Grandad's Island

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I thought I wouldn’t be involved to be honest and as a writer you have to know when to let go of your characters to another medium. But as it turned out, the production company Move on Up have been so inclusive and invited me up to see the sets on the Isle of Lewis. I’m very happy with all the casting, especially Cherry, she is totally natural; she’s even got Katie Morag’s fleeting facial expressions which you can’t dictate to a child actor.

Grandad’s Island: Exploring new worlds and mobilising memory Grandad’s Island: Exploring new worlds and mobilising memory

They were impressed too with Grandad’s painting and expressed their own longing to visit the island and play in the tumbling, cascading waterfalls with Syd. Up until this point, the sessions had been brilliant. The children had drawn colourful pictures to predict what might be on the island, written immersive descriptions of the jungle, developed their vocabulary (not many knew what an ‘attic’ was and enjoyed discussing what ‘an ocean of rooftops’ might look like). They had nudged each other and giggled over all the things they spotted in Grandad’s dusty attic and gasped at the beauty of the island – I had displayed the book on the interactive whiteboard for maximum effect. Where will the big metal door lead to? Cool concept – people will pass through a caged tunnel to see the orangutans that are roaming outsideHow to assess and analyse ways in which pupils respond to stories, poems and plays’ by Michael Rosen My mum looked at me, with tears in her eyes, then nodded with determination and, thankfully, seamlessly carried on reading to the children, while I turned away and dried my eyes.

The Telegraph Sean Scanlan, Scottish actor – obituary - The Telegraph

Katie Morag is a feisty, red-headed girl who lives with her family on the magical Scottish Island of Struay. Her life is full of stories of jealousy, bravery and rivalry, peopled by an annoying little brother, busy shopkeeper parents, a perfectly perfect best friend and a couple of grandmothers who between them know everything about everything. Katie Morag is played by Cherry Campbell. When I returned, under the expert guidance of my Mum and an LSA, my Year 2 class had begun to compose their letters from Grandad to Syd, writing things like:

I never got a chance to say goodbye to my Grandads. I like to think that both of them are somewhere on an island faraway, where the waterfalls cascade and a large chimpanzee serves them tea, or maybe even a ‘Footballer’s Dinner’. Perhaps I’ll see them again one day. I was reading to the class and had reached the part of the story where Grandad tells Syd that he is thinking of staying on the island. Up until this point, I have to admit that my reading of the book had been rather superficial, reminding me even now that revisiting a story, re-reading it and allowing ourselves time to slowly pore over the illustrations is vital and time well spend. Filming is brilliant! I really like my own bedroom in the studio. It's not real though. I get to run up the stairs and flash my torch to Grannie Island. Her house is a different set in the studio. Family: Katie Morag lives with her parents Isobel and Peter, her little brother Liam and her baby sister Flora Ann. Mr McColl is the shopkeeper in the village shop and Mrs McColl is the postmistress.

Monday 21 September 2015 CBBC - Schedules, Monday 21 September 2015

What did it mean? Was the big metal door in Grandad’s attic of memories and curiosities really a magic portal that turned inanimate objects into living, breathing creatures? Had Grandad taken the contents of his attic to the island? If so, why? Cue lots of excited chatter and debate! Never in a thousand years! With the first book, I was given a brief to write and illustrate a picture storybook. My own children were teenagers by this point and so it was a self-indulgent nostalgia re-run of my children’s upbringing on the Isle of Coll. What the book allowed me to do is open up my own attic of memories, prompting me to remember both my Grandads. They were very special to me and were the embodiment of safety, love and family. Grandad Eagleton taught me to laugh, collected conkers for us and told us not to worry about anything (“If worrying did me any good, I’d do it all the time!”). I have a clear memory of him helping with the washing up after Grandad Allen’s funeral and making jokes with an aunt. His easy ways, laughter and warmth were just what was needed on a difficult day. We used to enjoy playing hairdressers with Grandad Allen (who was pretty much bald!), whilst he watched the horse racing. He used to make my Nan laugh a lot. I remember him introducing me to his ‘Footballer’s Dinner’ – mash potatoes with a fried egg on top. I felt very grown up and loved when I got to sit next to him at the dinner table and have my own ‘Footballer’s Dinner”. I know they were both very proud of us, loved my family dearly and left a terrible hole in the fabric of our family life when they died. Which means you don’t have to go all the way to Borneo (East Malaysia) to see orangutans! As Orang Utan Island is close to Taiping, Ipoh, and Penang. So it’s worth your while to visit it! A few months ago, I was completing a series of lessons with my Year 2 class on Benji Davies’ wonderfully moving picture book Grandad’s Island.

Interview with Mairi Hedderwick

Somewhere in Perak is Bukit Merah Orangutan Island Malaysia. This is a rehabilitation center of 35 acres just for orangutans! This group of lessons has probably been one of the highlights of my teaching career so far. Firstly, I think this is because it was my first successful attempt at carrying out whole class reading over a sustained amount of time (about six weeks). We use VIPERS, created by The Literacy Shed, to help develop our sessions and I felt that I had implemented this structure effectively. Secondly, the children really enjoyed the story, which created a shared excitement and buzz within the classroom.