Children motivated me to write, says teacher

Tue, 07 Nov, 2023 - 07:00

Sarah Horgan

CHILDREN from a Cork pre-school whose teacher has now become a children’s author turned out to celebrate her achievement at a Cork City Library event.

Maria Jesús Quirós, who is assistant manager at Generation Education in Glounthaune, was at the centre of a special storytelling event celebrating her book, Al Gets Lost in Spain.

The idea for the book was born after a parent at Generation Education, the bilingual pre-school and after-school where Maria works, enquired about a book to help their children learn Spanish. The Spanish native, who lives in Midleton, spotted a gap in the market, so wrote her own book.

Al Gets Lost in Spain supports children to learn Spanish by helping a lovable alien whose spaceship breaks down, leaving him stranded in Spain.

During his time on Earth, Maria introduces Al to Spanish in the most fun way possible, such as with shopping trips promoting colours, numbers, and different fruit and vegetable groups.

The quirky story also highlights the social element of learning, as Maria and Al go from being strangers to best friends.

Inspiration

The childcare worker says she owes much of her success to the children who helped inspire the publication.

Maria, at a live reading of her books, captivated her audience, part of which was made up of her own pre-schoolers.

The Cork City Library event also gave children the opportunity to bring the book to life through arts-and-crafts activities and interactive play.

They even had the chance to recreate the main characters using materials supplied on the day.

Maria previously spoke about how the main character, Al, was an ideal fit for her story, given that, just like the children she teaches, Al is only at the start of his adventure in learning about planet Earth.

She previously spoke to The Echo about the thought process behind her writing.

“I had lots of ideas, but I knew the main character had to be someone who couldn’t speak Spanish,” said Maria.

“The children pushed me to follow through with the idea and do it in a fun way that motivated me as well. An alien seemed liked the perfect character.

“I wrote the book with the children I was teaching in my mind all the time. I also thought about what worked when I was trying to teach the children Spanish in school.

“I showed the children and they all loved it. Straight away, they wanted to grab the book and see and learn about all the characters.”

Seal of approval

The childcare worker was delighted to receive the approval of the children she supports. “It’s been very fulfilling, and the children are so proud,” she said.

“They are asking me how I wrote the book and telling me they would like to write a book when they grow up, too.”

Maria said she was thrilled to see the book gracing shelves in Cork.

“It was very exciting,” she said. “From the moment I saw the book, I was very impressed. However, seeing it on a shelf in a bookshop was just amazing.”

The Al Gets Lost in Space event is just one of a number of initiatives taking place to encourage reading at Cork City Library over the next few months.