Kate Darbishire

The oldest of seven children, Kate spent most of her childhood with her head in a book. She lived in a world of imagination and often made up stories to entertain her younger siblings. When her own children came along, she loved snuggling up at bedtime to read them stories. It gave Kate an excuse to keep reading children's books. At thirty-three, with her four children either at school or nursery, Kate went to Bath Spa University to study Creative Writing and Education. She thought she'd be a teacher and continue writing as a hobby. It soon became obvious that writing wasn't just a hobby for her: it was a passion - she would be a children's author! But there was a problem. One of her daughters, who has Cerebral Palsy, couldn't walk at four years old and had no speech. She had used Makaton sign language from nine months but made almost no noise at all. Kate took her on an amazing speech and language course and finally realised how to help her speak. It was a slow process, but now that little girl is twenty. She can walk and she never stops talking. While her children were growing up, Kate worked as a Teaching Assistant in Special Needs Schools, helping lots of other youngsters with various needs. It is a job she loved but ever nagging at the back of her mind was that dream of becoming a children's author. And one particular book was demanding to get out: Speechless! If you would like to connect with Kate on social media, her facebook page is Kate Darbishire and to find out what people are saying about Speechless or find great resources for the classroom, check out the website... http://katedarbishire.com