A retired special needs teacher from Wirral has followed her dream by publishing her first children's book.
A Christmas story called The Enchanted Suitcase: Preston's Christmas Surprise is the debut release from Bebington's Jinny Morgan Lewtas, with the publication currently in its final stage of illustration.
The book, which will be available in three different versions, has come to fruition after Jinny enrolled on an online writing course.
Speaking to the Globe, she said: “I realised very early in my career that students with additional needs require literary resources specifically tailored in order to gain maximum enjoyment from stories and encourage inclusivity for all children.
The front cover of Jinny's first book
"Materials that encourage children with additional needs to enjoy the wonderful world of literacy are often in short supply and rely heavily on Special Education Needs school staff to drastically modify existing resources or create their own to engage all students in a fun, interactive and inclusive way.”
It is with this in mind that Jinny is tapping into her skills, knowledge and experience of 27 years’ teaching to introduce Preston Panda to the literary world by writing inclusive stories for children, their parents, their carers’ and their teachers.
The Enchanted Suitcase: Preston’s Christmas Surprise, is described as a heart-warming story about a young panda called Preston who embarks on a magical adventure one Christmas Eve.
The book contains guidance on how best to deliver the story to non-readers, early readers and children with additional needs.
The guidance includes a detailed list of resources that can be easily gathered to make the story multi-sensory and ‘real’.
Jinny's creation - Preston Panda
Jinny discusses the ethos behind this technique with an important message that there’s more to a story than just words.
She added: “The books are not exclusively aimed at children with additional needs; the stories can be enjoyed by all children wherever they are on their learning journey."
Jinny has created three versions of “The Enchanted Suitcase: Preston’s Christmas Surprise”, a Hardback Special Edition, a Softback Edition and an Easy-read option which is a less-wordy version of the story.
Along with further adventures in his enchanted suitcase, Jinny plans to write a selection of short stories featuring Preston Panda. These stories will be aimed at helping children to overcome anxieties surrounding visits to the doctor, hospital, dentist, church, even school.
All pre-orders will be signed by Jinny and all are available to pre-order at jinnymorganlewtas.co.uk/
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