At Storyland, we believe the experience of enjoying a great children’s picture book does not end with the turning of a book’s last page. The same goes with how our conversations with children’s book authors and illustrators do not end with the release of each podcast episode.
This month, we brought Brendan Wenzel, author and illustrator of the award-winning picture book They All Saw A Cat into the classrooms of a kindergarten in Shanghai in celebrating their annual Reading Week!
Meet and Greet with Brendan Wenzel
“It’s Mr Brendan Wenzel!” Children shouted in unison as Brendan came onto the screen in the virtual author meet-and-greet workshop we hosted at the kindergarten.
These little book fans of Brendan Wenzel watched and listened in wonder as Brendan shared his creative process behind his picture book They All Saw A Cat.
Brendan then invited children to create a story together with him. They came up with the story about an elephant mother, a baby elephant and a bunch of rabbits in the South Pole. (South Pole! How cool is the setting of the story?)
Through this activity, Brendan told children that he would have never been able to create this story if not together with them. So if they ever got stuck in the middle of creating something, they could always ask help from friends, family, and teachers. It is through the amazing process of collaboration that great works get made!
Before saying goodbye to Brendan and heading off to their classrooms to continue this story of The Cold Elephants and the Rabbits, children excitedly asked questions they had about Brendan’s works: “Why does the chameleon have so many colours (in Hello Hello, by Brendan Wenzel)?”, “How can we help animals if we are just kids?”.
They even showcased a sign language performance, in the hope that Brendan would help pass on these messages to the animals he meets.
Reading and getting inspired by Brendan’s works
It is no wonder that these four and five years old children are so familiar with Brendan already at the virtual workshop.
In the weeks leading up to their virtual meet-and-greet, the children have been reading Brendan’s books – Hello Hello, They All Saw A Cat, A Stone Sat Still – in class and making crafts and projects based on the stories.
Children’s works inspired by Brendan Wenzel’s books
Teachers from Storyland hosted storytelling workshops for each class where students were able to dress up and act as some of their favourite animals by using materials inspired by the beautiful textures and patterns founds in Brendan’s book Hello Hello.
Through this series of events and activities, we believe that Brendan Wenzel’s stories and messages have left an indelible impression on these children. Someday as they recall their favourite picture books they read as a child, maybe they will remember with fondness that they once met the author of a picture book about a cat walking through the world with its whiskers, ears, and paws.
Thank you Brendan for creating your wonderful stories and connecting with children in Shanghai!
Storyland 