posted on 11 May 2023

Special story

I always enjoy a new challenge when it comes to inspiring people about reading and relishing books. So, when I was recently invited to share some of my colourful, interactive pop -up books with a group of adults who have a wide range of physical, profound and multiple learning disabilities I thought, why not give it a go?

Before planning anything specific I visited The Myriad Day Centre in Worcester to talk to staff and try to get to know my potential audience. This proved to be a very interesting but rather daunting experience as I soon realised that each client had very very different individual needs. As a result, I decided to offer individual story sessions based in the quiet and calm sensory room so that I could focus on making the experience as meaningful and enjoyable as possible.

I then spent some time thinking about how I could best use my all time favourite ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ pop up book illustrated and engineered by the wonderful Robert Sabuda. Next I did some online research into how to use the five senses to bring stories to life, and ended up registering for a summer residential course on this fascinating subject! I soon realised that the Alice story was much too complex to cover in detail for individuals in this audience, and so decided to focus on two important scenes in the book: the riverside when Alice first spots the White Rabbit dashing away towards the rabbit hole and the kitchen in Wonderland where she meets the fierce Duchess with the screaming baby. I picked these scenes because I knew that I could embellish looking at and touching the intricate pop - up pictures with lots of interesting sounds and smells.

Armed with my bag full of Disney Alice soft toys, a variety of flowers, twigs, pine cones, a fan ( for wind effects) and an Usborne book of garden sounds I felt well prepared for performing the opening and closing scenes of the story. I had also collected and captured several distinctive food smells in sealed boxes that included fresh mint, chocolate, caramel, biscuits, orange and garlic which I hoped would get some kind of reaction to complement the kitchen scene.

So, did it all work as I hoped? The general reaction was very positive although some clients were understandably a bit wary at first. I was pleased to have the full (and necessary )involvement of individual care assistants as it proved to be quite difficult to juggle the book and the various props whilst telling the story as simply as possible!

I have definitely learnt so much from doing this for the first time. I think that I know that the key is being flexible and to gauge how to proceed by the individual reactions and advice from carers who know and understand their clients. The physical book is always at the centre of the experience but needs to be the starting point for so much more. I am looking forward to having another go in a couple of weeks time, and hopefully repeat on a regular basis after that.

 

Karen Argent

May 2023