Suffolk author Tom Tawell leaves career in teaching to publish children’s book, Runaway Toes

A preview of Mr Tawell's book, Runaway Toes.

Tom Tawell, who was raised in Ipswich and now lives in Bury St Edmunds, has teamed up with The Bumblebee Children’s Charity for the release of his debut, self-published picture book, Runaway Toes.

The 27-year-old will donate £1 from the sale of each book from his first print run to the charity, which runs an independent pre-school in Sproughton for children who have difficulties with movement and co-ordination.

“Runaway Toes is the tale of a boy whose feet start to smell so bad his toes have no choice but to run away,” Mr Tawell said.

“Of course, he then tries to get them back, but it proves to be a tough task as he toes turn out to be rather good at hide and seek. Essentially, it’s a book about cheesy feet, and what child doesn’t like a story with something that smells?”

Mr Tawell taught at Woodhall Primary School in Sudbury from 2011 to 2014, and then spent one year at Stanton Primary School in Bury St Edmunds where he became the literacy coordinator.

Last year Mr Tawell made the decision to leave education in a bid to find a better work-life balance as his job saw him marking until 10pm after a full day in the classroom, but he said he still wanted to continue to inspire children.

Describing the concept of Runaway Toes, Mr Tawell said: “When I was a teacher I noticed that rhyming was a part of children’s reading development and so what I have done is on every page in order to complete the rhyme the reader needs to look at the picture and see what it is saying.

“It’s really trying to teach them to rhyme which helps with their development, writing and recognition, so it’s got quite a strong educational value. I haven’t seen any books out there like it.”

Runaway Toes costs £7 and can be ordered on Amazon or by messaging Mr Tawell at www.facebook.com/tomtawellbooks.