LOCAL author Andy Seed delighted children from Blakeney Primary School during a special “Meet the Author” event held as part of Gloucestershire’s Year of Reading.

The event was run alongside literacy charity Read With Me, which provides volunteers to read with children in schools across Gloucestershire and aims to help young people develop confidence and enjoyment in reading.

Pupils heard about Andy’s encounters with wild animals while researching his popular “Interview With” series, which includes Interview with a Tiger, Interview with a Shark, Interview with a Kangaroo and Interview with a Panda.

Children discovered unusual animal facts, including how wombats produce square droppings to mark their territory and how armadillos can use a large claw, described as being the size of a banana, to defend themselves against predators.

Andy also introduced pupils to poems including “Who’s a Cat?” and “Cheeky Pete”, as well as knock-knock jokes and riddles from his Silly Book of Side-Splitting Stuff.

He finished the visit with an alphabet game for older children, challenging them to hold a conversation in which each response began with the next letter of the alphabet. Some pupils successfully reached Z and won one of Andy’s moustache pencils.

Linda Cohen, from Gloucestershire’s Year of Reading and founder of Read With Me, said it had “never been more important” to ensure young people were on a pathway to success.

She said the initiative’s vision was to ensure every child in Gloucestershire had the opportunity to learn to read well while developing the foundations for a lifelong love of reading.

Gloucestershire’s Year of Reading brings together schools, libraries, organisations and communities to encourage reading across the county, with events and activities designed to inspire children and families. The visit gave pupils a chance to meet an author and explore books through humour and games.