Live from the Opera House, Kindergarten, Year 1 and 2 were able to participate in a virtual video conference with the author, directly interacting with him, asking questions and learning why he creates children’s books.
Leigh Hobbs is the author and illustrator of many famous children’s books including, ‘Old Toms Holiday’, ‘Old Tom: Man of Mystery’, ‘Fiona the Pig’, ‘Mr Chicken goes to Paris’, ‘Mr Chicken lands on London’, ‘Mr Chicken Arriva a Rome’, ‘Horrible Harriet’ and much more.
“The students had studied the novels so it was a wonderful opportunity for the children, from an isolated area, to have the chance to meet and chat with a famous author. It just goes to show the power of the internet, where the children are not limited by their location or backyard, they are able to interact with the world via a virtual platform”, said Principal, Joanne Trotter.
Teacher, Sarah Bragato said, “The purpose of the video conference was to foster a love of literature in children and encourage them to read, write and create.
“Leigh explained to the children that he always wanted to be an artist and children’s literature is a way to share the characters he developed in stories that people can relate to.”
The children were overwhelmed with excitement when Leigh showed them his sketch book, filled with illustrations of the latest book was he working on – ‘Mr Chicken comes to Australia’.
“Leigh told the children that anyone can develop a character, all you need to do is draw a shape and then give it eyes, a nose, ears and a mouth”, said Mrs Bragato.
It was a day of contemporary learning and fun for the students of St Joseph’s as they were able to live in the moment at the Opera House, experiencing a live and interactive virtual environment.