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Children design elf characters for story book
25/10/2022
The challenge for Bishop Loveday students came from local author Clare Anderson
Four children from Bishop Loveday Primary School in Bodicote are about to see their ideas for characters in a story brought to life in a new book.
Local author Clare Anderson recently visited the school and challenged the pupils to design an elf character matching their own spirit, coming up with a name and superpower for their creation.
The prize for the winners was to have their ideas turned into fictional characters by a professional illustrator and featured in Clare’s soon to be released children’s wellbeing and fantasy adventure book, The Lost Wish.
126 children, aged between 5 and 10, submitted drawings and four winners were chosen.
Clare said: “The children’s spirit elves were so imaginative, we had to pick four winners rather than just one! Our illustrator Emma [Kurran] has brought them lovingly to life and it is just incredible to see them on the page.
“My own undiagnosed dyslexia meant I wasn’t much of a reader as a child, but I loved watching movies. My mum was a working single parent and I don’t remember us reading together very much.
“My ultimate wish is that children, alongside their parents, will be encouraged to not just sit down and read together but to reconnect with the world around them.”
One of the winning entries came from seven-year-old Nancy, who created Starlight the elf, who reads people’s minds to help their dreams to come true.
Five-year-old Joseph named his winning elf Giddy Up Harry – a character who travels into space and rearranges stars into arrows to help people who are lost.
Victer The Animal Finder was ten-year-old Sofia-Rose’s creation. He uses his super hearing to help find lost animals.
Florence, who’s five, was the final winner with Elfsa, whose name is a pun on the popular Frozen heroine. Her superpower is kindness and sharing toys.
Dee Loader, Head of School at Bishop Loveday, said: “Like all schools, the wellbeing of our pupils is at the heart of everything we do.
“The children engaged with the concept immediately and really connected to The Lost Wish story and its wellbeing theme. Our pupils were so committed, with over 125 of them designing their own inner elf, and sharing their ideas on what they might do as an elf!
“It was a great opportunity for them to think, connect and put onto paper their designs with no boundaries.
“Alongside this was the inspiration from Clare personally – not letting anything stop her to achieve her goals.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam