Nick Sharratt – exploring illustrationIllustration activities based around Cave Man Dave and Tracy Beaker

CFE Levels 1 and 2 (Ages 5-11)

Resources created by Jennifer Buchan, classroom teacher, Stenhouse Primary School

About these resourcesThese resources are full of cross-curricular activity suggestions to help you explore the world of illustration books with your pupils in library and classroom activities. Adapt and use as you see fit! Many of the activities can be supported by the ‘draw along’ section of Nick’s online Authors Live event, where Nick invites us to join him in drawing Cave Man Dave and Tracy Beaker – visit the link below to find Nick’s event on our website.

The resources have been produced to help you get the most out of our online Authors Live event with Nick, but you can use them at any point to engage pupils with his books and with illustration in general.

If you don’t watch the event on the day, you will be able to view or download it afterwards from our Watch on Demand section:

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/teachers-librarians/authors-live/watch-on-demand

About Nick SharrattNick Sharratt knew from a very early age that he wanted to be an artist. He grew up in Suffolk and Manchester and was trained in graphic design at St Martin’s School of Art in London. Sharratt has illustrated close to 250 books, ranging from board books for babies to novels for young teenagers. He has worked with authors including Julia Donaldson, Jeremy Strong, Michael Rosen, Giles Andreae, Kaye Umansky, Kes Gray and most notably Dame Jacqueline Wilson. He has also written around 40 of his own books.

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Nick has won several awards including the Children's Book Award for Jeremy Strong's The Hundred Mile-An-Hour Dog, The Sheffield Children's Book Award in 1996 for his own Cheese and Tomato Spider and again in 2001 for Kes Gray's Eat Your Peas. He won the Red House Children's Book Award for Pants and was also shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal. Nick is currently providing illustrations for the 2nd series of the hugely successful BBC Children's drama Tracy Beaker Returns.

The activities provided in this resource focus on 2 texts: Caveman Dave (written and illustrated by Sharratt) and Tracy Beaker (written by Jacqueline Wilson and illustrated by Sharratt). They are designed to be fun, engaging, cross-curricular activities which should enhance the children’s enjoyment of the illustrator’s work. Please see the websites below for further information about Nick Sharratt and other teaching resources and activities.

http://nicksharratt.com/ - the official Nick Sharratt website with information, drawing tips and interviews

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/find/?q=Tracy%20Beaker – excellent links to games, quizzes and puzzles relating to Tracy Beaker http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2011/mar/10/how-to-draw-characters-gallery - excellent step-by-step instructions for how to draw a Nick Sharratt character

Introduction to Nick Sharratt: Activities for First Level ………………………………… Page 3

Introduction to Nick Sharratt: Activities for Second Level …………………………….. Page 3

Caveman Dave Activities for First Level ………………………………………………... Page 4

Tracy Beaker Activities for Second Level ………………………………………………. Page 7

Mixed Level Activities for First and Second Levels ……………………………………Page 11

Additional Resources ……………………………………………………………………. Page 13

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Introduction to Nick Sharratt

Activities for First LevelTechnologies

TCH 1-03b, HWB 1-10a

Read the following 10 things you didn’t know about Sharratt in order to find out more about him: http://www.walker.co.uk/contributors/Nick-Sharratt-1709.aspx. Make up your own list of 5 things people don’t know about you. Hang them in a display and keep each list anonymous – see if you can work out which list belongs to which person in the class!

Reading

Lit 1-11a

Go on a Nick Sharratt hunt! Go to the local or school library and try to find as many books as you can which have been written and/or illustrated by Sharratt. Make a list of the books and hold a class survey to see how many have been read. Make up a reading list of books by Sharratt that you would like to read as a class.

Activities for Second LevelExpressive Arts

EXA 2-07a

Log on to the ‘Books’ section of Nick Sharratt’s website: http://www.nicksharratt.com/books.html. Scroll through the images of front covers of books he has written and/or illustrated. Choose 3 words that you would use to describe common characteristics in his illustrations. Compare these with the 3 words written down by others and see how many of your friends came up with the same or similar adjectives.

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Health and Wellbeing

HWB 2-20a

Read the following interviews given by Sharratt and Jacqueline Wilson in order to find out about how an illustrator and author meet and work together: http://bit.ly/WilsonSharrattVideo and http://bit.ly/WilsonSharrattInterview. Think about the following: Does anything surprise you about how an author and illustrator work together? What things do Sharratt and Wilson have in common? Why must you work well as a team in this job?

Caveman Dave

Activities for First LevelWriting

Eng 1-31a, Lit 1-20a

On the last page of the storybook, we are introduced to Ava, Caveman Dave’s sister. Write the story of Eva, showing ways in which she is even braver than Caveman Dave. Think carefully about the setting and the things she could do to prove her bravery. Choose how you want to tell your story. This could be in a similar picture story book format, a cartoon strip or a poem, for example. Think about mentioning the following in your story:

- Where Ava lives- Her habits (does she wash? Does she brush her teeth or hair?)- What she does to show her bravery (does she have to face up to dangerous

animals, climb treacherous rocks or enter dark, unknown caves, for example?)

Writing

Lit 1-21a, Eng 1-31a

As your teacher reads aloud the story, note down the words you hear which rhyme with the word ‘cave’. Work with a partner to think of as many other words which rhyme with

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cave as you can. Choose your favourite word from your list and create a line of text which could be used in the book. Make sure your line ends with your word which rhymes with ‘cave’! For example, your line might be something like, ‘Caveman Dave loves to rave’. Create an illustration in the style and colours of Sharratt to accompany your line. Put pages together to create a latest edition Caveman Dave picture book!

Alternatively, as a class, you could create your own cave man name such as Caveman Jake and think of as many rhyming words as you can which could be used in lines in the book (rake, stake, make, bake, lake, take …). Work in pairs and take a rhyming word each. Each pair should create a line for the book and create an illustration in the style and colours of Sharratt to accompany the line. Put pages together to create your very own class Caveman book.

Expressive Arts

EXA 1-04a

Choose one of the characters from the story book and make your own flip book to show him/her/it in action! Once you have chosen a character, decide on the movement or action s/he/it will make in your book. Take a stack of large size post-it notes (containing approximately 15) and draw your character in the bottom right hand corner. On each page, make slight adjustments so that the character or object starts to change position or move. Try to draw your character on the same spot on each page. Once you have created your movement, flick your book to see your character move! Swap with a friend to compare animations. Watch this clip to help you get started with your flip book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njl-uqnmBGA.

Expressive Arts

EXA 1-07a

Look carefully at the illustrations in the picture book. Make a list of all the words/phrases that you could use to describe the style and the colours. These might include simple, bold, clear, bright, few colours or funny, for example. Compare Sharratt’s illustrations to those of a different illustrator, such as Axel Scheffler, illustrator of many Julia Donaldson picture books.

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Now create your own scene for the book Caveman Dave, using a similar style and colours to those of Sharratt. The scene could show inside Dave’s cave, or Dave showing his bravery in a different way (feeding or washing a wild animal, perhaps?!).

Expressive Arts

EXA 1-03a

Sharratt uses different types of line in his illustrations in order to create different textures. Look closely at the different lines he uses. Discuss the types of line and how each is used. Ideas could include:

Short straight lines – used for grass, bristles, spikes and fur Curly lines – woolly coat of the mammoths Squares/circles packed together – scales on the dinosaur Watercolour patches – cave and stones

Using Additional Resource 1, draw an example of each type of line in each of the sections. You could experiment with different media and use a combination of pens, watercolours, pencils and crayons to see with which you enjoy working and to compare their effects. In each box, also draw an animal or object of your own which has the same texture. You might choose a hedgehog, a sheep, a lizard and a cliff, for example!

Hold a Caveman Dave exhibition and invite parents and carers into school to see the art and written work that you have produced relating to Caveman Dave. You could dress as cave people and work as guides, explaining what you have learnt and created. Tell parents about the colours, lines and effects you have created and what you feel and have enjoyed about the art activities. Share your written work, explaining what you have learnt about rhyme and your own ideas for stories set in Caveman Dave’s time.

Health and Wellbeing/Writing

HWB 1-01a, Eng 1-30a

Think about a time that you or someone you know has been brave. You could even think of an example of bravery shown by a character from a book you have read. Sit in a circle and pass a talking object around the circle. When you have the talking object, share your

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example of an act of bravery with the class. Put your experience into a cartoon strip, showing what happened and what you or the character did. You could use similar, simple illustrations and colours to those used by Sharratt in the picture book (see the third Expressive Arts activity above).

Tracy Beaker

Activities for Second LevelExpressive Arts

EXA 2-04a, EXA 2-07a

Look at the illustrations of the faces of the different characters in Tracy Beaker. Discuss with a partner what they all have in common. Share these ideas with another pair. Ideas could include the following:

Very simple Pin/dot eyes Single line for nose and eyebrows Patches for cheeks A range of hairstyles A range of simple shapes used for mouths

Despite being very simple, Sharratt manages to capture a range of expressions, personalities and emotions. Compare, for example the 2 expressions at the top of page 36: by changing the angle of the eyebrows and turning a smile upside down, Sharratt shows 2 very different emotions. Find other similar examples in the book (see page 18 or 115, for example).

Use the same techniques to create characters of your own. Use the drawing tips on Sharratt’s website (http://nicksharratt.com/drawing_tips.html) and watch the step-by-step guide (http://bit.ly/NickSharrattDrawTips) to help you. See how many different expressions you can create by altering the angle and shape of the lines. Show your sketches to a friend and see if they can tell which expression is shown on each character.

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Expressive Arts

EXA 2-07a

Compare the simple character illustrations of Nick Sharratt with the heavily detailed character illustrations of illustrator and author Chris Riddell (see novels Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse or Hugo Pepper). Watch the Scottish Book Trust Live Authors Illustration Slam Event to help you learn more about the work of illustrators Chris Riddell and Debi Gliori: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/video/authors-live-illustration-slam. Scottish Book Trust education resources relating to these illustrators can be found at the following link: http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/learning/teaching-resources-cpd/second-level/using-illustration-as-a-stimulus-for-writing.

Use the table in Additional Resources, Resource 2 to help you compare and contrast the styles of Riddell and Sharratt and their effects.

Discuss in small groups which illustrations you prefer and why. Consider and discuss the following:

Can you imagine Riddell’s illustrations being used in the novel Tracy Beaker? Why/why not?

Can you imagine Sharratt’s illustrations being used in the novel Hugo Pepper? Why/why not?

Experiment with both styles by trying to create a character from Tracy Beaker in the detailed style of Riddell and a character from Hugo Pepper in the style of Sharratt. Choose 1 illustration from each text to ‘convert’ to the new style. Can you convey the same characteristics, personalities and emotions as shown in the original style?

Expressive Arts

EXA 2-04a

On pages 90-94, we read about different dares that Tracy and her friends set each other when playing the Dare Game. As a class, make up your own Book of Dare Games. Take an A5 piece of paper each and illustrate a dare, as shown by Sharratt on the aforementioned pages. Write a caption to go under your game, starting, “I dare you to…”

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and complete the sentence, describing your illustration. Bind all dares together into a class Dare Book.

Health and Wellbeing/Expressive Arts

HWB 2-05a, EXA 2-05a

On page 119, we see an illustration of the notice board that Tracy has in her room. Discuss the different things that are shown on the board. These in include Tracy’s likes, things she dreams of, important letters and postcards, and the most important person in her life in very middle.

Create a notice board about your life, showing similar things. Think about and make a note of the following things to include on your board:

The most important person/people in your life Your likes and hobbies Any important documents – letters, postcards, concert or travel tickets, for

examples Things that you dream of (consider places, objects, people, pets, jobs …) Friends and pets

Create each separate part of your notice board on a different piece of A5 paper. Once you have illustrated several different aspects of your life, stick these onto a large piece of paper to create your notice board. Think about and plan carefully how you will arrange and display the different items on the board. For example, you could show the most important person/people in the centre, as Tracy does. Alternatively, you could think of different ways of giving special importance to some aspects (some could be in colour, for example, or could be placed at the top or in the corners of the board). Place the items at different angles and have some overlapping so that your board is similar to that shown in the novel.

Display your notice boards around the room and spend time looking at the work and ideas of others. Divide into groups of 4 or 5 and discuss the following questions:

- Is it important to have hobbies? Why/why not?- Why do we keep mementoes?- What makes a person important to us?- Are dreams important? Why/why not?

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Expressive Arts

EXA 2-04a

Nick Sharratt has designed a book bench for Jacqueline Wilson as part of the Books About Town exhibition in London (http://www.booksabouttown.org.uk/?action=ViewPage&Id=1). All 50 books chosen to be represented in benches show work of some of the best loved modern and traditional authors and illustrators. Look through the list of book benches. Choose a book that you particularly love and that you think should be made into a bench. You may choose one which is already on the list but create a new design of your own for it. Hold a class competition to design your own book bench, using this template: http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/uploads/files/2014/07/design_your_own_bookbench.pdf.

Health and Wellbeing/Listening and Talking

HWB 2-20a, Lit 2-07a

Watch the following video to find out about the way in which Sharratt started his life as an illustrator and the way in which he works with Julia Donaldson: http://vimeo.com/31137533. Imagine you work for Scottish Book Trust and are going to interview Sharratt about his life and career. Think up 3 questions that you would like to ask him. Use question starters which make sure your questions are open and will get a full, detailed response. (Closed questions get a very short or yes/no answer and don’t provide you with much information!). Good starters might include:

Why…? What made you …? If …. then ….? What do you think …?

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Activities for First and Second LevelsThe following are designed to be collaborative activities which could be carried out by children working at first and second level. Classes can buddy to share their learning at different levels about the same illustrator.

Expressive Arts

EXA 1-04a/1-02a, EXA 2-04a/2-02a

Form pairs consisting of a child working at first and a child working at second level. Give each pair a piece of paper and explain that they have the challenge of designing their own character in the style of Nick Sharratt. Hold a whole class discussion first to ascertain key characteristics such as bold colours, simple lines and common facial features (see the first Tracy Beaker activity above). Tell pairs that they should create their own character and a fact file to accompany him/her. The character could be from any era or have any occupation, be of any age, come from any country and have any unusual characteristics or hobbies! Provide pens, paints, crayons or collage materials and ask children to create an A3 version of their character, experimenting with different media. Provide A4 paper on which children can create their accompanying factfile.

Health and Wellbeing/Writing

HWB 1-20a, HWB 2-20a, Eng 1-31a, Eng 2-31a

Form pairs consisting of a child working at first and a child working at second level. Explain to all children that they are going to think about the way in which an illustrator and author have to work closely together. Tell each pair that they are going to create a character of their own. This character can be human, animal, a mixture of the two, any age, with any characteristics and personality traits that the children choose. Each pair should draw and colour their character and create a character description (this could be done on A4 paper). This description should give details about the personality as well as the appearance of the character. Each pair must keep their characters and descriptions a secret from other children!

Now ask each pair to join with another pair and give each pair a piece of blank A4 paper. Label pairs A and B. Explain that pair A will start by being the authors and should read aloud its character description. Pair B will be the illustrators and should try to draw the

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character being described onto the blank paper. Pair A must keep its illustration hidden at all times! Once the description has been read and pair B has drawn its illustration, compare illustrations to see if those listening to the description have drawn something similar to the original character sketched by pair A. Repeat the activity so that pair B now reads its description and pair A tries to draw it.

Following the activity, bring the classes together and ask the following questions:

- What was trickiest about this task?- What surprised you about this task?- Did the character’s personality have an effect on its illustration?- What has this activity taught you about how an illustrator and author work

together? - Why is it important that the illustrations are in the same style and fit the

descriptions created by the author?

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Additional Resources

Resource 1Short, Spiky Lines Curly Lines

Shapes Tightly Packed Patches

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Resource 2Comparison Nick Sharratt Chris Riddell Effects

Illustration of characters. Look for a way to describe each illustrator’s style and common characteristics when they draw people.

Sharratt

Riddell

Comparison Nick Sharratt Chris Riddell Effects

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Illustration of settings. Compare how often these are portrayed by illustrators and differences in style.

Sharratt

Riddell

Use of illustrations. Compare when, why and how illustrations are included. Do they move the story forward? Do they add humour or detail? Do they explain something that is otherwise difficult to visualise?

Sharratt

Riddell

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