
He thinks of grass and says ‘miaow.’

Then the farmer realised something important.
Henry the cow said ‘miaow’ just to him.
And now when Henry goes ‘miaow’

The farmer gives a great big grin.

 

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