POPULAR children's author Lauren Child returned to her old school on Monday to talk to pupils about her work and her memories of life in the classroom.

Ms Child travelled from London to spend the day at Kennet Valley School in East Kennett, where she saw a display of the children's work that was based on her best selling book, Clarice Bean, That's Me.

As a child she lived in the valley and in the 1970s she attended schools in Lockridge and in East Kennett, when they were independent. Ten years ago the two schools were merged under one head and renamed the Kennet Valley School.

Pupils in years two to five had studied Ms Child's Clarice Bean books and had penned their own descriptions of their friends and families in the style of her writing.

Teacher Lynne Williams and deputy head Jo Corbett mounted the work on a wall display and were delighted when Ms Child accepted an invitation to view it.

The children were equally thrilled by her visit and eagerly queued up for her autograph and to fire questions at her.

Miss Corbett said: "One of the children asked her what it was like to be back and she said it was strange, but that it brought back lots of good memories."

The children asked the writer if the character Clarice Bean was based on her own experiences. She replied: "It's not a case of her being based on me, I find that I am becoming more like Clarice."