An Ilkeston school teacher has written a book dedicated to the memory of her father who was also an educator.
Sue Law, of St Thomas’ Catholic Voluntary Academy is the daughter of Dennis Hannon, who taught at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy in Kirk Hallam.
Sue says her father, who died in July 2022, had various roles at St John, including Deputy Headteacher, for 40 years.
“Everyone loved him, he was always a joker. He really loved his poetry and I suppose that’s the skill he gave to me. There’s a photo we have of him with lots of sunflowers and that’s where the idea for the book came from.”
Sue’s book, ‘How To Succeed’ is a story about three tiny seeds called Knotweed, Poison Ivy and Sunflower, who have a competition to see who is the most powerful, with Sunflower showing that true power comes from doing good.
Addyson Brough, a friend, provided the illustrations.
Sue said: “I sent her the script and she created the beautiful illustrations. I couldn’t believe it when I saw them, they were just the way that I wanted them to be. When I showed my mum and sisters we were all a bit overwhelmed.”
Sue’s colleague Gemma Shelbourne, a teaching assistant, also created knitted toys based on the characters in the book as a surprise.
Photo: Sue with her book.
