Prize-winning Free Stories for Harfat Pupils

Today's News:
----------------
Prize-winning Free Stories for Harfat Pupils

All of the schoolchildren in years 4, 5 and 6 of the Haverfordwest primary schools have been given copies of a prize-winning story written by local author Brian John.

The paperback book, entitled "The Strange Affair of the Ethiopian Treasure Chest", was published four years ago, and went on to win the Wishing Shelf Gold Award for children's fiction -- a prize given by a nationwide panel of schoolchildren, without any interference from adults!

Now, with the help of Pembrokeshire County Council in facilitating the project, five hundred copies of the book have been distributed to local children under a scheme called "Big Book Bash 2014."  The hope is that local children in the upper primary school age-group will enjoy owning copies of the book -- and that with the help of their teachers they will be encouraged to read it and to write imaginative stories of their own.

Brian says:  "I enjoyed my time in Prendergast Primary School in the years after the Second World War, and the storyline in "The Strange Affair" is based (very loosely indeed) on my memories of adventures in and around Prendergast, Prospect Place and Scotchwells.  So Haverfordwest was the centre of my world, as it is for hundreds of local children today.  This is my first children's book, and having learned as a child to enjoy stories written by others, I thought it would be entirely appropriate to give something back, for the new generation of readers and aspiring writers.   Children are instinctively imaginative and creative -- and it will be wonderful if this scheme helps to further the Welsh Government's literacy ambitions and nurtures a future generation of Pembrokeshire authors!  Over and above that, I would love to see the children of Haverforwest developing a really strong "sense of place" and an awareness of the traditions and history of the community in which they live.  And if they can put their gadgets to one side every now and then, and get out there and have adventures, so much the better!"