Patron of Reading : A Librarian Perspective Presented at the POR Conference 21 Feb 2015.

1. Aberdeen City Council
Patron of Reading –
A Librarian’s Perspective
Mandy Wilson
mawilson@aberdeencity.gov.uk

2. Aberdeen City Council
Northfield Academy

3. Aberdeen City Council
Finding a Patron

5. Aberdeen City Council
Our Patron of Reading
Agreement
• 3 years (from Oct 2013)
• Informal
• Evolving
• Patron of Reading management
• Head Teacher support vital

6. Aberdeen City Council
First visit Jan 2014
• Workshops with all S1 pupils
• Whole school support
• Staff ethos lunch
• Pupil feedback
• Different from visiting illustrator / author

7. Aberdeen City Council
Metaphrog Workshops
• Wider than just their books
• General talk on comics / comics design /
history
• Character design and tips
• Plot development
• Design process for comic writing
• Benefit of building on this with
subsequent visits

8. Aberdeen City Council
Settling in
• Whole school staff engagement
• Extended to involve ASG P7s
• P7 – S3 priority for workshops
• Blogs – School and Metaphrog
• Pupil feedback
• One point of contact / organiser
• Launch of Graphic Novel Club
• Continued Head Teacher Support

9. Aberdeen City Council
Developing our Patron of Reading
relationship
• Class set of books / lesson plans
• Noticeboard at school entrance
• Metaphrog sketch at front of school
• Display boards of pupil work in
classrooms and school library
• Head Teacher POR wall in office
• Not “just a library thing” – across
departments / class time

12. Aberdeen City Council
Trolley of Awesomeness

13. Aberdeen City Council
Considering COSTS
• How many visits?
• Costs – per session, travel,
accommodation, subsistence
• Additional costs - buying author books
- more library books!
• Time
• Funding

14. Aberdeen City Council
One year on - Benefits to School
“Adopting” metaphrog
Building a strong relationship
“We are in the area….”
Long term engagement with author
Not just about author’s own books
Does not mean end to other author visits
Publicity for school

15. Aberdeen City Council
Metaphrog - at work and
play

16. Aberdeen City Council

17. Aberdeen City Council
Metaphrog Recommends
1. The Arrival by Shaun Tan (Hodder Children’s Books)
2. Coraline by Neil Gaiman & P. Craig Russell (Bloomsbury)
3. The Rainbow Orchid by Garen Ewing (Egmont)
4. Adolf series by Osamu Tezuka (Cadence Books)
5. Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi (Scholastics US)
6. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame and Michel Plessix
(Papercutz)
7. Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, Antony Johnston, Kanako &
Yuzuru (Walker Books)
8. Bone by Jeff Smith (Scholastics US)
9. The Hound of the Baskervilles by Conan Doyle, Ian Edginton & Ian
Culbard (Self Made Hero)
10. Silverfin by Charlie Higson & Kev Walker (Puffin)
11. Smile by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastics US)
12. The Phoenix comic magazine (David Fickling Books)

18. Aberdeen City Council
Current work –
Cross Curricular Project
Great Scottish Scientists March 2015
•Work with all 125 S1 pupils
•3 x periods - Scottish scientist research / plan graphic
novel (Science)
•Author session with Allan Burnett – Invented in Scotland
•2 x metaphrog session per class - how to turn non fiction
facts into a comic strip. Working on sketches.
•4 x music sessions S1 pupils to plan, compose, edit,
perform and record music to 3 Scientist comic strips (as
chosen by metaphog).

19. Aberdeen City Council

20. Aberdeen City Council
Aberdeen City
Kingswells Primary Nick Sharatt
Kaimhill School Sheena Blackhall
Kincorth Academy Jane McLoughlin
Middleton Park Primary Allan Burnett
Northfield Academy Metaphrog
Reading Bus Joan Lennon

21. Aberdeen City Council
Kingswells Primary
Nick Sharratt –
Patron since
June 2014.
Funded through SBT Live Literature,
Ernest Cook Trust and Kingswell PTA.

22. Aberdeen City Council
P6 Designing
new outfits for
Tracy Beaker.
These were
showcased at
Nick’s
travelling
exhibition

23. Aberdeen City Council
“Having a Patron of
Reading is ACE! We
are having so much
fun”
“Hello Mr Nick Sharratt”

25. Aberdeen City Council
Middleton Park Primary
Allan Burnett –
Patron since
Feb 2014
Funded through SBT Live Literature /
Heritage Lottery / School Funds

26. Aberdeen City Council
Middleton Park Primary
“It is fantastic to have Allan Burnett as our
Patron of Reading. It is a very rich
partnership that inspires not only our pupils
but also our staff and parents.
I’d always want to have as many different
authors in school as possible though”
J Watson, Head Teacher

27. Aberdeen City Council
Reading Bus
Joan Lennon
- Patron since
May 2014
Blog – travels
with the wee
reading bus

28. Aberdeen City Council
Challenges for the Future
• Keeping up momentum between visits
• Authors / Illustrators are busy people!
• Time to plan visits and events
• Time restraints – new Curriculum and
senior classes
• Sharing out the sessions – who next?
• Funding
• The end…….

29. Aberdeen City Council
Summary
• Fantastic journey
• Freedom
• Opportunity for staff to learn too
• Exciting
• Endless Opportunities
• Whole school involvement
• Support of POR community

30. Aberdeen City Council
“Talking to the groups of pupils and sharing
some of our experience and working
methods has been great fun and it is a
genuine pleasure to see the children
respond so well. Nearly every young person
relates to comics and it is exciting seeing
them reading, learning and experiencing
while enjoying themselves so much working
on various projects”

31. Aberdeen City Council
In partnership with the school, and with the
fantastic support we receive from the
librarians, teachers and head teacher, we
really feel that something special is
happening. And, having three years of
continuity in the role is definitely highly
beneficial to everyone involved”
John and Sandra, Metaphrog

32. Aberdeen City Council
Mandy Wilson
School Librarian
Northfield Academy
Aberdeen
mawilson@aberdeencity.gov.uk