PETER Clutterbuck may have retired from teaching but that hasn’t stopped him from producing a new series of books for children.
The long-time Woorinen resident has self-published two books for four to six year olds called How Clever is Your Child?
The books are designed to help parents encourage children to practise a range of learning activities while having fun colouring-in.
Arguably the region’s most prolific author, Mr Clutterbuck has published dozens of educational books which have been translated into multiple languages.
They cover a range of subjects, from grammar, spelling and vocabulary to science and technology.
Many are now out of print, but some are still available online, through bookstores and as special buys at ALDI supermarkets.
Mr Clutterbuck, who began his teaching career at the Swan Hill Technical School in 1961, said he produced his first book when he was principal at Castlemaine Primary School.
A student teacher had asked him to write down some of the activities he used to fill in time before the bell rang.
“I ran them off on the duplicating machine – the purple turtle – and made a little booklet and stapled it together,” he said. “The next few days I was knocked over by student teachers from Bendigo phoning me to get a copy.”
Published by Linehan and Shrimpton in 1978, the book was titled Teachers’ Activity Book: A Book To Start Young Students On The Road and To Stimulate Experienced Teachers.
Mr Clutterbuck hasn’t only written educational texts.
In 1988, Puffin published Gorilla Sandwich, a collection of jokes for children, and Mr Clutterbuck donated part of his royalty cheques to children’s hospitals in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
“I wrote to famous people for their favourite jokes for kids,” he said.
“Bob Hawke, Kylie Minogue, they wrote terrific letters back to me.”
He produced Little Bits for Senior Cits in 2019 and in 2020 self-published Memories, a collection of stories and observations by local people about Swan Hill.
Mr Clutterbuck writes his manuscripts by hand – daughter Judi transcribes them – and said he wasn’t yet ready to put away his pens.
“I’m 81 and no spring chicken, but I haven’t finished,” he said.
“I just enjoy myself doing little bits here and there.”
The How Clever is Your Child? books are available from Swan Hill Copy Centre and Gorg Lifestyle at Swan Hill Plaza.
Why did the chicken go halfway across the road?
To lay it on the line.-Denis Walter (from Gorilla Sandwich, a collection of favourite kids jokes from famous Australians, Puffin 1988)
