Thanks To All The School Teachers That Have Been Rallying Behind "The Shrew With The Flu"

Since “The Shrew with the Flu” scurried its way into the world, I’ve been fortunate enough to receive some incredible feedback from school teachers and educators. Below, is some of the feedback that’s been shared from school teachers about “The Shrew with the Flu” - some of which were kind enough to invite me to host “The Shrew with the Flu” draw-and-dance-along sessions with EYSF, KS1, & KS2 classes. Enjoy!

“A wonderful read! Teaching concepts of resilience, empathy and sensory awareness, this beautifully written rhyming story had me hooked as we venture on the quest to find food for the Shrew with the flu. Children can empathise with the Shrew’s emotions and mission to use sound to find woodland insects and animals. However, the Shrew becomes greedy and realises the impact of his actions, which cleverly introduces the concept of caring for your environment.”

- Primary School Teacher, St Gregory’s Catholic Primary School,

“Will visited our school and worked with our EYFS and Key Stage 1 children. He was approachable and energetic, pitching his activities at the appropriate level. Our children thoroughly enjoyed learning to draw some of the creatures from Will’s book and then listening to him read the story to them. It was a great morning, thank you Will.”

- Literacy Coordinator, Enmore CofE Primary School

“Will's visit to our school was a very memorable one which children and adults thoroughly enjoyed! Teachers were really impressed with the sessions on offer as they were pitched at the right level, well paced, practical and engaging. Will had lots of great ways to grasp the children's attention, and even the children in our youngest years were fully engaged throughout. Adults remarked how fantastic Will was with the children, as he was so inspiring and encouraging. Thank you Will for such a great day! You're really great at what you do!”

– Reading Lead, West Leigh Infant School

“Will is such a talented young poet and he has found the perfect balance between a good yarn and a lesson about looking after our environment - an especially relevant one for this day and age. I think The Shrew with the Flu would make an excellent book for children in years 3 or 4 at school, or for parents to read to their children at home.”

- Primary School Teacher, Lydiate Primary & Nursery School

“For the past 25 years I have been sharing stories as a Teacher and a Head Teacher with children. Every teacher has a favourite book. The very best stories are ones they revisit time and time again: Stories that create suspense, stir emotion and start discussion.

The Shrew with the Flu has easily become one of my 'go to' stories. It is thought provoking, empowering and has an especially relevant focus on the environment. There are so many aspects of this story to explore from discovering the senses to looking after the environment. I love it!”

- Headmistress, Clifton College Pre-Preparatory School (Nursery to Year 3)

“The Shrew with a Flu is an incredibly well written children’s book which follows the journey of a lovable shrew through the forest using its nose as a guide. Trouble erupts and before long, Shrew is left feeling the full force of its actions.

The book ends by inspiring children to look after our environment by taking small steps to make a big difference. Caring and taking responsibility for the future of our planet is a hot topic at the moment and our children are the driving force. This book will ignite passion in children to respect Mother Nature, reflect on the impact they are making on the planet and to look after their surroundings. The Shrew with a Flu is sure to prompt some thought-provoking conversations in your house or classroom.

The story is written in rhyme which allows the children to join in with the adventure and form connections with Shrew in a fun way. The quality of the writing makes the book just as enjoyable and engaging to read for the adult. This is a story that children will be sure to learn off-by-heart and ask to be read to time and time again.”

- A. Sims, Primary School Teacher

I get emotional, reflecting on these testimonials. It’s such a privilege, to have the opportunity to inspire young people to go out and change their world for the better; to think that school teachers are doing that day in, day out (often thanklessly), really is humbling. Thank you for everything you do!

If you would like me to visit your school, draw forest animals and bring “The Shrew with the Flu” to life with your classes, drop me a message. If you have already decided to purchase copies of the book, I will host the visit for free (just charging mileage for schools that live a giant’s leap away from Bristol).

Stay safe; stay smiley.

Will :)