Jennifer Somervell with the students of Aberfeldy School. Photo/ Supplied
Jennifer Somervell with the students of Aberfeldy School. Photo/ Supplied
Aberfeldy School and Kakatahi School students were recently visited by Tales from the Farm children's book author Jennifer Somervell.
Somervell writes true stories about her experiences growing up on a dairy farm near Takapau, including the titles A Very Greedy Tale and The Day Dad Blew up the Cowshed.
Somervell read to the students and also taught them about the process of putting a book together.
"So it's good to encourage children and show them that there's a process."
Somervell showed students how she constructed the plot for her story The Eel Hunt and explained to them the process of interviewing people for her stories.
She also showed them the storyboard for the book, drawn by her sister, Margery Fern, and then looked at the design done by Ms Fern's daughter, Ezra André.
Ms Fern is the principal at Waitetuna School in Raglan and illustrates the stories during her time off, a process that takes approximately one year per book.
Somervell started writing in 2005.
"I think I was burying my gift a bit, but then I realised my father was getting old -- he was a raconteur and he had this treasure trove of stories that were going to be lost," she said.
"So I started trying to get some of them down."
Her first book was published in 2012 and she hoped to inspire the students of Aberfeldy and Kakatahi.
"I like to draw children in so they can learn about what life was like in the 1960s and 70s and how that is relevant to them today," Somervell said.
"There are often writers that have to be released, and if I can be one of those people that helps get them started, then that's a great thing.
"Above all, my stories are for entertainment, you hook them into this exciting adventure and they are astonished to find out it's true. That's the best thing about it."
Jennifer Somervell with Kakatahi School principal Barry Garland and students. Photo/ Supplied
