Puffin Schools has been created by the children’s publisher Puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place.
Rick Riordan shares his top tips for ‘borrowing’ ideas from myths and legends to create your own stories and characters. You could use this video as part of your topic work on the ancient civilisations.
Read a lot and read a lot about the Greek myths that you want to write about. Pick the Gods and Goddesses that interest you the most. Or you could choose a monster like Medusa or the Minotaur – the character doesn’t even have to be human!
What do they look like? What would their personality be like if you were to meet? How would they talk and dress? Also think about their family, friends and hobbies. What hobbies would Medusa have?
So you’ve got your character picked out and know the basic stuff about them. Now it’s time to make them your own – try changing them a little bit. For example Grover Underwood, is half-goat and half-man, so Rick made him a vegetarian – and because he’s a goat, he also eats things like tin cans!
Put your character in a story and set them a challenge to see how they respond.
Puffin Schools has been created by the children’s publisher Puffin to help bring together all the inspiring content we create for schools into one place.
The books on this website will range from those for EYFS through to primary and up to lower secondary school. You can discover our full range of books at puffin.co.uk
Puffin is an imprint of Penguin Random House, the world’s number-one publisher representing a vibrant community of publishing houses marked by unparalleled success. Through our world of stories, Puffin aims to open up the world to every child. Our mission is to inspire children to feel they can be and do anything, and to create readers for life.
Puffin started out as a non-fiction publisher, with its first title appearing in 1940. As the most iconic and well-known children’s book brand in the UK today, we are always on the lookout for innovative ways to tell the world’s favourite stories and for brilliant new debut talent and brands that connect with today’s young readers, from newborn up to twelve years old.
We publish a diverse and wide range of fiction, non-fiction, picture books and children’s classics. Our list includes some of the world’s favourite authors, illustrators and licensed brands, such as Eric Carle, Helen Oxenbury, Nadia Shireen, The Snowman, Doctor Who, Roald Dahl, Tom Fletcher, Jeff Kinney, Rick Riordan, Robin Stevens, and Jacqueline Wilson to name but a few.
Ladybird, Puffin and Penguin are imprints of Penguin Random House UK. Across their extensive list, we believe there is a story for every child, everywhere.
You can find information about books for all ages at penguin.co.uk
All the books featured on this website can be purchased in the usual way: as well as being available on the high street and online, you can find lots of brilliant offers via school-specific suppliers and wholesale retailers.
Whether you’ve got a brilliant idea for a lesson, a photograph of something incredible you’ve done at your school or just have a question, please email [email protected] and a member of the team will get back to you as soon as possible .
The Story-Makers Show was known as Puffin Virtually Live up until March 2019. The content and ambition of the show remains the same: to give every pupil the opportunity to engage with authors and illustrators in their own classroom using the power of the internet.
We’ve re-named Puffin Virtually Live so that it’s easier for new teachers to discover it as part of Puffin Schools and to acknowledge that the show now premieres on show day, rather than being streamed live.
Your account for Puffin Virtually Live has been deactivated as it is no longer a feature of the Puffin Schools website.
If you were registered for the newsletter, you will now receive the Puffin Schools newsletter, which is filled with all the latest information about accompanying resources and upcoming shows.
If you do not wish to receive it any longer then please unsubscribe.
You can watch The Story-Makers Show on the Puffin Schools site. However, please be aware that it uses a YouTube player and that you should check your school’s permissions to ensure that YouTube isn’t blocked.