I’ve often been asked this question, but my favourite thing is combining the two. When I led a Children’s Writing Club as Author-in-Residence in Belmont Library, my aim was to entertain, inspire and educate. It was wonderful to see the children growing in confidence throughout the year and achieving more than they thought possible. This is always what has motivated me when teaching: the joy of seeing a student who is pleased with something they have created.
I once taught a twelve-year-old lad who insisted he couldn’t write poetry, but I assured him that he would be able to write a poem from his heart: “Just throw down your feelings on paper and see what happens!” His poem was raw and beautiful, and to see his pleasure in his achievement almost brought me to tears.
My visit to Durham Blue Coat Junior School on World Book Day 2026 was another such highlight. The pupils were enthusiastic and motivated as I shared my inspiration for writing the book, then I read extracts of Bandit’s Great Escape and gave tips for writing from a dog’s perspective. The pupils enjoyed deciding which of Bandit’s fun Foodie Phrases was their favourite, and the teacher’s gorgeous dog even came into school to meet me! Having a dog in school is a great idea to bring a sense of calm and foster empathy.
A highlight of each lesson was the Ten Minute Challenge.
Y6 chose one of my starter sentences, then they wrote some amazing short stories. I’ve never heard a class so quiet; the silence was broken only by the scratching of pencils on paper! When I asked, ‘Who has written more than they thought they were going to?’ a sea of hands shot up. Their teacher smiled, ‘Now I know how much you can write…!’
Y5 wrote poems about their pet or favourite animal. I really like this emotional poem by Dexter.
Tara died when I was five. I didn’t understand then, but she made me happy.
She was a lovely little dog. I told her my biggest secrets.
But what made me angry, she ate my chocolate egg!
Tara meant a lot to me.
Y3 and Y4 designed imaginative, eye-catching Bandit Bookmarks, like this drawing by Katelyn.
You can see more lovely poems and bookmarks on the Bandit Bookmarks and Poems About Pets pages on my website.