Scottish pupils to travel around the world in one week with digital events
Next week (Monday 22 March – Friday 25 March), the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will travel around the world for the very first time with its virtual Connected: Continents tour.
Pupils will join events and meet authors live from different parts of the world including Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America.
From celebrating different cultures and languages, to exploring mythology and magic to drawing manga, the Connected: Continents tour is jam-packed with fun events for all the family.
Scottish pupils will explore the continents from their classroom or home through six different events. Schools all over the globe were invited to join the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour, made possible by the virtual format.
For the first time since the tour’s inception 23 years ago, a school from Canada will tune in alongside Scottish pupils.
Connected: Continents tour schedule
- From Spain, author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara will take pupils on a whistle-stop tour of Europe to visit some of the great figures showcased in her own book series Little People, Big Dreams: including Greta Thunberg, Rudolf Nureyev and Marie Curie.
- Award-winning designer, author and illustrator Ken Wilson-Max will be joined by a guest writer from Africa for a mini-festival of stories and celebration. The event will explore roots, family, equality, mythology and magic.
- Joining from Dallas, Texas, American Muslim author, designer and entrepreneur Hafsah Faizal will discuss her journey to becoming a writer and the influences behind her award-winning, Arabian-inspired Sands of Arawiya duology.
- Live from Australia, bestselling author Jessica Townsend will chat about her fantasy series Nevermoor – soon to be a major movie. The first book in the series was the biggest-selling Australian children’s debut since records began.
- Joining from Peru, illustrator Issa Watanabe will explain her wordless picture book Migrants. Award-winning bi-lingual author and literary translator Lawrence Schimel will also take part in the event, which will be in Spanish with a translator.
- A live interactive workshop with Japanese artist Chie Kutsuwada will finish the tour, bringing the work of Shakespeare alive for manga fans and Shakespeare enthusiasts alike.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing.
Fun, educational video content and live events for classroom and home learning have to-date reached an audience of over 100,000 through Scottish Book Trust’s Home Activities Hub, On Demand library and social media content.
Events from the Connected: Continents tour will be available to watch later via Scottish Book Trust’s On Demand Library.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “For the very first time, the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will transport pupils from Africa to Australia.
“The magic of an author’s visit has a lasting impact on young people’s learning, and the diverse and exciting Connected: Continents events will inspire students with stories from other cultures and languages.”
Carol Ann Neil, Primary Teacher at Bridge of Allan Primary School said: “It’s amazing how one book can inspire so much. The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour was fantastic and helped support remote learning for Primary 6 pupils at Bridge of Allan Primary School.
Thank you so much to Scottish Book Trust for the wonderful opportunity.”
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