[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-barnes-kids-lit-fest-2017-the-prince-of-pants":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"This weekend I got to see my lovely co-author \u003Ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_MacDonald_(writer)\">Alan MacDonald\u003C/a> at \u003Ca href=\"http://www.barneskidslitfest.org/whats-on/\">Barnes Kids Lit Fest\u003C/a>! Alan wrote the words for our picture book, \u003Cb>\u003Ci>The Prince of Pants\u003C/i>\u003C/b> but he lives in Nottingham, so we don't get to hang out very often. So this was a treat. Here he is and me with my big over-caffeinated happy face. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_sarah_alan1_zpsnehnoz6a-0faf8b27ce.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThanks to my husband, Stuart, for taking photos! Ha ha, I hadn't played my uke for several months and I had a hurried practice session the night before so we could sing \u003Cb>THE PANTS SONG\u003C/b>. It's a fine song, I should practice my uke more often. It goes \\r\n\\r\n\u003Ci>Pants, pants, glorious pants!\\r\nThere's nothing quite like them for making you dance\\r\nSo put on your undies\\r\nAnd cheer up your Mondays\\r\nAnd we'll all have fun days with GLORIOUS PANTS \u003C/i>\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_sarah_alan3_zpsvhjayqe6-c0f239ec46.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n(\u003Ca href=\"https://youtu.be/wsZPYT_odk0\">Here's a video\u003C/a> of it if you want to learn the tune.) Then Alan read \u003Ci>The Prince of Pants\u003C/i> and let me do the voice for Prince Pip, who has lost ALL his pants. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_alan_reading_zpsjhplhsux-6001a3e89c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen I led everyone in some drawing. This turned into a half-elephant, half-crocodile 'Croco-phant'. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_sarah_flipchart_zpswrofokxa-fbd2837049.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nThen everyone else got drawing! Here's the first one we did, designing some patterns for awesome pants. Then we drew a bit more free-style, starting with a pair of pants, and then creating a creature to go inside them. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_kid_drawing_zpsaaqefika-00331a2376.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\n\u003C!--more Click here for lots more under the cut!-->\\r\nOne of the fun things about festivals is getting to bump into lots of other book friends! Here's the team from \u003Ca href=\"https://www.authorfy.com/\">Authorfy\u003C/a>, a new project to encourage creativity in schools and give them great resources to get kids creating their own stories. (I drew that little flag-waving image in the back left there.) Do check out their website if you're interested in getting your school involved!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_authorfy_zpsora1kack-85e80a582d.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nLovely writer-illustrators! Here's \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sophyhenn.com/\">Sophy Henn\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.traceycorderoy.com/\">Tracey Corderoy\u003C/a>, \u003Ca href=\"http://stevenlenton.com/\">Steven Lenton\u003C/a> and me. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_groupa_zpseykokdsx-3457e5d7a7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nA shockingly hirsute \u003Ca href=\"http://www.garethwrites.co.uk/home/\">Gareth P. Jones\u003C/a>, and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.mgleonard.com/\">M.G. Leonard\u003C/a> (whose actual name is Maya, I learned).  \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_gareth_maya_zps1vkb8ypq-29abd2b29c.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nMaya's written a book called \u003Ci>Beetle Boy\u003C/i> and I got to meet her beetles, too! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_MG_Leonard_zpsrih9fzd4-997b2bbfe6.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nA few more familiar faces: lovely \u003Ca href=\"http://claras.me/\">Clara Vulliamy\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://www.sallykindberg.co.uk/\">Sally Kindberg\u003C/a>.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_clara_sally_zpswues6uv1-2bf998e4b7.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd \u003Ca href=\"http://laurenstjohn.com/\">Lauren St John\u003C/a>, who gave me a lift home with another friend with whom she went to journalism college in Zimbabwe, so Stuart and I got to hear lots of interesting stories from them!\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_sarah_laurenstjohn_zps2xngte15-e8da5cccc4.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nBig thanks to Emma and the amazing team at Barnes Kids Lit Fest, you were brilliant. And to \u003Ca href=\"https://twitter.com/OHorrox\">Olivia Horrox\u003C/a> from Scholastic for coming out to help, and to Alan for being generally fabulous. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_team_zpsobmfhi0h-d9cc0e702e.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nAnd thanks, Judy from \u003Ca href=\"http://www.barnesbookshop.co.uk/\">Barnes Bookshop\u003C/a>, for supplying lots of people with copies of \u003Ci>The Prince of Pants\u003C/i>! It was great meeting so many enthusiastic people, thanks to those of you who came along! \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/barnes17_judy_bookseller_zpsavejsclc-111fbfaedb.jpg\">","2017-05-14T21:09:00.000Z","barnes-kids-lit-fest-2017-the-prince-of-pants",[],"barnes kids lit fest 2017: the prince of pants",1776628729017]