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BLOGS
Created: 28th November, 2022

What inspired you to write this book?

 When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, the following event took place. My English teacher father and I stumbled upon a shop window with an impressive display, and he said “What a festive window. Hmm…window…vindr augr, the wind’s eye, not glass that allows you to see the shop’s treasures, but the holes that allow the building to breathe…”. Every word he uttered contained a story. Oh! And there is the book’s title. The apple, I’m afraid, did not fall far from the tree. I hope what I offer in the book is a mere a trampoline (a lovely word!) into a thousand more lexical tales. 

Every word in this book as a diverting or ticklesome story (in my immensely biased opinion) but does this help young readers in practical terms? I believe it does. My goddaughter and I wrestled with English during the lockdowns. She is dyslexic and finds spelling tricky. The narratives offered by the constituent parts of a word and the way in which they were woven together, not only cemented spelling but augmented vocabulary. It was an awesome discovery.

 

How would you suggest primary teachers use this book? 

I think the ability to personalise the experience for each child using the letters of the alphabet can be helpful. Taking the first letter of the child’s name to find the first letter of their etymological journey might be the key. Then, whatever tickles them in the ‘star word’ poem and other word stories for that letter, might inspire their subsequent choices. 

     

What motivated you to begin a career in writing/illustrating?

It wasn’t something I was altogether sure I could do. My munificent imprint, Quarto, and Holly in particular, sowed the seed. Only when I began to write at regular intervals, and incorporate it into my daily life, did the grey cells start to tango.

 

What are the major influences in your work and how do you decide on your subjects?

My father has had a huge influence. From his synonym waltzes to his etymological wrestles he, in a way, is present on every page. 

    

Which books had a lasting impact on you as a child and why?

I adored ‘The Wind in the Willows’ because it was set almost exactly where I grew up. I loved all the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ stories, which I have revisited twice as an adult. The stories are packed with advice on how to ingest the world around us! 

 

Discover Tom's new book, Every Word Tells a Story, published by Quarto...