Kerry has always had a love of words - she speaks a lot of them! Thankfully, to the relief of her family and friends, this passion for talking has been channeled into writing children's picture books. This has become her new passion.
Kerry's motto is 'Imagination is Magical'.
"Your imagination is a wonderful and powerful thing. It has no limits, expectations or marking key! I'm not saying that spelling and reading aren't important. They are. However we need to encourage a love and fascination of literature within our children. We need to ignite the spark that gives them an appetite for adventure. Once they are immersed in the joy and satisfaction of storytelling, the rest will follow."
Kerry is a qualified primary teacher with a Masters Degree in Education. She has had the privilege to work alongside some of the best imaginations in the country - the children she has taught!
As a classroom teacher, Kerry is able to provide informative and relevant talks and workshops to classes of children that relate directly to curriculum content or a theme. She is able to deliver these specific to her own books and writing or to an objective requested of her, such as preparation towards NAPLAN testing.
Kerry juggles her writing, part-time teaching, studying and being a full-time Mum, on the Gold Coast, where she lives with her husband, children and much-loved Labrador!
Her first book Can I Cuddle the Moon? illustrated by Lisa Stewart, was released in 2010. Her second book Poppy Wash was illustrated by her sister Michelle Pike. These were followed in 2014 by All My Kisses illustrated by Jedda Robaard and the #1 picture book bestseller Lest We Forget illustrated by Isobel Knowles and Benjamin Portas in 2015.
Kerry's latest collaboration The Hole - April 2018 is with fellow Australian picture book creator Lucia Masciullo.
Lower Primary Years
Kerry uses her book Can I Cuddle the Moon? to cover the following concepts:
- Classifying - things you can and cannot cuddle.
- Rhyme - discovering rhyme, recognising and creating rhyming words (auditory and orally).
- Questions and Answers - identifying them in the text and creating their own.
- Collage - discuss, discover and possibly help create their own group collage depending on time available. (If time does not allow for this, Kerry provides teacher packs so that there is an option to continue this activity in the classroom).
Kerry uses a gorgeous (very realistic) owl puppet, large visuals, data projector and introduces interactive group activities during these sessions.
She also adapts well known songs to her themes which the children pick up very quickly!
A look at Kerry's second book Poppy Wash provides an introduction into basic narrative structure and the genre of storytelling.
Middle Primary Years
These sessions are a little different but still use the book Can I Cuddle the Moon? to introduce the concepts of questions / answers and rhyme which are then used to create a class book titled Can I kiss a? The children love this session as they work together as a group to create their very own class book.
Upper Primary Years
Kerry is able to adapt her current published works by deconstructing her stories in detail and discussing the processes involved.
Sessions can be adapted or created based around a learning concept, set of skills or particular objective. Understanding the need for participation and change of pace, sessions are engaging and interactive.
For all age groups, Kerry is eager for the children to have fun, feel relaxed about their input, excited about literature and above all, believe that their imagination is magical!
The Reading Train
Kerry can also offer a new 45 minute presentation titled. Get on Board the Reading Train - a journey of discovery between you and your child.
The importance of early literacy skills, the reluctant reader, the role of parents and reading tips for both the younger and older readers are all explored.
This session is relevant to parents, staff, schools and libraries for staff pd or literacy evenings and events.
Testimonials
Kerry did a fantastic session with the children, she contacted the library before the event to clarify our expectations of the day / event and to gather information on the target audience. She was really great.
Kerry Brown - Wynnum Library, June, 2013.We had a wonderful day with Kerry Brown yesterday. The sessions were great and all the children enjoyed them. Thank you Helen for recommending her a very good choice.
I also appreciated the fact that Kerry was so flexible. One group was late arriving and at one stage we had a class of Year 6 students joining in and Kerry was unfazed.
Kerry Brown - Canterbury College, Book Week, August, 2013.Kerry has just finished her presentations. Very successful. Praise all round. The kids LOVED her. Many thanks for organising the booking.
Kerry Brown - A B Patterson College, May, 2012Kerry’s visit yesterday was an amazing success, sensational and professional. Kerry had the absolute attention of the younger grades which is never easy to do.
I cannot speak highly enough of Kerry and would highly recommend her to any school. I will definitely be using your company again to book authors if they are of the same quality.
Kerry Brown - Jubilee Primary School, September, 2011Kerry Brown is fantastic and very inspirational. Everyone loved her presentations and it is a hard task keeping preps - year 3 entertained.
Kerry Brown - Guardian Angels Primary School, August, 2011
The Hole
Can I Cuddle the Moon
Poppy Wash
All My Kisses
Lest We Forget
Queensland
Speaker type
- Author
- Educational consultant
Links
Featured Speakers
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Welcome to Term 2
If you haven't already done so, now is the time to book your speakers for Book Week next term.
Please get in touch and we will be happy to provide recommendations for your school.
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New Releases See all books
Touring Speakers See all tour dates
Speaker | Location | Tour dates | Book now |
---|---|---|---|
Sunshine Coast | 04 Jun - 06 Jun 2024 | ||
Rockhampton | 11 Jun - 20 Jun 2024 | ||
Brisbane/Gold Coast | 19 Jun - 21 Jun 2024 | ||
Brisbane | 08 Jul - 10 Jul 2024 | ||
Brisbane | 11 Jul - 12 Jul 2024 |
What people are saying
Tony was a great hit with the students (at the Primary Taster Day) and they really enjoyed his workshops.
Can you envision over 2,000 students from across Australia participating in a collaborative Zoom workshop, where they spontaneously rise and applaud after a poetry performance? Inspired and motivated, these students don't just write; they eagerly share and perform their own poetry, delving into the depths of their emotions and life experiences. Joel models the process, making it accessible for students to adopt and make their own. They're so engrossed in their writing that they don't want to put [...]
Her presentation was both humorous and informative and Yvonne was flexible in her delivery and accommodated for timetable changes. I highly recommend Yvonne to any school wishing to have an author visit.
Thank you for yesterday - it was a wonderfully fun and informative hour. Kate was really great and seemed to have a real connection with the students.
The students were engaged by David's ability to understand their interests and needs. Ranged from personal interaction to hands-on activities. We hope to invite David again next year during our Visit Japan Week.
Megan captivated her audience as she shared valuable insights into her writing process. Megan inspired our students to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through writing. She made her books come alive as she used excerpts to highlight her ideas. Our students (and teachers) loved her session.
Once again Speakers Ink provided a wonderful service. You are my first point of call for organising speakers when I need to. Speakers Ink does a great job and your costs are very reasonable given what is delivered. I do look forward to working with you again.
Candice was a pleasure to work with. She had the children engaged with their writing and they all had a wonderful time working with her. Candice was well-prepared and interacted in a beautiful way with both the teachers and students. We would certainly be happy to book her again in future years.
We have never had a presentation that was so successfully received by our students, our teachers and our families in the wider community. The presentations were excellent, entertaining, thought-provoking and informative – a real quality experience for all participants.
Shannon visited my year 8 focused literacy class. Her presentation was very well organised, relevant and extremely interesting. Shannon discussed the steps she went through to write and publish her book "Was Not Me". This was closely linked to the theory behind story structures. Students had an opportunity to see early drafting notes and discuss the drafting, illustrating and publishing processes. All of this was presented in a manner that suited my class perfectly and there were lots of o [...]
Here at Porirua Libraries, we love Fifi Colston’s work, and it has been our pleasure to host her to showcase both her books and her crafting skills. Fifi is a talented, energetic, inclusive, personable presenter. Ngā tamariki love working with her, and so do we.