May 4, 2022 08:57am
Pupils at New Horizon’s Children’s Academy were excited to welcome local author and illustrator Georgina Golding to their school last week!
Georgina, who was born and raised in Medway, has recently written and published her own children’s book, Wander in the Wild Wood. This winter-themed tale follows a young wolf who gets lost in the woods, and its plot teaches children to always help others and never to judge.
Georgina read her story to pupils in Years 2 and 3 at New Horizons, before talking through her creative process and how she moved the story from her mind to the page. The children were inspired by Georgina’s work, and each wrote and illustrated their own short stories. Georgina has kindly offered to take two of these designs and illustrate them herself, an amazing opportunity for the children to see their own stories illustrated professionally!
“I have always had a love for reading and story-telling. One of my dreams has always been to write children’s books and illustrate them myself, and lockdown seemed to be the perfect time to make a start,” says Georgina. “I have got to say, through my whole journey, this has been one of my most enjoyable parts. Not only to see the children’s engagement of enthusiasm and ask fantastic questions about my book, but to then watch the children use their imaginations and go through a thinking process of coming up with their own stories.”
At New Horizons, we are dedicated to encouraging our pupils to think in different ways; this fantastic visit from a local author encouraged them to think creatively and express their own ideas, as well as to aspire and aim high.
“I am a long way from being the next JK Rowling or Julia Donaldson, but I hope, if anything, my school visits can encourage enthusiasm for our next generation of writers and artists,” says Georgina, who hopes to inspire New Horizons Children’s Academy pupils with even more of her work in the future.
We were delighted to welcome Georgina into our playground afterschool this week to speak to parents and carers and give families the opportunity to purchase a copy of Wander in the Wild Wood for themselves.
Thank you to Georgina Golding for coming to speak to our children and for inspiring them to get creative, and thank you to Hayley Kingsland, one of our brilliant Year 3 teachers, for arranging the visits.
You can purchase a copy of Georgina’s book by messaging her ‘Art, Life and Soul’ pages on Facebook and Instagram.