Susan Moffat - author of Alfonso the Tortoise

Prince Alfonso the tortoise woke up one sunny morning in his small hut in the Land of Garden. Still feeling sleepy, he slowly plodded out of his hut and then yawned.   He felt the sun warm up his face and brown shell. He smiled and said to the world, 'hello world.'   'Hello, Mr Royal Prince,' said a cheeky little worm, who had just popped his head up out of the grass. 'Ooh, hello. I didn't see you there. What's your name?' 'I’m Willie and I’m so excited to meet you. I’ve been hearing all sorts of stories about you. Your crown is amazing!' 'Thanks,' replied Alfonso, chuckling to himself. It seemed lots of folk had heard about him.  'Are you enjoying life here in the Land of Garden? Can you tell me about how you got here? Do you think you'll stay here?' asked Willie eagerly, keen to know everything about Alfonso. 'I do love living here! A beautiful garden, filled with friendly c

Over the last few years, we have seen the emergence of Art Therapy books filling the shelves of book stores, supermarkets and other retailers. It has become a great trend to enjoy spending our time colouring in the tiny details of each image, allowing our minds to relax and forget about the daily stresses. These books have been a wonderful way of introducing colouring to both adults and children. Alfonso the Tortoise Of course, art as therapy has been around for a long time and has been used by health professionals to help people with all sorts of health problems. Even early man, enjoyed producing art – as the cave walls provided the outlet for the first drawings. All colouring books do provide a means of losing ourselves in the page. The more complex and difficult the colouring, the more we have to concentrate and improve our skill levels. This hobby is definitely not just for children, and we can all enjoy this precious relaxation technique. You don't have t