A new series of books for children has launched at Bournemouth Writing Festival, featuring work from BA (Hons) Illustration students from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB).
Puffed Up Pearlette is the debut children's book written by Key Stage 1 teacher Becky White and illustrated by Emma Watremetz and Elana Evans, both students on the BA (Hons) Illustration course.
Commissioned and directed by Claire Reilly from Wakey Wakey ARTS and funded by Arts Council England, Puffed Up Pearlette is the first in the series of the Teeny Tales for Growing Minds book brand, which creates stories to support the Personal, Social, Health and Relationship Education (PSHRE) curriculum at early years and Key Stage 1 level.
With the aim of providing literary content that's not currently available, the first book is a gentle story reaffirming the importance of boundaries and self-worth in children and young people, as Claire explains:
“At its core, this is a story about adult to child bullying. It sounds heavy and serious, and as a topic it is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen and shouldn’t be talked about.
“Teeny Tales is designed to be accessible and relatable to all. On the surface, this is a playful story about a kooky little pufferfish.”
The project promotes reading at an early stage of life, responding directly to recent findings from the National Literacy Trust – Children and Young People’s Reading in 2023 research, which recorded the lowest level of reading enjoyment since 2005 between 5–18 year-olds.
Wakey Wakey ARTS have written up the students' stories and worked alongside Tin Holloway and Maria Atamas, also students from BA (Hons) Illustration, to use the children's drawings and descriptions of their characters to create one image for each one-page story.
“The project has supported emerging talent within the arts industry by investing in an early career author and early career Illustrators, in line with Wakey Wakey ARTS’ commitment to sustain practitioners with ongoing work and career development.”
“We’re now looking for funding to turn Puffed Up Pearlette into an interactive children’s dance/theatre show for Key Stage 2 children, as well as beginning to explore future topics for our next Teeny Tales for Growing Minds children’s book.”
For more information about collaborating with Wakey Wakey ARTS, visit their website or get in touch via wakeywakeyarts@gmail.com. To buy a copy of Puffed Up Pearlette in-person, visit the Wild Ones Play Café in Kinson.
