Canberra kids had a blast when local children’s author Ingrid Jonach dropped into their primary schools to celebrate the release of her latest book Frankie goes to France.
Ingrid visited eight schools on her June tour, which kicked off at the French-Australian school Telopea Park School and included Fraser Primary School, St Peter and Paul School, Mawson Primary School and St Jude’s Primary School amongst others. She spoke to students about how to write a story, using examples from her books, which are about a girl who starts her own newspaper.
St Jude’s teacher-librarian Kathy Laudenbach said having Ingrid at the school was a “fabulous learning experience” for the students. “The humour and real life experience Ingrid used had the children focused on all that she was saying.”
Since the release of her first children’s novel The Frank Frankie in July last year, Ingrid has performed author visits at schools and hospitals across Australia. She has also been a speaker at literary festivals, including the National Young Writer’s Festival, the Canberra Readers and Writers Festival and the Somerset Celebration of Literature. She also addressed the Australian Literacy Educator’s Association’s conference when it was held in Canberra last year.
Ingrid holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing with Honours from the University of Canberra. She completed her cadetship in journalism at The Canberra Times, where she worked for three years before entering public relations. The Frank Frankie and Frankie goes to France are suitable for ages seven and up and are available from all good bookstores. She is also the author of a children’s picture book called A Lot of Things, which is available from Paperchain Bookstore and Amazon.com
For those schools who missed out, Ingrid will conduct another round of free author visits targeted to Years 3 – 5 during Children’s Book Week, which runs from 18 to 22 August this year. For details visit www.ingridjonach.com But be quick, because places are limited! Teachers are also encouraged to get their students involved in the new online newspaper The Frank Frankie, which can also be found on the website. It has already attracted a lot of attention from keen contributors!
