Create Your Own You Wouldn’t Want To Be... Book Workshop for School Kids
- David Salariya
- Jan 23
- 10 min read
Updated: Feb 10
Children’s Book Workshop: Fun, Creativity, and Gross Facts!
Materials
A sheet of A3 paper (folded)
Pencils
Scissors
Stapler
1. Introduction (10 minutes)
Brief Talk:
Show examples from You Wouldn’t Want To Be... books.
Explain how each book starts with an idea and involves a team of people - books can be created in different ways: an author can provide an idea, a designer/author like me) can create and design a book, an illustrator can write a book, and an author can illustrate a book - teams can create books - so creativity unlocks countless options.
Author (writes the story), Illustrator (draws the pictures), Designer (puts the book together), and Editor (checks everything).
Ask fun questions to spark curiosity:
Would you really want to be a Victorian chimney sweep? Why or why not?
Brainstorm difficult situations as themes from different times in history as people or places.
Tailor theme to what children may have been working on at school
as part of curriculum
2. Brainstorming Ideas (10 minutes)
As a group, brainstorm scenarios for a You Wouldn’t Want To Be... book.
Examples:
You Wouldn’t Want To Be an Egyptian Mummy!
You Wouldn’t Want To Be a Roman Soldier!
You Wouldn’t Want To Sail on the Titanic!
Keep it light, funny, and slightly gross - what would make it uncomfortable or challenging to be the character in this book?
3. Planning the Mini-Book (20 minutes)
Each child creates a 4-page mini-book (one sheet of folded A3 paper):
Page 1 (Cover):
Title and a fun illustration.
Example: You Wouldn’t Want To Be a Knight in Shining Armour! with a picture of a knight sweating in heavy armour.
Page 2:
A "horrible fact" or two about the life they’ve chosen.
Example: Egyptian mummies were scared of ghosts!
Some ancient Egyptians really did believe in “the mummy’s curse.”
Many Westerners became aware of the legend of the "mummy's curse" after at least six individuals linked to the opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 died. However, the mummy’s curse wasn’t a concept devised by 1920s newspapers; some ancient Egyptians attempted to curse potential tomb robbers. “They claimed the gods would judge you,” suggesting “A hippo might trample you, or a snake could bite you, or a crocodile might devour you.” An inscription in hieroglyphs on one man’s tomb warns that he’d curse any grave robber with a “fear of seeing ghosts,” showing that ancient Egyptians weren’t frightened by mummies—but they did fear being haunted!
Add a simple illustration to match.
Page 3:
Another "horrible fact" with a picture.
Page 4 (Back Cover):
Draw a funny scene of the character escaping the situation or saying, "I’d rather be…!"
4. Roles of a Book Team (5 minutes)
While they work, explain the roles of people involved in making a book.
Author: Thinks of the idea and writes the words (like them!).
Illustrator: Draw the pictures (like them!).
Designer: Decide chooses font and decides where everything goes on the page.
Editor: Checks spelling and make sure the facts are right.
5. Sharing and Wrap-Up (15 minutes)
Mini Gallery:
Each child shows their mini-book to the group and shares one fun or gross fact they wrote.
Closing Discussion:
Highlight how they played the roles of author, illustrator, and designer today.
Ask: “What was the most fun part of making your book?”
Why This Activity Works:
Engaging: Gross, funny facts appeal to children’s sense of humour.
Creative: Combines words and pictures in a simple, achievable way.
Interactive: Encourages group brainstorming and sharing ideas.
Educational: Introduces the roles in making a book and demystifies the process.
This format balances fun and learning, ensuring every child feels proud of their creation -even with limited time or varied skill levels!
Time Allocation for the Workshop 60-minutes
Exercise
This exercise can fit comfortably into a 60-minute session. Here's a suggested breakdown:
Introduction and Examples (10 minutes)
Show examples of You Wouldn’t Want To Be... books.
Explain how books can be made by individuals or teams, emphasizing that sometimes one person (like you) comes up with the idea, writes, and designs the book.
Brainstorming Ideas (10 minutes)
Group discussion to come up with You Wouldn’t Want To Be... scenarios.
Encourage children to think about uncomfortable, funny, or gross situations.
Planning and Creating Mini-Books (20 minutes)
Children sketch and write their mini-books, working on words and pictures for 4 pages.
Explaining the Roles (5 minutes)
While children work, talk about the various ways books are made:
Individuals: Sometimes one person generates the idea, writes, and designs (as I do).
Teams: In larger projects, authors, illustrators, and designers collaborate.
Emphasise that creativity works differently for everyone, and both approaches can create fantastic books.
Sharing and Wrap-Up (15 minutes)
Children share their mini-books.
Discuss what they enjoyed and learned about making books.
Clarifying the Role of the Designer
Explain how books are created in different ways:
My Approach:
When I worked on my books, I came up with the idea, wrote the words, and designed the books myself. I decided how everything looked and worked together on the page.
Team Approach:
Sometimes, different people work together: an author might come up with the idea and write the story, while an illustrator draws the pictures, and a designer figures out how to arrange everything on the page.”
By explaining both, children learn there isn’t one “right” way to make a book - it’s all about bringing an idea to life, whether you work alone or in a team.
Engage young minds with the You Wouldn’t Want To Be... book workshop! Kids explore history, creativity, and teamwork by making their own mini-books full of fun and gross facts.
Perfect for schools and libraries.
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Bring history to life with a fun and engaging workshop! Kids create their own mini-books inspired by the popular You Wouldn’t Want To Be... series, combining hilarious facts, creative writing, and drawing.
Perfect for ages 7–11
Workshop Activity: Creating Your Own Pen Name
Have you ever wanted to have a secret identity, like a superhero? Well, lots of writers use pen names - special names they choose instead of their real ones when writing books! Sometimes the writer wants to keep their real name private, or perhaps they think a different name sounds more exciting or fits their book better. For example, a writer called Mary Ann Evans used the name George Eliot because, in her time, people thought only men wrote serious books. Pen names are a bit like costumes for your name - they help authors 'dress up' for their stories. I worked under different names: David Salariya (my real name, David Stewart, Max Marlborough and another name best forgotten.
Explain the Activity: "Now it's your turn to make your very own pen name! Imagine you're a famous writer. What kind of name would you like to use for your stories? Maybe it's funny, mysterious, or magical - whatever matches the kind of books you’d like to write!
Pick a First Name: Choose one from your favourite character, someone you admire, or even a made-up name.
Pick a Last Name: You can mix your favourite animal, a place you like, or something that sounds exciting (like 'Storm' or 'River').
Combine Them: Try putting the names together. Experiment with how they sound—would 'Sandy Wolf' write adventure stories? Or would 'Luna Sparks' write magical tales?
Pen Name Generator Game: Write different words (names, animals, places, etc.) on slips of paper and mix them in two jars. Have students draw one from each jar and combine them to make fun, random pen names.
Draw Your Pen Name: Ask students to design a book cover with their pen name on it - what kind of book would they write?
Discussion:
Encourage the children to share their pen names and explain why they picked them. How do they think their pen names fit their stories?
This combines creativity and imagination while teaching a little about how authors use pen names to shape their identities as writers!
Authors Using Pen Names
Children’s Authors:
Dr. Seuss (1904–1991; active as an author from 1937) - Began publishing under his pen name with And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.
Lemony Snicket (Active since 1999) - Daniel Handler first used this pseudonym for A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Lewis Carroll (1832–1898; active 1865 onwards) - Charles Lutwidge Dodgson published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in 1865.
Dav Pilkey (Active since 1987) - Known for his Captain Underpants series, he has used pseudonyms like Sue Denim.
Pseudonymous Bosch (Active since 2007) - Raphael Simon used this pen name for The Secret Series.
Beatrix Potter (1866–1943; active from 1902) - Published The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902.
Authors:
Mark Twain (1835–1910; active 1863 onwards) - Samuel Clemens first used "Mark Twain" as a pen name in 1863.
Lewis Grassic Gibbon (1901 - 1933) - James Leslie Mitchell, was a Scottish author. He is most famous for A Scots Quair, a trilogy set in the early 20th century in north-east Scotland. In 1932, he first adopted the pseudonym Lewis Grassic Gibbon when 'Sunset Song' was published. The name Lewis Grassic Gibbon is a variation of his maternal grandmother's name, Lilias Grassick Gibbon.
George Orwell (1903–1950; active 1933 onwards) - Eric Arthur Blair adopted his pen name for his first book Down and Out in Paris and London (1933).
J.K. Rowling (as Robert Galbraith) (Active as Galbraith since 2013) - Wrote crime novels beginning with The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013).
Richard Bachman (Used by Stephen King from 1977 to 1985) - King used this pseudonym for books like Rage(1977) and Thinner (1984).
Ellery Queen (First published in 1929) - The collaborative pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee debuted with The Roman Hat Mystery.
Anne Rice (1941–2021; active 1976 onwards) - Howard Allen Frances O'Brien used this pen name for Interview with the Vampire (1976).
Famous Artists Using Pen Names:
Banksy (Active since the 1990s) - The anonymous street artist whose politically charged works continue to appear globally.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (SAMO) (1978–1980 as SAMO) - Used the tag SAMO in his early career before transitioning to his real name as a painter.
Blek le Rat (Active since the 1980s) - French stencil artist Xavier Prou began creating street art in Paris in the early '80s.
Invader (Active since the late 1990s) - Known for his 8-bit mosaic artworks inspired by video games.
Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) (Active since the early 2000s) - Rose to fame after appearing in Banksy’s documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010).
El Seed (Active since the 2000s) - Merged Arabic calligraphy with street art, gaining global recognition in the 2010s.
Stik (Active since the early 2000s) - Known for his stick-figure murals across London and beyond.
FAILE (Founded in 1999) - The collective of artists Patrick McNeil and Patrick Miller who use this joint pseudonym.
The story of You Wouldn't Want to Be...!
The Birth of a Series
I first conceived the You Wouldn’t Want to Be…! series in 1999. I created and designed the series, starting with You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy!, which I wrote under my pen name, David Stewart. It was brilliantly illustrated by David Antram and set the tone for all the subsequent books with its humorous yet factual approach to historical events, quickly finding success with younger readers.
Building on its popularity, I introduced a sister series, You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without…, in 2012 to explore a wider range of topics, aligning with the UK and US educational initiative, Common Core.
Creating Non-Fiction for Children
Since 1986, I have been designing non-fiction books, developing ideas, creating presentation materials, and overseeing projects from concept to completion. My aim has always been to make history and science engaging for young readers by combining humour, striking visuals, and well-researched facts,
creating attractive, thoughtfully designed, cost-effective, and accessible books for readers of all skill levels.
The You Wouldn’t Want to Be…! series embodies this approach, bringing history to life through a first-person narrative that immerses children in the past.
Influences & Inspirations
I drew inspiration for the series’ tone from Thomas Hobbes’ famous description of life as “nasty, brutish, and short.” British humour, particularly Ronald Searle’s St. Trinian’s cartoons, influenced the series' playful yet slightly anarchic style. Typography was also important, with playful fonts like "Uncle Stinky" and "Bludgeon" reinforcing the comic-book feel and acting as a prompt as to where sentences began using large dropped caps.
The Making of You Wouldn’t Want to Be…!
The idea first took shape in 1999 while I was at Gatwick Airport, sketching two sample spreads. I posted these to David Antram, who quickly produced artwork for the Bologna Book Fair. The concept was an instant hit. Soon, the first four titles (Egyptian Mummy, Roman Gladiator, Viking Explorer, and Slave in Ancient Greece) were commissioned and published in 2000 by Franklin Watts (UK) and Children’s Press (USA), later acquired by Scholastic.
The series was designed for reluctant readers, using cartoon style illustrations, fast-paced storytelling, and a touch of humour. I borrowed elements from cookbooks to structure the narratives, with step-by-step guides illustrating the grim realities of history - whether being mummified, fighting as a gladiator, or surviving the Black Death.
A Global Phenomenon
Over the last 25 years, You Wouldn’t Want to Be…! has become a global brand, translated into 35 languages and selling over six million copies worldwide. The series expanded into web books, stage adaptations, and classroom resources, with a dedicated website offering interactive activities and downloadable teaching materials to engage young learners further.
Writers & Illustrators
The series was a collaborative effort, bringing together a talented team of writers, historians, and illustrators. Among them were Fiona MacDonald, Jacqueline Morley, Jim Pipe, John Malam, Ian Graham, Anne Rooney, and many others, each contributing their expertise to different historical periods. David Antram’s illustrations were key to the series’ success, adding humour while maintaining historical accuracy.
The Power of Storytelling
Although the series primarily focuses on history, its themes resonate with modern issues such as war, disease, and democracy. Recent titles have tackled contemporary topics, including You Wouldn’t Want to Be in a Virus Pandemic! and You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Democracy!.
The Future of Non-Fiction
Looking ahead, I believe non-fiction needs to evolve. Future books could incorporate augmented reality, interactive multimedia, and updated scientific research to enhance reader engagement. A modern version of You Wouldn’t Want to Be an Egyptian Mummy! could include digital storytelling tools, interactive quizzes, and animations to bring ancient history to life in ways we couldn’t have imagined in 1999.
A Lasting Legacy
With its blend of humour, education, and storytelling, You Wouldn’t Want to Be…! has made a lasting impact on children’s non-fiction. Though I closed The Salariya Book Company in 2022, the series continues to inspire young readers worldwide, proving that learning about history can be as entertaining as it is enlightening.
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