Kirstin McNeil at a school presentation

Picture books are the first portals into a child’s imagination

Kirstin is a writer, publisher, innovation advisor, and mother of two. She loves to write stories that are joyful and fun to read. After realising how few picture books featured mixed heritage children like her own boys, she decided to write one inspired by them. Within six months, Kirstin was featured at Barnes Children's Literature Festival, and Waterstones stores.

With over 1,000 copies of her books sold nationwide, Kirstin is a breakthrough author with a colourful imagination that inspires and delights young readers

Wonderful words about a visit

"We absolutely loved our visit from Kirstin, her engaging and charismatic personality made the children hooked before she had even turned the first page of her wonderful book. The children were immersed by her story telling skills and used the storyline in their play for the rest of the week!"

An author visit from Kirstin includes:

  • INTRODUCTION

    Age-appropriate introduction to who Kirstin is and how

    she became an author.

  • READING

    Engaging and interactive read-through of the book,

    including a pdf version to project on a screen.

  • MUSIC

    My Brother is a Vampire comes with a song which Kirstin plays on her ukulele.

  • DISCUSSION

    Age-appropriate discussion about the book with the children after the read-through.

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  • Q & A

    Time to answer questions.

  • GIFT

    A free sticker for every child* (physical visits only).

  • PRINTABLES

    Free activity and colouring pdf for teachers to print out and share with the class.

  • DISCOUNT

    A discount for parents on Kirstin's books

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Download your info pack here

A little bit about the books!

My Daddy's Scared of Beasties Cover

My Daddy's scared of beasties

Daddy’s Scared of Beasties is an entertaining story about a dad’s fear of minibeasts (beasties) and has an overarching theme that it's OK for grown-ups to be scared of things too.

Full of hilarious and colourful illustrations, our big and burly ginger-bearded dad encounters different minibeasts, trying to hide his fear from his children, who don’t mind them at all.

Daddy’s Scared of Beasties is a story that breaks cultural stereotypes while celebrating diversity across families and in nature, featuring an LGBTQI+ mixed-race family and plenty of (not very scary) minibeasts.

My Family is so Scottish Cover

My Family is So Scottish - Ages 5-7, KS1

Key Themes: Families, culture, traditions, siblings, pride.

Written in joyful rhyme, My Family is so Scottish includes over 40 references of Scottish traditions, words and food. Meet this very Scottish family through an inclusive and colourful representation of what it is to be Scottish.

  • What kids say:

    "The family looks like they have so much fun together" & "I loved learning about the different Scottish things"

  • What teachers say:

    "An excellent and fun way of showing pride in your culture and heritage. Our children really enjoyed the story and we discussed many themes from the book about what makes them proud about their own families."
My Brother is a Vampire

My Brother is a Vampire - Ages 3-6, EYFS

Key Themes: Siblings, Make-believe, Halloween, Family, Rhyming & repetition

A fun and memorable rhyming story (and song) about an older brother who is convinced that his younger brother is a vampire. Inspired by my own children, this light-hearted story shares how things aren't always as they seem. Coupled with an original song, your kids will love guessing whether their own siblings are vampires too.

  • What kids say:

    "I think the little brother is cheeky like my sister and I am like the werewolf brother"

  • What teachers say:

    "We loved how fun and engaging this book is The illustrations are very appealing to the younger children, and especially love the repeated sections in the book. It is a firm favourite in our school library"

Any questions?

If you have any questions or would like to arrange a school visit then please contact me on kirstin@sequoia.london or via the form below. You can also download the info pack using the link below!

Download your info pack here