Clem Always Could
Sarah Watt is an award-winning Australian filmmaker who has been working as a writer, director and producer of animation for fifteen years. Using her extraordinary creative talents, Sarah’s latest venture is the brilliant children’s picture book, Clem Always Could.
As all parents know, learning to swim can be quite daunting for kids. Clem can do a lot of things, but when it comes to swimming lessons, he’s not so sure. Learning to swim is more frightening than he ever imagined and he doesn’t want to get in the pool! Nothing can make him, even when his mum tries everything from reasoning to losing it!
Clem’s mum reminds him of all the things he can do and had to learn. She tells him he had to learn how to put his pyjamas on and go to the toilet, but Clem shakes his head and says, ‘I always could.’ He’s convinced these things just came naturally to him, until one day Clem finds the confidence he needs to take that first step into the water...
With themes of confidence building, persistence and overcoming childhood fears, Clem Always Could, is a humorous and touching look at growing up and childhood innocence with stunning illustrations.
Downloads
Download the teacher’s/parent notes here[pdf]
Download activity sheets here[pdf]
Praise for Clem Always Could
The sense of depth and mystery it invokes makes Clem’s diffidence perfectly understandable. This is a story many families will enjoy relating to, and a worthwhile addition to preschool and home libraries.’ – Bookseller and Publisher
‘Watts takes an ordinary public pool and, through Clem's eyes, switches it between a realm that's literally unfathomable to a place full of fun and adventure. Each re-reading (five all up) revealed something new.’ – The Age
‘The lush colours and interesting perspectives on the action magically evoke an Australian outdoor public pool. The story will feel so truthful for many families that you could imagine that Watt, who is a mother of two, has been here herself.’ – Baby Centre Australia
About the author/illustrator
Sarah Watt is an award-winning Australian filmmaker who has been working as a writer, director and producer of animation for fifteen years. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, actor William McInnes, and their two children. Sarah’s acclaimed animation Small Treasures (1995) brought widespread international attention, winning, amongst many awards, the Baby Lion for Best Short Film at the Venice Film Festival that year. Local Dive and Living with Happiness followed, both of which screened widely at festivals and theatrically, winning many international and Australian awards. Sarah’s hand-painted animated films are distinguished by her comic exploration of personal states, set against lush Australian landscapes, fully using her previous career as a painter and printmaker. Look Both Ways was Sarah’s debut feature film. Unlike the short films, it is live action, interspersed with animated sequences. A critical and commercial success in Australia, it has also won many awards and has screened widely internationally. It is currently used as a text on the VCE English list. In May this year, Sarah released her latest film, My Year Without Sex.
Clem Always Could is Sarah’s first picture book.
Paperback picture book
RRP: $16.99
ISBN: 9780734411150
Contact Us
For further information, author interview and review copy requests please contact:
Tel: 02 8248 0800
E: media.enquiries@hachette.com.au
A: Hachette Children’s Books, Att: Theresa Bray, level 17, 207 Kent St, Sydney, NSW 2000