Children's author visits Pretty Beach

Children's author-illustrator Ms Susan Berran has visited Pretty Beach Public School as part of 2018 Book Week.

Ms Berran said she loved encouraging children to read and write, particularly those reluctant readers not yet at the required reading level close to moving on to high school.

"I've always loved drawing and writing weird, freaky funny stories and when a teacher in Year 5 said 'You should think about becoming an author'.

"The thought definitely stuck but it didn't come about for quite some time," Ms Berran said.

Ms Berran said it was a strange journey to becoming an author, whose love of art and drawing led her down a much different path at first.

"I served 10 years in the Australian Army as an illustrator reprographic, also attending Royal Military College for officer training.

"Unfortunately due to an injury during training, I was medically discharged.

"While in the Army, I met my partner and together we moved to the small township of Bethanga,

"A few years later saw the birth of our beautiful daughter, Mel.

"It was with her birth that I started to seriously take another look at the stories that lay forgotten among years of dust inside my head.

"Mel had a story told to her every night while she was young.

"At the age of 8, Mel harassed me until I read one of the stories to her school class.

"By the end of that same year, I'd had two publishing offers and my feet haven't touched the ground since," Ms Berran said.

"Susan entertained our students until there were fits of laughter," said school principal Ms Deborah Callendar.

"Her hilarious stories and clever story writing tips were most appreciated and we now have her full set of books that students can borrow during library time," Ms Callendar said.

SOURCE:

Newsletter, 30 Aug 2018

Deborah Callendar, Pretty Beach Public School