Bring a bestselling author and illustrator into your classroom and help pupils create unforgettable characters.

In this episode of Author In Your Classroom, former Children’s Laureate Lauren Child (Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean) shares how she creates a cast of characters that feel bold, believable and full of life. Drawing on her work reimagining Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard, Lauren explains where character ideas come from, how illustrations and text work together and why giving ideas time to grow really matters.

This teaching sequence supports pupils who find character creation tricky or who struggle to move beyond flat descriptions. It encourages children to think deeply about personality, backstory and observation, helping them create characters that can drive a story forward.

Short extracts from the podcast are suggested throughout the unit to introduce each stage of learning. These are optional but highly engaging, giving pupils direct insight into how a professional author and illustrator develops characters over time.

Resource pack contents

This free classroom pack supports a complete character-writing unit and includes:

• Ready-to-use PowerPoint
• Extract from Pippi Longstocking Goes Aboard
• Planning sheets for creating and developing characters
• Working wall images and quotes for inspiration

Teaching overview

Across four sessions, pupils will:

• Create a cast of characters: Explore how Lauren Child brings characters to life through words and illustration, before inventing their own characters.
• Develop a character: Build a detailed character profile, focusing on appearance, personality, relationships and interests.
• Notice and collect ideas: Practise observation and ‘sitting with thoughts’ to gather small details that can spark story ideas.
• Use ideas to write: Combine characters and observations to plan and write a new chapter or story, revising and improving their work.

The unit also includes guidance on drafting, editing and using a working wall to support vocabulary, ideas and confidence.

How to listen

Search for Author In Your Classroom wherever you get your podcasts. A free resources pack is available with every episode.

Subscribe to hear more brilliant children’s authors share creative processes that help pupils write with confidence, curiosity and imagination.

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