Dr Lara Cain Gray
Dr Lara Cain Gray is a writer, librarian and picture book activist from Meanjin/Brisbane. She is an experienced and engaging public speaker and workshop facilitator who enjoys celebrating picture books with adult audiences. From teachers and librarians, to parents, carers, emerging creators or anyone who simply loves books, everyone leaves Lara’s sessions saying “I’ll never look at picture books the same way again!”
Lara’s 2024 release, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books, is illustrated by CBCA notable artists Lorena Carrington and Timothy Ide, published by MidnightSun Publishing. It is an A to Z guide to what makes a great picture book great, including histories, fun facts and useful Talking Point questions to assist shared reading in the home or classroom.
“This stunning book guides readers through storytelling structures, offering classroom activities and encouraging a lifelong love of picture books. An empowering must-own for authors and illustrators, educators and readers. Long live the power of a picture book!” Andrea Rowe, award-winning children’s picture book author
Lara’s professional past includes research, teaching, librarianship and curatorial roles in Australia and the United Kingdom, including at the British Library, Queensland Museum, QUT and UQ. She currently works as Head of Acquisitions at nonprofit education publisher Library For All where she helps deliver cross-cultural and multilingual books and educational resources to communities where poverty, history or remoteness prevents children’s access to traditional libraries. Her favourite part of this role is working alongside community members to facilitate writers’ workshops, because everyone has a story to tell.
She has reviewed books on her website, in print and online publications, for over 10 years, and judged book awards, but she is always still learning. That’s why every new picture book she comes across is a fresh opportunity to get excited about word play, visual literacy, page layouts and themes. It’s this enthusiastic curiosity that workshop participants enjoy!
Lara reads every day and will NEVER be too old for picture books.
The following workshops are for adult audiences. Content can be customised to suit audience priorities.
Lara can also present tailored lectures for academic and industry conferences or festivals on request.
Workshops
-
Read and Grow: Be a better adult with picture books | 60 minutes | Large group presentation
Reimagine picture books beyond childhood in an enlightening adult workshop. Dive into their transformative power as we explore how they can boost creativity, empathy, and productivity. Lara will unveil five key reasons why picture books enrich adult lives, then guide you in selecting top-quality reads for yourself or to share with young ones.
-
Read and Share: Be confident with picture books | 60 minutes | Small group interactive workshop
Revamp your picture book reading style in an interactive workshop on the art of story sharing. Learn more about the enchanting connection between words and images that makes picture books important for fostering literacy and a lifelong love for stories. Lara will present practical tips on asking engaging questions, exploring visuals, and discovering themes, diving into timeless classics and new releases for unforgettable shared reading moments.
-
Read and Write: Be a creator of picture books | 60 minutes | Variable class size
With short word limits and basic themes, writing a picture book should be a piece of cake, right? But beautiful, engaging books for kids are more complex than you might think. Lara will explore the principles of what makes a winning picture book story, then guide you through some fun hands-on activities to develop your own first draft.
-
Read and Relax: Be at peace with picture books | 20 minutes | Small group interactive workshop
Experience a peaceful workshop exploring mindfulness with a picture book focus. Immerse yourself in a calming guided meditation intertwined with tranquil reading time. Ground yourself and emerge refreshed, with renewed clarity and creativity. A perfect festival opener, icebreaker or wind-down session.
Room requirements:
Workshops 1 to 3:
- Comfortable seating with room for participants to write (classroom or conference room)
- Technical facilities to share a PowerPoint presentation
- Lara will supply all other materials
Workshop 4:
- Comfortable, quiet environment with space for participants to sit in chairs or on the floor as preferred. Ideally this would include some cushions or other flexible seating options.
- Lara will supply all other materials.
Suggested audience benefits
For schools
Lara’s sessions provide professional development addressing the following Australian Professional Standards for Teachers at the Proficient level:
3.3 – Using teaching strategies
3.4 – Select and use resources
6.2 – Engage in professional learning and improve practice
7.4 – Engage with professional teaching networks and broader communities
For early childhood education
Lara’s sessions offer professional development opportunities related to the following standards and frameworks:
Early Years Learning Framework, V2.0
Learning Outcome 4: Children are confident and engaged learners.
National Quality Standard:
Quality Area 1: Educational program and practice
Quality Area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families and communities (where parents/carers are invited to participate in workshops, or provided with a summary of activities)
For parents and caregivers
Lara’s sessions are also enjoyable and informative for parents and carers. Consider offering a workshop for:
Prep parent/carer induction sessions
Book Week or school book fair events
Parent/carer book clubs or fundraisers
Testimonials
Extremely useful. The content was fascinating and I appreciated all of the examples explored throughout the presentation too.
Teacher Librarian, QLDExtremely useful. I appreciate the depth of content and links. I am a great advocate for picture books in my teaching and now preparing Inquiry Learning packages connected to picture books for our school. My list has just grown!
Teacher, WAExtremely relevant, engaging, useful resources and so many takeaway ideas for me to utilise straight away.
Teacher Librarian, NSWIt was different than I was expecting, in the way it was BETTER! I loved how the presenter went into the aspects of word play and the allurement of end pages etc. Such an interesting perspective!
EAL/D Teacher, NSW
The Grown-Up's Guide to Picture Books
Queensland
Speaker type
- Author
- Non-fiction
- Educational consultant
- Virtual visits
Links
