by Allison Tait | Aug 9, 2024 | Blog, Writing, Writing for kids
With National Science Week starting on the 10th of August, it seemed a pertinent moment to consider the art of science and nature writing – and it is an art. Taking the study of, and research for, any aspect of science and drilling down into its essence to present it in a factual, articulate and, perhaps most importantly, engaging way for readers is no mean feat.
And it’s even more of a feat to be able to teach young writers how to do it!
With that in mind, I invited Dr Sam Lloyd over to share some insider insights into just how to nail the art of science and nature writing.
Dr Sam Lloyd is an award-winning Principal Scientist (fire ecologist) for Healthy Land and Water (the official Natural Resource Management body for South East Qld), a dance teacher with Achieve Performing Arts Studio and a writer.
Her first book, Alight: A story of fire and nature, published in 2023 by CSIRO Publishing and illustrated by Samantha Metcalfe, is a children’s non-fiction narrative that shares the story of Australian plants and animals during a planned fire and gently explores the importance of healthy fire to the Australian bush.
Sam was kind enough to bring along not only her top tips for young science and nature writers, but her very best advice for adults, at home and at school, who are nurturing those young writers.
Let’s start with the grown-ups.
Supporting young writers to nail science and nature writing
By Dr Sam Lloyd
Often, we think of science as something that happens in a laboratory and nature as something that we see when we go bushwalking, or in a documentary – but the truth is that both science and nature are interwoven all around us and essential to every part of our lives.
In particular, ecological science, which is the study of how living things (including people and microorganisms) interact with each other and the natural environment, including plants, animals and fungi, is an example of a natural science that is both accessible and readily observable.
For instance, we might witness insects and birds pollinating flowers or skinks basking in the sun in our backyard.
Science and nature picture books and stories have always held a special place in the hearts of children and society. However, appreciation and recognition for the broad and beneficial outcomes of science and nature-based children’s literature has grown rapidly over the past decade.
For example, there has been increasing demand and interest in ecological and environmental books – no longer are these titles confined to the classroom or school library!
Beautiful, engaging and informative books are being published for children and their grown-ups to enjoy in their homes and outside of formal learning environments.
These books include various forms of non-fiction (e.g. traditional, narrative, browsable and expository) and realistic fiction. Australian publishers are increasingly active in this space, showcasing the unique and fascinating Australian environment, science and technology knowledge and stories on the national and international literary stage.
Arming young writers for science-writing success
Many of us work and/or live with children and young people who enjoy writing and creating non-fiction science and nature stories for fun and enjoyment. Of course, there are also curriculum requirements that mean children need to be armed with the skills and confidence to write and communicate about science and nature in difference formats and for difference audiences.
However, this can be difficult to facilitate as we may not be as familiar with the different forms of non-fiction writing and it does not generally receive the same attention that creative writing does.
Add to this a science topic that is unfamiliar and it can be a challenge to support your young person/student in the way you might want to, if you don’t feel confident in the style yourself.
However, when we take a closer look, non-fiction writing is what most of us experience every day. It can be simple in its format, accessible in design and engaging in content.
Non-fiction writing comes in different forms
When we write a fictional story, we have the freedom to create characters and plotlines that may never be possible in the real world. This is one of the reasons fiction is so popular, it makes the impossible possible and breathes imagination into new worlds.
When we are writing about science and nature, non-fiction offers us endless opportunities to observe and translate information from the real world into a format that children will enjoy and learn from.
The non-fiction format includes traditional explanatory non-fiction books, and some of my favourites include ‘Wonderful Wasps‘ by Katrina Germein, illustrated by: Suzanne Houghton, ‘Bonkers about Beetles‘ by Owen Davey, and ‘A Hollow Is A Home‘, a short reference book by Abbie Mitchell and Astred Hicks.
There are also beautifully illustrated and designed books that reply heavily on visual images to convey messages (i.e. browsable non-fiction) and I think Sami Bally’s Illustrated Encyclopaedia series is a brilliant example of this.
But non-fiction can also take the form of a narrative, where you can tell a story, but it must be something that could otherwise occur in the real world.
Narrative non-fiction is, in a way, the perfect compromise of both writing worlds and especially lends itself to science and nature stories. You have the creative aspect of character development and a plotline, whilst ensuring the story is set in, and based on, real world environments, characters and information.
It provides an opportunity to share science and nature information in a way that is more engaging and interesting than traditional forms of writing (like a text book) or more modern information sources that may not always be adequately referenced (like some websites).
Aside from my own ‘Alight: A story of fire and nature‘, examples include ‘The Beehive‘ by Megan Daley and Max Hamilton, ‘The Echidna Near My Place‘ by Sue Whiting and Cate James, and ‘Iceberg‘ by Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft (all picture books), as well as the Aussie STEM Stars series (middle-grade).
One of the best ways to help young writers improve their science/nature/non-fiction writing is to expose them to wide array of the different types of books on offer in this area. Choose a subject they’re interested in and then look for different types of factual texts that cover that topic.
Then share the following tips with them.
Top Science and Nature Writing Tips for Young Writers
By Dr Sam Lloyd
• Choose a subject that you’re passionate about – or even just something that sparks your curiosity. It’s much easier and more enjoyable to write about something when you’re interested in it.
• Be clear about your idea and your audience. If you’re writing for a school project, follow the brief as best you can. If you’re writing for a competition, think about what the judges are looking for. It’s hard to cover a whole topic in a short project – frogs or birds, for instance – so choose a specific angle, perhaps one type of frog or a particular bird.
• What are the two or three most important messages you want your reader to understand? Decide what these are and make sure you include them clearly (and more than once) throughout your work. This will give your reader the best chance of remembering.
• Illustrations are important: illustrations, photos, diagrams are all examples of ways you can convey a message or information with far fewer (or no) words. This might include a graph, infographic or diagram with scientific results, or an illustration to accompany text.
• Write and review and then review again: revision is all part pf the process, it does not mean you are doing something wrong, it is in fact the opposite. If you are feeling frustrated, it can help to leave your writing task for a couple of days and come back to it after a break.
• Ask an expert: if you don’t know something and it is not something you can find using other reliable sources (including books and online), it is worth asking someone who can help. Ask a grown-up to help you find an expert to contact.
• Keep a record: If you find a useful piece of information it is super important to keep a record of where you got the information. I recommend creating a spreadsheet where you can record the information you need. This includes the information source (e.g. website, book etc), author, person you spoke to and date.
• Celebrate your achievement! Writing can be tough and brilliant at the same time. When you have finished your writing task, be sure to take a moment to do something enjoyable to celebrate your efforts (I recommend cake!).
Dr Sam Lloyd is a scientist, fire ecologist and writer with a passion for the Australian bush and children’s literature.
Find out more about her and ‘Alight: A story of fire and nature’ here.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. My latest novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE is out now. You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter.
by Allison Tait | Apr 23, 2024 | Advice for Writers, Blog, Writing
What’s it really like to be a debut children’s author?
When I think back to my own experience (ten years ago now!) I remember excitement, trepidation, confusion, consternation, celebration and more.
But everyone’s experience is different – or is it?
Over the last year, I’ve had a front row seat for several debuts as members of my Write With Allison Tait group have launched their book babies into the world.
I asked one of those members to encapsulate the experience in a post and she has delivered in spades.
Heidi Walkinshaw writes stories for children, finding the fun and laughter in the everyday.
Her debut picture book Some Fish Have Moustaches (illustrated by Michel Streich) was released in June 2023 through Affirm Press, and she was recently Longlisted in the Just Write for Kids Pitch It competition.
Below, Heidi shares her experiences of being a debut author over the past 12 months – because the debut process begins well before publication day!
6 lessons from my first year as a debut author
By Heidi Walkinshaw
I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. I would tag along with my grandmother to our local library, spending hours trawling the shelves and delighting in taking those stories home to get lost in for the two-week loan, the little return-by-date stamped inside the card on the front cover.
At school, I had great teachers who encouraged me to write, and I would fill pages with worlds beyond my own. Life doesn’t always go according to plan, however, and writing was pushed to the side for more “serious” career pursuits, leading me to a world outside the creative field.
It was only years later, a series of life changes and the courage to take a leap of faith that I stepped back into something that had been calling me for so long, and last year my debut picture book Some Fish Have Moustaches was published.
It hasn’t been an easy first year as a debut author. There have been highs and lows, wins and rejections and a lot of lessons along the way. Here are six of the key things I’ve learned.
It’s a game of inches, not miles – take your time and persist
There is an old saying that an overnight success takes a decade. This could apply to any career and certainly rings true when stepping into the world of authorship.
Success seldom happens instantly – as the online world may have you believe – and there are hurdles that you
will need to cross to get your manuscripts to those glorious bookseller shelves.
The path to becoming an author takes time and persistence. Even after you are published and the excitement has settled down, there is more work to be done and no guarantee that you can get your next idea across the line.
Keep going, keep working at it and eventually one will stick.
The roughs are just that – rough
When I look back at my first drafts of Some Fish Have Moustaches, I often wonder what I was thinking at the time.
It was headed in a completely different direction from what was eventually submitted and then published.
First drafts are just that – the first attempt before you iron out all the details.
Whether it’s your manuscript or the illustrations that you first receive, it is imperative to remember that it is the first concept and not the finished product.
On days when I had doubts, I was reminded to go back and look at the first drafts of some of my favourite picture books, like The Gruffalo and gain insight into the journey of some of the most successful creators in our space.
Find other creatives for support
There are wonderful humans out there who will cheer you on, especially on the less-than-creative days and pull you up when the blows knock you down.
And you had better believe there will be a few of those.
A career in the arts is certainly not for the faint-hearted and a group of like-minded creatives will help to motivate you, give you support and a reality check when your ego needs to go back in the pocket.
Joining a writing group was one of the best investments that I made in getting to know other writers and their projects. We get to share what we are working on, our challenges and the wins.
Life as a writer can be a solitary existence and having others to share it with helps build a supportive community.
Ask questions and look fear in the face
For most of my career, I worked in a space where questions were a part of daily life.
I developed a mantra of “No question is a silly question, especially if it is going to help you learn.”
While I’m not always great at reaching out and asking questions – usually out of a ridiculous fear – one thing I am trying for when I’m not sure, is to ask someone who has already taken the road less travelled and learn from their lessons.
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build connections with others, no matter how much networking scares the pants off you. The writing community is incredibly warm and willing to share their experiences.
Just keep in mind that their time is also valuable.
Be prepared to do the legwork
There are so many avenues to publishing now and all have different approaches to getting your book to market.
I was incredibly fortunate to have the support of the team at Affirm Press to launch Some Fish Have Moustaches and as a debut author, they were amazing every step of the way.
While the publisher will handle producing and getting your book onto the shelves, it is also up to you to do the legwork.
Get to know your local booksellers, especially in your immediate community. Booksellers are some of the best people you can meet and are usually very welcoming.
While there is no requirement, a website is essential real estate for others to learn more about you and your book.
There is no shortage of social media sites available for use and whatever you choose – for me it was focusing on Instagram – make sure that it is manageable and gives you a space for engagement with readers and the writing community.
Celebrate on publication day
Publication day is everything and nothing all at once and I had sage advice from a mentor to go out and celebrate.
Battling minimal sleep and a toddler who decided it would be fun to bring home head lice from daycare, going out was the last thing I felt like doing.
But we deloused, organised the troops and headed out as a family.
It was the best advice I could have received and well worth it to celebrate a milestone that had taken many years to achieve.
The author’s life is one that we do for love and if you blend that love with commitment and add a dash of discipline, the wins will come.
Just keep at it and the writing community will be right there to cheer you on.
Find out more about Heidi Walkinshaw on her website, or follow her on Instagram.
Discover more information and teacher’s resources for Some Fish Have Moustaches here.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait and you can find out more about me here and more about my online writing courses here.
Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, insights and more amazing writing advice.
Or check out So You Want To Be A Writer (the book), where my co-author Valerie Khoo and I have distilled the best tips from hundreds of author and industry expert interviews. Find out more and buy it here.
by Allison Tait | Nov 9, 2023 | Advice for Writers, Blog, Writing
“I’m writing my family history.”
Whenever I teach a writing workshop for adults, as I did this week (‘Writing Through The Messy Middle’), I ask what people are writing and there is invariably at least one person who is creating a book based on family history.
Our family history can contain some incredible story material – just ask bestselling children’s author Katrina Nannestad, who’s new novel ‘Silver Linings’ is based on her own family’s story. And yes, it’s a novel.
Because one thing I always ask those writing family history is whether they’re creating a non-fiction version, a memoir or a novel. There are good reasons for choosing any of these options, but one thing is certain – you need a clear picture before you start of precisely which you’re undertaking.
One person who understands the tension that arises between telling a compelling story and ‘sticking to the facts’ is Pauline Wilson, whose first novel ‘Conflict At Hanging Rock’ was based on her own family history, and whose latest novel ‘Breaking Free‘, also draws on family ties – though much more loosely.
In this guest post, Pauline looks at how to find the story in the facts.
Writing Family History as Fiction
By Pauline Wilson
My Great Uncle Jim was once heard to say (pointing emphatically over his shoulder), “never look back, always look forward”.
This has always made me wonder what the old people would say to me digging up the past and putting family stories out for all the world to read. My Genealogy blog is full of stories from the past.
When I decided to write my first novel, Conflict at Hanging Rock, Uncle Jim’s words came back to me.
I had gathered up so much information about this very infamous branch of the family, I felt I knew enough to write their true story. There was plenty of tension to include: convicts, family feuds, a community divided, an illegitimate child and so much more.
But then I wondered whether non-fiction was the best approach.
Would there be descendants of this branch of the family who would be offended by hearing the full story? All of the events happened well over 100 years ago, so everyone concerned is dead. But I had to think of the living.
That was when I decided I would write the story as fiction and changed all the names. I soon found that this decision allowed me to add dialogue and fill gaps in the knowledge I had.
In short, it gave me more freedom to write a compelling story.
But there was still a tension for me between telling a compelling story and sticking as close as possible to the facts. Discussions with my editor were interesting as she tried to help me improve my book despite my determination to stick as closely as possible to the facts.
Treading the line between story and history
My latest novel, ‘Breaking Free’, whilst still telling a family story, is much less factual – and there are several reasons for this.
One reason is that the protagonist is a woman and, sadly, women left a much lesser footprint on history. Simply put, I knew a lot less about my protagonist, even though she is inspired by my Great Grandmother (pictured left on her wedding day).
Researching my family history, I found a report of my Great Grandmother having spent time in the Kew Lunatic Asylum, which prompted me to write the story. But apart from that report and dates and locations, I knew very little.
I also took inspiration from other authors.
Mary Anne O’Connor weaves many of her family stories into her excellent books, including Where Fortune Lies, In a Great Southern Land and Sisters of Freedom.
Darry Fraser drew inspiration from family stories in her book The Forthright Woman.
I recently read Searching for Charlotte by Kate Forsyth and Belinda Murrell, an expertly written story of their search for Charlotte Waring, their great, great, great, great grandmother.
They too struggled with how to tell the true story. They didn’t want it to just be a dry biography and wondered how to keep to the facts and still keep it interesting.
That very struggle was why I decided to fictionalise my story. In their book, Forsyth and Murrell mention Emma Darwin who was another author who struggled with this when writing her book about Charles Darwin.
Emma Darwin wrote that her book is strung painfully on the tension-line between the responsibilities of the storyteller and the responsibilities of the historian.
This statement definitely resonates with me, and is something every author writing a family story should bear in mind.
Pauline Wilson is a writer and family historian who loves learning and research.
She released her debut novel, Conflict at Hanging Rock in July 2022 and her second novel Breaking Free will be released on November 13th 2023.
Pauline writes historical fiction inspired by true stories of her ancestors. Find out more.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait and you can find out more about me here and more about my online writing courses here.
Subscribe to my newsletter for updates, insights and more amazing writing advice.
Or check out So You Want To Be A Writer (the book), where my co-author Valerie Khoo and I have distilled the best tips from hundreds of author and industry expert interviews. Find out more and buy it here
by Allison Tait | Jun 13, 2023 | Reading, Your Kid's Next Read
Educators work hard! Creating units of work that meet the curriculum, engage students and produce great outcomes is not easy.
But authors and illustrators are here to help.
Australian author Charlotte Barkla has rounded up a list of resources created by authors and illustrators to help educators and their students connect with books and reading. As a teacher herself, she understands the value of an expert helping hand (particularly when most of these resources are free)!
Author/illustrator resources for teachers and librarians
A guest post by Charlotte Barkla
From teachers’ notes to newsletters, author penpals and writing tips videos, there’s no shortage of resources to help your classroom connect with authors/illustrators and their work.
The best part? Many of them are free*!
Teachers Notes
Teachers notes are a one-stop shop for creative writing activities. They’re usually linked to key curriculum areas, and are packed full of ideas for discussion questions, creative writing tasks and other activities.
For my early-middle-grade series, Edie’s Experiments, for instance, I helped write the teachers’ notes and also drafted a series of science activities.
Publishers often have a webpage devoted to the teachers’ notes for their titles, or you can find them on the author’s website. Otherwise, a quick google search on ‘book title + teachers notes’ will point you in the right direction.
Author Penpals
Inspired by BookPenPals, a UK initiative, Author Pen Pals connects Australian authors and illustrators with schools across the country.
The program was created by authors Kate Foster and Dee White, and pairs authors and illustrators with a class for one school year. Authors send the class four postcards throughout the year, chatting about books, sharing writing/drawing prompts and talking about their creative process.
So far, the program has connected 200 creators with 250 classes from 80 primary schools. An impressive achievement!
Videos
If you go down the rabbit hole of YouTube there’s no shortage of videos to inspire your classes. You’ll find writing tips for kids by A.L Tait, book-inspired Book’N’Boogie dance videos by Nat Amoore, ‘how to draw’ videos by Matt Stanton and nature journaling with Trace Balla.
Book Recommendations
If you’re looking for a book recommendation, you can’t go past the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook group.
About to start a new unit of work, and looking for a picture book to introduce the topic?
What about a book that sparks the interest of that soccer-loving eight-year-old in the back row?
Whatever your question, type it in and you’ll have five to ten answers before you even press ‘post’. (Not quite, but it feels like it.)
Megan Daley’s website is another gold mine for book recommendations. She has helpful ‘Top 20 Book Lists’ covering babies through to adult readers, and hundreds of book reviews that can be filtered by age group and genre.
Newsletters
If you’re tired of department store sales newsletters and scam emails junking up your inbox, why not sign up to an author’s newsletter?
Newsletters can be a fun way to connect with authors and their work, and can also be a handy classroom resource.
In my free newsletter, Behind the Books with Charlotte Barkla, I delve into one aspect of the writing or publishing process each month.
My first issue covered coming up with ideas, while my second delved into the drafting process. By the end of the year, I’ll take readers through the entire process of publishing a book, from idea through to publication.
The newsletter is kid-friendly, so teachers/librarians/parents of voracious readers are welcome to share the content with their kids and classes. (You’re also welcome to send in questions, for me to cover during the newsletter series.) I’d love you to join me!
Arts and Crafts
Not forgetting the younger age groups, there are lots of wonderful arts and crafts activities that tie in with Australian books.
Illustrators Matt Cosgrove and Anil Tortop offer crafts and colouring-in sheets on their websites, while Andy Geppert has a Boffins Backyard Craft Kit designed for nature-loving kids.
Author-illustrator Judith Rossell has templates for making delightful tiny houses and rainbow stars, as well as a monster-drawing game.
Writing Courses / workshops
If you’re looking for something meatier for your kids/classes, a number of authors offer writing courses too.
A. L. Tait runs the Creative Writing Quest For Kids at the Australian Writers’ Centre, Tristan Bancks offers Young Writers Story School, Nat Amoore and Tim Harris run Kids Writing Cool and Emily Gale and Nova Weetman offer Writing with Emily and Nova. Lots of great courses to choose from – and some take the Creative Kids Vouchers too!
Author/Illustrator Websites
Last but not least, check out the website of your favourite author or illustrator for links to teachers’ notes, activities or other resources.
Better yet, drop them a message to say you/your class enjoyed their book or activity. It’s guaranteed to make their day!
*Many of these resources are free, but if you’d like to support the author or illustrator you can buy their book, borrow it from your local library, or book them to speak at your school or library. Not just for Book Week, author / illustrator visits can be a valuable opportunity to motivate kids with their reading, writing and creating. And we love it too!
Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based teacher and author of four children’s books: All Bodies are Good Bodies, From My Head to My Toes, I Say What Goes and the Edie’s Experiments series. She is working on five new books, include a picture book with Hachette, a fiction series with Walker Books Australia and a fiction series with Scholastic.
Teachers notes and resources for all her books can be found on her website and you can sign up to her newsletter here.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, and tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast!
by Allison Tait | May 4, 2023 | Reading, Your Kid's Next Read
Talk to kids about history and you can often watch their eyes glaze over in real time as they consider facts, figures and dates.
But mention historical fiction? Then you get a very different response.
You only need to scroll through the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community to see how interested young readers are in reading stories set in the past. And one of the most popular settings is the Second World War.
From Morris Gleitzman’s Once series to Katrina Nannestad’s most recent work Waiting For The Storks via a wide range of titles in between (see this excellent list for more), there seems to be a thirst for knowledge about this time period.
And, frankly, my guest author today couldn’t be happier about that.
Catherine Baeur is a journalist and writer from South Australia, whose latest novel Tulips For Breakfast, is set in Amsterdam during the Second World War. Her parents were both great story tellers and among her favourites, her father’s wonderful retellings about finding joy in small things, his enthralling adventures and often hardships of a childhood growing up in WWII Germany.
Those stories were part of the inspiration for Tulips For Breakfast, and then Catherine drew on her extensive research skills to gather first-hand accounts to help ensure the emotional and historical authenticity of her novel. The result is the story of Adelena, living in hiding in the Amsterdam home of her music teacher after her fleeing pre-war Germany with her Jewish parents.
The character of Adelena is loosely based on the real-life Hannah (Hanneli) Goslar Pick, who was a friend and playmate of Anne Frank, and who, in her later years, encouraged Catherine to tell the story for this generation of readers.
Here, Catherine shares her inspiration and experience of writing her novel – and why she believes it’s important that stories like hers are told.
The importance of teaching the Holocaust to young Australians
By Catherine Baeur
Two years short of the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, today there is a daily decline in the number of Holocaust survivors in the world. Therefore, the responsibility for keeping their memories and legacy alive increasingly falls to those who remain, including teachers and historians.
This point was made consistently with all those I spoke with while researching for my debut YA historical fiction novel, Tulips for Breakfast (Ford Street Publishing). Former hidden children and Holocaust survivors, now elderly men and women, still have vivid memories and a desire that new generations learn about this period, the heartache, inhumanity and also the many uplifting and life-affirming lessons.
One of those I reached out was Hannah Goslar Pick, a childhood friend of young diarist, Anne Frank. Hannah passed away last year, aged 93, and spent a large part of her life keeping the memories alive. She told me it was what her parents would have wanted and that the stories must be passed on.
Holocaust studies are not a compulsory part of the Australian curriculum in all states, but the topic does come up in subjects such as History, English and Religious studies.
A secondary teacher friend of mine mentioned that many schools don’t allocate enough time for an in-depth study of topics such as the Holocaust. This means many young Australians will only ever get a broad-brush overview rather than any valuable understanding of this cataclysmic part of world history and the almost total extermination of a generation.
The Holocaust – the organised and systematic genocide of the Jewish people by Nazi Germany – saw the death of approximately six million Jewish men, women and children. In addition, other groups were persecuted by the regime including homosexuals, those with disability, the black community and Roma gypsies.
But why should Australian students dive into this period? Because, though WWII ended almost 80 years ago, the ripples are still being felt today.
Learning about the dangers of hatred and discrimination at play in the Holocaust is important for fighting intolerance and prejudice in today’s world.
Studying the Holocaust provides opportunities to explore and inspire students with stories of courage and adversity, activism and resilience. These lessons can encourage students to build empathy for other groups being persecuted in the world today and to develop an understanding of, and value, a diverse and cohesive Australian society.
Find out more about Catherine Baeur here, and more about Tulips For Breakfast here.
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, and tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast!
With that in mind, I invited Dr Sam Lloyd over to share some insider insights into just how to nail the art of science and nature writing.
Dr Sam Lloyd is a scientist, fire ecologist and writer with a passion for the Australian bush and children’s literature. 
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog! I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of middle-grade series, The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries. My latest novel THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE is out now. You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
