A twist in the tale

The story, which was chosen as one of the best fun books of 2021 for children by the Daily Mail, has spawned a series of books from mum and son team, Natalie and 11-year-old Henry Newman, from Collier Row.

The pair’s latest book is “Lark the Shark and Wonda the Whale”.

The book is aimed at two-to-eight-year-olds and is the second in a series of five books being released.  

Since the launch of Lark the Shark, Natalie has been invited to a host of local events and can regularly be found reading their book in local primary schools and answering questions on the environment and how the pair got into writing.

Ideas for the original storybook started in lockdown after Henry had been studying the environment and water pollution at school.

Natalie said: “It’s all about friendship and inclusiveness and the children have been loving the readings in schools.

"They ask lots of questions about the environment, how we got into writing and how they can become an author. It’s quite inspiring.”

The latest instalment tells the story of Lark helping Wonda the Whale to be reunited with her pod, with a surprise ending.

Councillor Oscar Ford, Cabinet Leader for Children and Young People, said:

“Storytelling is a great art form and helps young people to imagine the impossible and have fun.

"Meeting a local author and learning about the possibilities will help them to know that they too can aspire to be a writer.”