Our Junior School pupils enjoyed a fascinating and entertaining visit from author Lui Sit, who shared the inspiration behind her two books following the adventures of Puffin Lau, a young character on a mission to save the last wild cat from extinction.
Lui spoke about how she came to write the books, explaining that the idea was inspired by her own daughter. When she struggled to find stories featuring characters who reflected her daughter’s mixed heritage, she decided to create them herself. Her visit was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to discover how personal experiences can inspire creative writing and bring memorable characters and stories to life.
Lui also shared how her experiences in Australia influenced elements of her stories, including the appearance of flying sugar gliders. Her enthusiasm and engaging storytelling captured the pupils’ imaginations and encouraged them to find out more about Puffin Lau’s adventures.
Our L2H (Year 5) pupils were particularly inspired by the visit. Anjoli said:
“I loved how Lui Sit explained the stories and how her real-life experiences in Australia inspired parts of the story, for example she included flying sugar gliders. She is a very smart writer.”
Mahi added:
“Listening to Lui Sit really made me want to read the stories. She really brought them to life, and I loved hearing about the characters and the inspiration for the different parts of her interesting stories.”
It was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to meet an author, hear the stories behind her books and discover how imagination, personal experience and a desire for representation can inspire a great story. We hope the visit encourages many of our pupils to pick up Puffin Lau’s adventures and perhaps even feel inspired to create stories of their own!