Fairyones: a little twinkle about myself …
In essence, I never ‘got over’ the magic of children’s literature, the power of imagination and the fun of imaginary play. I grew up in a sleepy, magical part of New Zealand where I spent an imaginative childhood venturing out on my rusty, pink bicycle (with homemade chocolate cake in my backpack), reading books under trees (and daydreaming), sending messages in bottles down streams (and imagining the mermaids would read them), writing to penfriends in far-flung foreign lands (and imagining a life beyond the realms of rural New Zealand) and strumming my ukulele to hedgehogs and ladybirds in my mother’s wild vegetable garden (imagining the fairies were listening).
I started off entertaining my two daughters from my cherished collection of children’s books. Then, when a hired fairy for my daughter’s fifth party failed to appear, it seemed the serendipitous opportunity had magically presented itself and this impromptu fairy performance was the “tippy toe I needed” to ‘take my passion and make it happen’. Rapunzel was my first public performance.
Since then, I have had the pleasure of bringing countless children’s books to life in public libraries and (formerly a bookshop). Now, I have progressed to becoming a literary incursion provider in schools, offering fairytale education, and other incursions as well as a fairy magical session for childcare centres as well as my two magical stories session for public libraries, therein enforcing the magic that books have to ‘take us to different places, where we meet other faces .. ‘
I have ‘flittered and flapped’ as Fairy Poppilina since 2007 and the passion has never died and the excitement never waned …
I have the luxury (and blessing) of being able to fly to fairy friends nationwide – Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney AND BEYOND (all places totally considered) as I work as a freelance psychological report transcriber (writing up reports on criminals) and reside between the three locations. During my work as a criminal psychological report transcriber, I have encountered the deprivation of the human soul, so to speak, and understand the value of literature, imagination and music as a balm to personal suffering.
I believe that in the midst of gloom all human beings need magical, soul-sticking stories and fairytales more than anything! I am so grateful to have this passion, inviting children to enter the ‘fairy door’ of fascination and wonderment, inhabit the lives of book characters, create a passion for reading and appreciate the wonderment of stories, music, imagination and movement. I have a genuine love and interest in nurturing the minds and hearts (plus language acquisition) of young children. My desire to spark imagination and reinforce the magic of reading are borne from genuine love and passion! I hope to RAISE LITERACY IN A MAGICAL WAY!
I hope to encounter you in my fairy / literary world soon!
Bright blessings,
Fairy Poppilina x
Poppy Stoker is a mother to two daughters, freelance forensic psychological report writer, former library assistant, childcare assistant + a ukulele playing, head standing, cake-baking, human bean + ‘Blue Card-ed’, Working with Children Checked, fully insured plus formally qualified as a children’s yoga teacher.
