Celine the Centipede - Chris Hames

This series of books is intended to entertain young children while providing a positive learning experience. The animals depicted are familiar and are easily found in gardens and near to the home environment. I hope that you will find the books informative and helpful in the development of literacy and numeracy skills. While introducing elements of science alongside social awareness, they provide a range of activities to engage the child's imagination and enhance comprehension skills.

Chris is an experienced teacher and private tutor, who is passionate about enabling children to enjoy learning and helping them to want to learn. He admits that he has not always achieved this in the classroom! Hence an enduring desire has nagged at him to create something which combines knowledge and entertainment. Before teaching, Chris experienced many different employment roles, including managing a zoo at a wildlife park in Scotland and then gaining a degree in Marine Zoology before progressing to complete a PhD which led to a Research Fellowship focusing on the digestive system in isopods (woodlice). Hence the first Minibeasties book had to be about Woody the Woodlouse! A highlight of Chris' teaching career was gaining a Millennium Fellowship to study dolphins off the coast of Brisbane, Australia, and the marine environment remains a favourite area of study and leisure.