Gaspard the Fox

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individual lessons with accompanying short videos, written and presented by Lucy Drever, and focusing on various aspects of the programme. Teacher CPD Session: Wednesday 24March 4-5.30pm I have been a huge devotee of James Mayhew’s books for children for a while now – his Katieseries and Koshka’s Tales, for example, have delighted the children I have shared them with. James’ art style is infused with warmth, love and light and during these times, when we feel rather deprived of comfort, I can think of nothing better than to immerse myself in his welcoming illustrations. There is something infinitely reassuring about his pictures – they manage to capture characters and life at its best, while retaining their unique quality. For me, he is one of the best illustrators we have nowadays.

With a variety of in-person and digital opportunities for young learners, primary and secondary schools, and teachers, this year’s activity builds on last year’s successful National Schools Concert Programme, ensuring that everyone can take part. James makes all his illustrations with traditional tools, mainly using pen and ink, and watercolours. He created his own new shade of ink especially for teh Gaspard the Fox books, which he calls ‘Gaspard Red’. Do you think Gaspard and his friends will return in a sequel? Do you think your childhood tortoise, Fred, might make an appearance?A real little fox started visiting me in my London street almost every day. It was the most handsome fox I had ever seen. It even knew the sound of my bicycle and would often appear silently next to me as I folded it up. I posted photos of the fox online and it gathered thousands of followers all over the word. Friends suggested I write a story about its adventures and, one day, on a long train journey, I started writing Gaspard the Fox. Buy the book here Gaspard remains a ‘he’ in the series of books, and in the first one, we follow in Gaspard as he embarks on his first adventure, meeting neighbourhood cat Peter (aka Fluffy – to his horror) and Finty, the feisty escapee dog, on her way. He discovers the delights of leftovers from a festival on the canal, and glows in the friendship offered by other local animals who, contrary to popular belief, don’t really seem to mind foxes all that much. It is easy to see why, in James Mayhew’s sensitive and delightful illustrations, which capture Gaspard’s unique personality so well. Who could not fall in love with such a beautiful fox? CookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. Everything I write for the BBC is written to be read aloud on the radio and so, quite unconsciously, I think I selected words for this book that are pleasurable to say and many adults have said how much they enjoy reading it to children. It is perhaps a bit challenging in places for a very young child to read for themselves; Peter the Cat, for example, uses quite sophisticated language – but I think that is a good thing and I’m grateful to my wonderful publisher, Graffeg, for allowing me ‘Lepidoptery’! I learned a lot of vocabulary reading for myself when I was younger. You feel empowered as a child with exactly the right word for something. As with the first two Gaspard adventures, this story centres around a real community event – this time an open-air concert at Hyde Park. Gaspard the fox walks with her friend Finty the dog to the bus stop and when Finty’s owner drops her scarf, Gaspard instinctively catches it and hops on board to return the lost garment. Thus he ends up on the number 38 travelling through central London, admiring the sights and disembarking at Hyde Park for the climatic concert.

Providing opportunities for children to deepen their understanding of culture in Scotland and the wider world. The programme is only open to schools in Scotland due to licensing. If you teach at a Scottish school but are currently based outside Scotland, you are welcome to register for the programme providing the details of the school at which you teach. James Mayhew lives in the Suffolk countryside, surrounded by wild animals and nature, with big skies, full of light - perfect for artists. Aside from the Gaspard the Fox series, his other titles for independent Welsh publisher Graffeg are: The Knight Who Took All Day (adapted as a work for narrator and orchestra by Bernard Hughes) and illustrations for the M ouse and Mole series (by Joyce Dunbar), animated for television with the voices of Alan Bennett and Richard Briers. This session is repeated – you do not need to attend both.) Gaspard’s Foxtrot in Concert release: Monday 10May

This year, the programme is going digital! Join us for Gaspard’s Foxtrot– a digital concert experience featuring the popular children’s book character, Gaspard the Fox. Narrated by author Zeb Soanes and presented by animateur Lucy Drever, the orchestral tale follows Gaspard accidentally boarding a bus to London and exploring the sights, sounds and smells of the city before trying to find his way home. Gaspard’s foxtrotis an artistic and musical joy of a picture book, created by two of the nicest people you are ever likely to meet. To truly indulge in this story it must be heard read aloud by the dulcet tones of author Zeb Soanes (who you may recognise from BBC Radio 4) and the ultimate experience would of course be attendance at one of the live orchestral performances with Jonathan Dove, which will happen as soon as permitted.

It’s a story about friendship and being accepted for who you are. Gaspard makes two new friends: Peter the Cat, who has cultivated his own unique identity and a dog named Finty that, instead of chasing Gaspard away (as you’d expect), thinks it’s brilliant to have a fox as her friend. Not everyone thinks Foxes are welcome in the city, so there are kind and unkind humans in the book and I hope children will see how wonderful and exciting it is to share the urban environment with all living creatures. Gaspard is undoubtedly a handsome fox, in life as in the story but there is a prominent tear through one ear. Gaspard isn’t perfect and that’s an important message too. Yes – the programme and resources have been developed in consultation with a SEND music education specialist. The video learning resources and concert film will include British Sign Language interpretation, optional subtitles, and accompanying Boardmaker resources. Equipping teachers with the skills and increased knowledge that they need to confidently deliver music in the classroom.

He is also the creator of the Katie art books and Ella Bella Ballerina series. He has worked with many orchestras and musicians including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, painting illustrations live on stage to performances of classical music, including The Firebird, Scheherazade and Pictures at an Exhibition. The vocabulary is delightfully challenging. Phrases such as ‘civilise the bees’ and ‘brightly lit signs enticed tourists’, make this a joy to read aloud and ideal for enriching children’s own writing. The story really does read well. I laughed out loud when Peter, who is my favourite character (as both a cat lover and a lexophile!), fell off the sofa in surprise to see his fox pal take the stage.