June Artist of the Month – Justin Anderson

Our June ‘Artist of the Month’ is author Justin Anderson

About Justin Anderson

Justin Anderson is a zoologist, wildlife film maker and nature writer. For 25 years he has travelled the globe and been up close and eye to eye with all kinds of amazing wildlife. From tracking elusive big cats in ‘Snow Leopard – Grey Ghost of the Mountains’ to solving the mystery of the strangest tooth in nature in ‘Narwhal – The Arctic Unicorn’, Justin’s award winning books bring some of nature’s most incredible animals to life and take young readers in to the heart of the wild. ‘Super Swift’s – The small bird with amazing powers’ follows the incredible 5000 mile journey of a small bird that flies all the way from Africa to share our homes here in the UK and Justin’s latest book ‘Ready, Steady, Sloth!’ goes deep into the Amazon rainforest to reveal the secret life of nature’s cutest slowcoach.

What a visit from Justin entails

Justin brings the animal subjects of his books to life with entertaining, informative and interactive presentation sessions.

Justin is happy to do talks for small class groups but equally at home speaking to a whole school in an assembly hall. His presentations are aimed at primary school children and there is something for everyone across the primary age ranges. He can work with teachers to come up with workshop sessions depending on their curriculum needs.

You can see details on his visits here

Testimonials from previous visits.

"Justin's visit was brilliant. The children found the presentation and workshops so interesting and were talking about it a lot the following day. Staff commented on how engaging and down-to-earth Justin is and they found it just as fascinating as the children.”

St Anthony’s Primary School

“The visit from Justin Anderson was a wonderful experience for both our students and staff! Justin Anderson engaged with the children in a way that was both educational and inspiring. The children were excited to learn about his writing journey and the creative process behind his books. The interactive activities were a big hit and related to current learning. It was a memorable experience that left a lasting impression, and we’re grateful for the opportunity. Thank you once again for making this event possible.”

Barlby Primary School

“The kids loved him. He got the children involved in the assembly by sharing artefacts and tactile objects which brought the book to life. He was very engaging and his videos awesome. The children and the teachers thought he was wonderful. We'll have him back next year”

Coombe Hill Junior School

Interview with Justin Anderson

What motivated you to join Authors Abroad?

I had already been doing lots of talks for local schools in Bristol, but wanted to see if I could reach a wider audience, so Authors Abroad are perfect for helping connect me with schools up and down the country.

How was your first Book Week with us? (And why is it important and fun to have visits at other times of year too!)

This year’s World Book Week was awesome. I talked to schools in London, Southampton, Bristol and Devon alongside a remote session with a lovely school in Jakarta. What I love is that every school is different and it’s been fun adapting my presentation/workshops to their specific needs. It was great to spread the word about nature to so many excited pupils in such a short time. There was a real buzz at each school and it was amazing to share that energy with the children. (although I had nearly lost my voice by the end of it!)

Of course, books are important all year round and not just for one week in March. My talks are designed to be both fun and also packed with educational content relevant to the national curriculum, so an author’s visit is a fantastic way to engage children and make learning fun at any time of year. And there are plenty of other important dates to consider connecting pupils with nature, from Earth Day to National Science week and World Oceans day.

You have travelled the world and seen some amazing places and wildlife. What made you want to bring some of these experiences to life via books?

It was my daughter’s idea that I first write a book. I was reading her a bedtime story about a blue whale and she said ‘daddy you should write a book about animals’ I thought I should give it a try and I was lucky enough that ‘Snow Leopards’ got published. That led to me first doing schools talks. Sharing my adventures and my love of wildlife with young children has now become my passion.

What advice would you give to budding cameramen and women?

Filming wildlife takes patience, tenacity and lots of hard work. I think it’s important to have a passion for the animal that is your subject.

What has been your favourite moment from your travels so far?

That’s a hard one because I’ve been doing this for 25 years now. It has to be seeing a snow leopard for the first time. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. It was so exciting; I danced a little jig of joy. I wanted to share this feeling with children and make it a big part of my schools talks.

How do you decide which animals to write about?

I am fascinated by all animals, but sometimes I can be inspired in unusual ways. My love of snow leopards came from an old camera trap photograph – which made me curious about this elusive big cat. For Narwhal, I got to hold a huge narwhal tusk whilst visiting a museum and that made want to know more about the mysterious owner of this bizarre giant tooth. I also like to write about animals I have filmed or have a passion for, because it’s easier to tell a story when you’ve met the character face to face!

You were fortunate to write a script for the legend that is Sir David Attenborough. What other career moments are on your bucket list?

Top three on my bucket list would be to go to Antarctica, spend time with Mountain gorillas and cage dive with a great white shark.

How do you retain a sense of hope and optimism about the planet and environment when there is so much destruction going on? How do you share this information with young people, trying to balance informing them without scaring younger readers?

It can be hard sometimes to stay positive but young people fill me with hope. When I look out across a classroom, I know I am connecting with nature lovers who’ll become the guardians of the future and I believe they have an endless capacity to make the world a better place.

It’s important we balance the scale of the challenges we face with practical steps we can take to change things. All my talks include an environmental message but I always give the children plenty of suggestions of what they can do to help, both as a class and as individuals. But my most important job is helping the children fall in love with wildlife. As David Attenborough said 'you have to love and understand something first, before you can save it’

What has been a memorable moment from a school or library visit?

On a visit to a school in London I had a boy ask for my autograph and tell me I was his favourite author. It was so lovely to hear after all the hard work.

One part of my presentation is to ask a volunteer teacher to dress up in all my Arctic expedition clothes. It’s great fun for any class room, but on one occasion the poor teacher got the zip stuck and couldn’t free herself from the huge polar jacket and hood. Her pupils thought it was brilliant.

What can a school typically expect on a visit with you?

I’ve got a bit of a reputation for crazy interactive games. For snow leopards you might have to try and ‘out leap a big cat’ . For narwhals I have a game where volunteers use modified narwhal mini hoovers to suck up paper halibut from a pretend sea floor. Then you can ‘joust’ just like a narwhal with special tusk helmets. For swifts, I fire blue ping pong balls into the audience to simulate how a swift can catch raindrops falling at 25mph straight out of the air. And for my new sloth book, there is a ‘slow motion race’ with wearable tech that buzzes if you go faster than a sloth would.

I like to keep things interactive, with plenty of fun games and challenges to keep the children learning with a smile on their faces. I also can do more bespoke sessions and workshops around writing skills and be more specific to key habitats that schools might be focusing on (The arctic etc)

How do you involve more reluctant readers in your school visits?

Non-fiction books are a great way to connect with children who might otherwise struggle with reading. First up they are full of engaging pictures, but also the text comes in bite sized chucks, loaded with cool facts that kids hoover up. Whilst my talks are based around the books, there is so much more on offer. Cool sound recordings, short videos, interactive games and lots of surprise props, really help bring the pages of the books to life and are a great way to inspire even the most reluctant reader.

What is your favourite animal fact?

Did you know that during its lifetime of migrating to and from Africa, a swift might fly the same distance as travelling to the moon and back – seven times!!!! (That’s over 2 million miles)

June contains lots of national days to inspire people to care about the planet such as World Environment Day and World Ocean’s Day. What is a change or action someone can make in their own life that can help make a big difference?

There are lots of small changes we can all make at home and in the classroom. Anything from saving energy to recycling and walking to school. But I would say the most important thing is to start noticing the nature around you and try to help it where you can.

What’s more nerve wracking – being near a big cat such as a snow leopard or a full school assembly?

Both are equally exciting for different reasons!

People have often referred to narwhals as unicorns of the sea, and some didn’t use to believe such a creature existed. Which animal do you find quirky and can’t believe nature invented?

My new book Ready Steady Sloth! is all about one of nature’s ‘quirkiest’ animals- the sloth. Everyone thinks they are lazy because they are slow but sloths sleep for less time than a cheetah, which are the fastest land animal of all. Amazingly its being slow that is the secret to the sloth’s survival. They are truly unique and just wonderful.

Which author do you admire?

I love the books of Kieran Larkin – he writes amazing adventures in an epic fantasy world of walking, talking rabbits. Great stuff if you are looking for a good read.

What are your hobbies?

I love hiking in the mountains. I run and play pickleball – a type of mini tennis.

What are you currently working on?

My next children’s book is all about Mountain gorillas (I am very excited about this one!) and I am also writing my first nature book for grown-ups, all about sound in the natural world.

Quick Fire

Explore the oceans or the mountains?

Mountains

Which animal super power would you most like – speed of a cheetah, swimming skills of a seal, camouflage of a chameleon or the life span of an immortal jellyfish?

Speed of a cheetah, that way I wouldn’t miss the bus ever again!

Favourite type of bear?

Polar bear – one of my top three animals.

Would you rather have a sidekick who is a parrot that was sarcastic to you, or a monkey who always stole your lunch?

I don’t like sharing my sandwiches, so would have to put up with the rude parrot.

Morning bird or night owl?

Probably Night owl as I am a bit slow getting going in the mornings.

If you were Prime Minister for a day, what law would you introduce?

Once a month, everyone has to have a ‘nature day’ – a day spent in a wild place, near the ocean, in a forest or even in your local park. It would make us all happier and healthier and help reconnect us with what’s important.