Last weekend I visited Balingup for their annual Telling Tales Children’s Storytelling Festival.
Balingup is a beautiful town in the South-West Region surrounded by farms, bushland and pine forest. When the sun is out the scenery is stunning – it’s all green hills and winding valleys. But on cold winter mornings a mist descends upon the town, which creates an incredibly spooky atmosphere. It’s the perfect setting for a scary story …
Balingup mist
Balingup mist
Balingup mist
… so in my sessions I read my new book My Dead Bunny ! Then I gave some demonstrations for how to draw zombie animals:
Zombie bunny
zombie platypus
zombie penguin
… then the kids designed their own. Here’s a whole zombie zoo:
zombie ninja chicken
zombie unicorn
zombie glowworm
zombie dragon
zombie giraffe
zombie snail
zombie shark
zombie penguin
zombie rooster
zombie pig
zombutterfly
zombunny
zombie puppy
zombelephant
zombie cat
zombie cat (missing tail)
zombie wolf/alpaca
zombie zombie
The Telling Tales Festival also features a fancy dress parade of children’s characters, always a laugh. The Balingup locals really get involved.
the parade
Magpie, Gandalf and Mouse catching up for coffee
Mouse holds up traffic
Huge thanks to the Balingup ladies who organise the festival year after year – it’s always heaps of fun! Thank you for having me.
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Author: James Foley
James makes books for courageous kids. Heâs the author/illustrator of the S.Tinker Inc graphic novel series for middle primary: Brobot (2016), Dungzilla (2017) and Gastronauts (2018) star Sally Tinker, the worldâs foremost inventor under the age of twelve, and Joe Tinker, her stinky baby brother. Jamesâ earlier books My Dead Bunny (2015) In The Lion (2012), The Last Viking (2011) and The Last Viking Returns (2014) have all scored several honours, including childrenâs choice awards, shortlistings in the Childrenâs Book Council of Australia Book of the Year awards, and selection to the International Youth Libraryâs White Raven list. James comes from a long line of queuing enthusiasts. Follow him on FB/twitter/insta/youtube @jamesfoleybooks, or at www.jamesfoley.com.au .
View all posts by James Foley
love the zombie series
Cheers Belinda! It’s been fun to draw something different with kids.