Retired Chingford grandad releases children's book (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Retired Chingford grandad releases children's book

12:07pm Thursday 3rd December 2009 in Staying in By Kate Sole

MEET Mr Skippity. A gentlemanly little brown mouse with round, furry ears and glossy whiskers which he carefully brushes each day, who, until recently, only existed in the imaginations of Ray Russell-Fell and his granddaughters during storytime.

Now, Ray’s granddaughters are all grown up and Mr Skippity exists on the pages of Ray’s first and recently self-published book, Bedtime Stories for Grandchildren, after his eldest daughter encouraged him to put his tales down on paper. “My main interest was letting other families use the stories,” the retired Chingford resident explains.

Featuring nine stories and a set of verses beautifully represented by Linda Owen’s illustrations, the books follows Mr Skippity on his various adventures with his furry friends.

“I’ve tried to write in a few principles,” the 78-year-old writer tells me, “like not going into water until you know how to swim and being tolerant of other people.”

And, like any good childrens’ book, Bedtime Stories for Grandchildren has already been handed down a generation.

“I now have a seven-year-old grandson,” Ray says, “and he is quite happily picking his way through it on his own.”

Bedtime Stories for Grandchildren is available Bargain Bookshop in Woodford and Chingford, priced at £3.95. Or email Ray at r.russellfell@btinternet.com