Trails of Tales book publishing project
This creative publishing project brings together two internationally acclaimed artists, an award winning
author, and a university committed to inclusive literacy, working alongside children
from Pledge schools to publish a new picture book that centers on authentic representation of
culture and identity. Led by Richard O’Neill MBE and in partnership with Michelle Russell,
Shamus McPhee and STEP, this Trails of Tales that Travel publishing project is built around an original story written
by Richard My Friend Lives in a Spaceship. Rooted in lived Traveller experience and told
through the imaginative lens of childhood friendship, the story explores movement, identity, belonging, and the power
of seeing the world differently. Children will collaborate in monthly in-person and virtual workshops to explore how a real book is created, from manuscript to printed publication, while contributing ideas, artwork, and creative responses that shape the final book. All schools can follow the journey online. The book will launch during National Storytelling Week 2027.
We want children from minoritised and marginalised communities, especially those from Traveller communities, to see themselves positively reflected in literature, and to go one step further by having a hand in creating that positive representation.
Please get in touch to request the launch event recording
What excites me most about this project is watching children realise that their ideas genuinely matter. When they see their drawings, words, and imagination shaping a real book, something shifts, they understand that stories belong to them too.
As an illustrator and book designer, I want every child, especially those who rarely see themselves in books, to feel that sense of ownership and pride. My Friend Lives in a Spaceship will show what happens when creativity, community, and representation come together: and children don’t just read stories, they help make them.
To me, the story hinges on the perception of Gypsy, or Traveller culture, as something alien. Being from a Nacken background, it reaffirms what I have experienced throughout my life: viewed askance, as ‘other’. What draws me in, is the way in which the story revolves around a friendship that transcends cultural boundaries and shows that rare occurrence where people are prepared to open themselves up to difference, something we witness here through the innocent eyes of a child, thus, filling us with hope that there may be scope for greater tolerance, harmony and the opportunity to enjoy the present time and the associations it brings in a non-judgemental way, as things and circumstances can change markedly in an instant.