Staffordshire storyteller and student illustrator in fairy tale debut

A children's storyteller has teamed up with a student illustrator for a fairy tale debut.

Sue Perks, from Gnosall, penned the tale after entertaining children in schools and libraries for two decades.

Keen to find a local illustrator, she worked with Fenton student Amber Bond, 21, who is studying illustration at Staffordshire University.

"Amber didn't run away when I said that I wanted to make a book about a fairy riding a grasshopper!" Ms Perks said.

"I've been telling my stories for years and some of the teachers I work with encouraged me to turn one of them into a children's book. It's the first time that I've ever actually typed [one] up," she added.

The book follows clumsy woodland fairy Dandelion, who meets a friendly grasshopper when she gets lost.

Ms Bond, who has just started an illustration MA, said she was "so happy" the author liked her character depictions.

"To get a job like this straight off the bat after graduating was amazing. I've made my own comic books and colouring books but nothing like a proper storybook," she said.

"It feels incredible and I'm glad that all the hard work has paid off."

The partnership came about after Ms Perks contacted the university to find an illustrator.

The university's careers team put the pair in touch, and Ms Perks was impressed by the student's work.

"It was almost like Amber could see how I imagined all the characters in my mind," Ms Perks said.

The pair will host a book launch at Stoke Library on 12 October, with Dandelion's Unexpected Adventure available to buy online.

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