From Reader to Writer in 30 Minutes: Yesterday's Author Session at Pushkin School in Leiden

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with a room full of curious 4-8 year olds, reading my bilingual book "Anya and a Thousand Fish" and watching their eyes light up as we dove into a story about emotions, adventure, and the magical world inside our imagination.

The best part? When I gave each child a frog sticker and asked them to become writers. Because all books start with a character and a story. Suddenly, the room buzzed with creativity—frogs who were afraid of rain, frogs who lived in caves, outgoing frogs with many friends. Every single story was unique and brilliant.

We also tried "square breathing" together (inspired by how Anya calms herself in the book), and watching 30+ kids breathe in sync, then share how they felt today—"loud!", "quiet!", "happy!"—was one of those teaching moments that reminds you why you do this work. In that moment, I was transported right back to my days as a teacher at a supplementary Russian school.

Why this matters to me: I wrote this book because when I taught Russian as a foreign language in London, I saw how few books existed for heritage learners—kids who needed accessible vocabulary, not "хата" and "избушка" on page one. This session proved how hungry children are for stories that meet them where they are.

Huge thanks to Natalia and Pushkin School for the invitation and for creating such a warm, creative space for these kids! 💙

P.S. If you're an educator teaching Russian or working with multilingual children, I'd love to share free lesson plans and activities. Just comment below!

Yours Truly, June Antson

The Author of "Anya and a Thousand Fish"