Year 6 children were given a huge treat at St George’s this week, when author of the awarding-winning children’s book, ‘The Promise’ answered their questions via Skype. Nicola Davies, formerly a presenter of The Really Wild Show (popular children’s wildlife documentary series in the UK) was kind and generous enough to give up her time so children could enquire about her writing habits.

Top tips shared by Nicola included: always carry a notebook, like an artist carries a sketchbook, and always write from personal experience to make the text more believable. Children were also given valuable insights into the themes, meanings and inspirations behind her books. One of her main influences for The Promise, was the book ‘The Man Who Planted Trees’ which was written and set in France.

Nicola was so thrilled that our children already knew so much about the writing process, through their in-depth questioning, that she said they were all clearly on the path to becoming published authors! St George’s children will continue to study ‘The Promise’ until Easter, when they will get the opportunity to submit their own books with the same title, to Nicola, for professional feedback!