Leanne has written two stories about ‘Gigi and her Giant Ladle’ with a further two books in the series planned for later this year and in 2024. 

Gigi is a little girl who likes to help and uses her ‘giant ladle’ to solve all sorts of problems and help those around her. The letters in her name stand for Gutsy, Independent, Giving and Inventive. The children thoroughly enjoyed the story ‘Gigi and The Treasured Tree’. They joined in enthusiastically with Gigi’s catchphrase – “I’ve got it!” which she uses whenever she comes up with a plan, and they loved looking at Gigi’s ‘real’ giant ladle. Leanne answered all the children’s questions and explained how she had taken inspiration for this story from a very old oak tree at The Vyne, one of our local National Trust properties, which is being supported by a metal frame to prevent its branches from falling and being damaged. 

Evie, in Year 2, was very excited to hear this as she had been to visit The Vyne at the weekend with her family and seen the tree Leanne was talking about. The children have also enjoyed listening to Gigi’s other story this week in their classes. In ‘Gigi and The Dancing Dragon’, Gigi uses her giant ladle to help a little boy join in with a dragon dance from his wheelchair, a beautiful story of inclusion, resilience and teamwork – perfect to share this week as the children are also finding out about The Chinese New Year.