this is the installment in a series of stories for children both Junior and early Seniors.It is based around a young dog born into the role of being a Sheep Dog, no less , no more.His entire world is the farm and the expectations put upon him are simple and clear.He has a role to fulfill as a working dog just like every sheep dog before him and those to come. He does not the skills or inclination unlike his dashing brothers, Thor and Loki who are exemplars of sheep dog perfection. Sheep ignore him entirely and he seems unable to draw from within himself the gift of every sheep dog, “THE EYE”.Without this exceptional skill he has no hope of fulfilling his role.The story charts his feelings of disappointment and his sense of self esteem.However, Billy is as sharp as a tack and soon discovers his path forward, and it is not on the farm. The following Installment to follow charts his attempts to carve out a life as a family pet, and it is not all plain sailing

This is an upper KS 2 /LOWER KS 3 activity as it requires some skills in introspection and self investigation more suited to this age group.The lesson is based around my own back story , poem and illustration called the Hide Behind.It is lesson that needs to be dealt with sensitively as students are asked to share aspects of their characters and personalities with others in discussion.At no time should anyone be pressured to share anything they do not wish, keep it light, based around common childhood concerns and collect these in a shared bank of ideas and examples.The students are to read the poem and report back on what they think the meaning/intention is and to dig out any sub text they may feel underlies the words and phrases.A look at some of the literary devices is suggested.Students create their own character which is essentially an extension of themselves made into a fantasy invisible counterpart. Once armed with a finished character the poem creation will be a great deal easier as it acts as a concrete stimulus upon which to build their poem.The lesson plan asks that they include a repeated and adapted refrain to build up a sense of expectation and mood.This task addresses personal and social issues, art and literature and makes a great classroom display too.