Father takes inspiration from his little ones to make poetry fun for children

Youngest daughter Mabel's antics spawned 'Mabel Mobbler' one of Conrad's most popular poems which he regularly 'performs' at schools around the county, including Bradford and Kirklees, inspiring youngsters to write.

Keeping it in the family, it was Conrad's wife Clare who encouraged him to pursue his passion for writing. "She said 'why don't you do a little evening writing course. I absolutely loved it and thought 'this is what I want to do,'" recalls Conrad.

Before that he had held down a number of jobs including selling cameras, working as a church assistant, a senior librarian and selling workwear.

With a writing career in his sights, Conrad undertook an MA in creative writing and wrote to schools offering to help inspire children to write.

"A few schools got back and from there people recommended me to other schools and that is how it has grown."

Working mainly with youngsters in primary schools, and a few secondary schools, Conrad is using his skills as a professionally trained storyteller, writer and poet to make literacy fun.

Through the sessions he is also encouraging children to write their own poetry - a skill which can not only improve their literacy skills but can also boost their confidence as was recently demonstrated at the first poetry festival organised through the Accelerate Arts Partnership at Tong High School.

Involving a selection of schools from Bradford and Kirklees, participating youngsters performed poetry pieces in front of an appreciative audience including parents. Positive critiques were given about their performances by Conrad and his fellow judge and awards were handed out to the winning year groups.

"I really enjoyed it. It was the first one and everyone seemed to really like it," recalls Conrad.

He says many of the poems that were performed had been written by the children during their workshops with Conrad in school.

Others are inspired through anecdotes passed on to him through his young pupils. 'The Biscuit Burgler' performed by Conrad at the poetry event was inspired by a young lad he worked with who told him he would often pinch biscuits from the kitchen cupboard in the middle of the night while his parents were asleep!

Another poem was inspired through a young pupil's nickname given to her by her father based on her love of cake!

And, of course, daughters Alice, eight, Violet, six and five-year-old Mabel also feature in their father's work. "There is a poem about each of our daughters. Alice, she is lovely, Violet is a bit of a genius and Mabel is a character who stamps her way through life!" says Conrad.

The basis for the books, his debut tome The Humgrumptious Blumfh was published in 2010 closely followed by 'Teachers pick their noses' in 2012, 'The Baked Bean Queen' in 2013 and his latest is due out in the next few months, was the collection of poems he'd penned on pieces of paper.

"I just thought one day because I was using a lot of these poems in schools on bits of paper I thought 'what if I never do anything about these'? I like things collected together and it appealed to me the idea of them being in a book and people like books. Even in a digital age they like a physical book."

"They are just a bit crazy, wacky and humorous, not very serious, about crocodiles in supermarkets and a few about my Mum Lynne. I am quite a lot like my Mum and before she retired she was a primary school teacher and we've got quite a kinship," explains Conrad.

Originally from South Africa, marriage brought Conrad's mum to Yorkshire when she married his father, from Ossett. Although he and his twin brother were brought up in Yorkshire, Conrad did return to his mother's roots briefly to visit family. He enjoyed it so much he decided to go to university in South Africa and jokes he went all the way to the other side of the world to undertake an English degree!

"I liked writing as a kid in primary school. I used to write stories and read them out in assemblies but I didn't do hardly any writing then until I went to university. I would write little poems for friends' birthdays, things like that. It wasn't a conscious decision I would do writing," says Conrad.

He says poetry now has a greater presence on the new National Curriculum and is particularly helpful to youngsters as it isn't too wordy for those with a short attention span. "It isn't as intimidating as a book with 300 words in it, and you don't have to write it in order," explains Conrad, who doesn't see it as a job but more of a vocation.

"It isn't like any other job I have done. Somehow I fell into this and it is what I am made for."

And he credits his wife Clare for pointing him in the right direction. "She was the one who got me on the writing course; she was the one who said I needed to write to schools to inspire children to write and who gave me the confidence to put my first book together," adds Conrad.

For more information about books or bookings visit conradburdekin.com

Mabel Mobbler, one of Conrad's most popular poems inspired by his youngest daughter, Mabel.

Mabel Mobbler

Tummy wobbler

Nappy filler

Orange juice spiller

Finger licker

Nose picker

Night time waker

Big mess maker

Bath time splasher

Sister basher

Banana masher

Carpet dasher

Big smile giver

Full life liver

Chocolate cruncher

Noisy muncher

Greedy gobbler

Mabel Mobbler