In the final week of our association with the Bookworm Literary Festival author visits, YCIS Beijing students were treated to two very different but both highly acclaimed and respected contributors to the literary world.

March 21 saw the arrival of famous Australian children’s author Mark Greenwood to the YCIS Beijing Campus. With a passion for history, Mark has written many critically acclaimed books such as Jandamarra, Simpson, His Donkey, and The Legend of Lasseter’s Reef, the last for which he won the West Australian Premier’s Award for children’s books. He has also been praised for the inclusive nature of his books which highlight and celebrate racial diversity. Mr Greenwood gave a delightful talk to our Lower Primary School students, recounting how he began his career as musician performing with the world’s foremost musicians, including U2. He also fascinated our young readers with tales of his sensational adventures exploring the Australian outback while researching the history of one of his books.

On Friday, March 25, renowned cartoonist and illustrator Larry Feign visited our Upper Primary School students to teach them the tricks of the trade. Larry has had a long and respected international career producing comic strips for Time Magazine, The Independent, and the South China Morning Post. This career has also seen him win various awards for his work, including three from Amnesty International. He’s also had the opportunity to produce animations for Walt Disney and Warner Brother’s Cartoon Network. During his workshop at YCIS Beijing, he taught students the secrets of creating cartoon characters and finding one’s own style. When asked how to become a successful cartoonist, Mr Feign sagely replied “the way to become successful in anything is not from any particular lessons or training, but by just doing it constantly; you’ll get better a little bit at a time”.

 To see our photos from all 4 literary visitors to YCIS Beijing during the month of March, please visit our Flickr gallery. To find about upcoming events on around the YCIS Beijing Campus, click here.