Babbleabout and Random House Children’s Publishers UK launch “Little Babblers” plus tips on how to write a children’s book review

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Babbleabout and Random House Children’s Publishers love to see children enjoy a good book.  So together we are offering children the opportunity to become book reviewers and to see their reviews published on Babbleabout.   In other words, to become “Little Babblers“.   So here’s your chance to get blown away by a good book and then write about it.

To begin with, we will start with a small, invited group of children to trial the idea within the High Wycombe area.   It may then be extended to other areas.  Each child will receive a book to read, say once a month or every six weeks or so.  They will then be asked to write a short review.   Best of all, the review will be published here on the main ‘Books’ pages of Babbleabout and there’s no need to return the book!

Writing a book review is an excellent way of developing your creative thinking and writing skills.   It helps with comprehension, developing a writing style and finding your ‘voice’ to express your response to a text.   When I write a book review, I find the following helpful:-

  • taking notes as you go along, including page numbers so that you can find references or sections that you particularly want to write about quickly.
  • looking at other examples of book reviews.  You will quite often find book reviews by children in magazines e.g. Anorak magazine, or online at Red House Books or Guardian newspaper.
  • before starting a book review, sometimes it is helpful to do some background research on the book and particularly the author.  Really good places to start are the author’s own website and his/her publisher’s website.  Here you might find interviews with the author, quizzes, games and other background material.  A good example is Andy Stanton’s website (author of the Mr Gum series).
  • I find it helpful to draft out a book review first, roughly, under a few main headings e.g. plot, what I liked, the main character, a particular perspective or angle I want to draw out from the book (see my review of Wonder for an example of drawing out a particular perspective; in that case it was the issue of popularity in American high schools.)  Sometimes I use a mindmap to organise my ideas.
  • book reviews should include certain main elements.  These are usually:-
  1. The title of the book and the name of the author.
  2. A brief summary of the storyline or plot but without giving too much away!
  3. Does the book fit into a particular genre or style of book, e.g. historical, dystopian, detective?
  4. What you particularly liked about the book, its strengths.  This might be, for example, the book’s setting and the way the author described it, the twists and turns of the storyline or the fact that you could identify so readily with the main character, that they were so believable or real to you.
  5. You might want to use examples of scenes or parts of the books that you particularly enjoyed or that particularly moved you.  Use quotes from the book.
  6. Whether you would recommend the book and why.

All the above information can be found on a specially created “Little Babblers” page which will be updated on a regular basis.   However, if you have any questions or want further advice about writing a book review or want more information about Little Babblers, please email me at yvonnebabbleabout@gmail.com

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen, Teenage, Young Adult | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

This is London by Miroslav Sasek: a charming children’s travel guide to London first published in 1959 and brought up to date for 2012.

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

This is Picaddilly Circus at night

This is London by Miroslav Sasek was a follow-up to This is Paris which was inspired by a vacation to the French capital.  When first published in the 1950s Sasek’s  This is… series was incredibly popular and it is easy to see why.  The guides are a charming, child’s-eye view of the sights, buildings and people of some of the world’s major cities.   This is London invokes a sense of wonder as you take an excursion past beautiful buildings, historic monuments, take a stroll through parks, turn down side streets to discover ‘old’ London and travel on buses, taxis and the Underground (along with three million* other passengers. *In 1959.)   I particularly enjoy the view of Fleet Street from the top of a London bus.  Don’t all children just love to rush to the top of a double-decker bus, sit right at the front and pretend to be the driver.  Mine do!

Masek’s illustrations capture the spirit, the splendour, the atmosphere of London and all its people in rich colour, in little details, in big, double-page spreads and with lots of humour.   Masek’s drawings are very much of their time and yet are timeless.   This is one of my absolute favourite books about London for children.   It is a complete joy to wander through this snapshot of London, 1959.

Masek’s light-hearted commentary is now a little dated factually, so the publishers, Simon and Schuster, have very helpfully provided asterisks, referring readers to a page at the end of the book called THIS IS LONDON….. TODAY!   Here the readers will find up to date information about some of the places Masek visits.

Now, sit back and enjoy Masek’s illustrations of London.

"Busy emporium for trade and traders," it was described by the Roman historian, Tacitus, one thousand nine hundred years ago.

Selfridges

Royal Albert Hall (see our Paper City model of the Royal Albert Hall below)

Fleet Street looks like this from the top of a bus.* In 1959

The platform

Some three million* passengers are carried daily in Underground trains. *1959

"Taxi! Taxi!"

"L" means that the driver is learning to drive

Covent Garden market * *Today Covent Garden is no longer famous for its market and now is a popular shopping destination

London Paper City – taken from an idea by madebyjoel.com

Joel Henriques, founder, describes madebyjoel.com as a space to share art, craft and handmade education projects for children and their care givers.  And it is a truly beautiful space at that – packed full of inspiring ideas for arts and crafts that are both “accessible” and “meaningful”.  Joel has created a lovely series of Paper City printouts.   So far he has created printouts of Paris (plus a Paris travel size version), Sydey Opera House and Luna Park, vehicles and a road trip, a helicopter and landing pad and a general city buildings printout.

My children and I decided to have a go making a London city printout, based on the Miroslav Sasek book, This is London.   Here are the results.   We hope you like them.

 

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Henriques, Joel, Pre-teen, Sasek, Miroslav | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

And the set of beautiful Barefoot Books children’s picture books goes to …

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

… Rainie Bish.  Congratulations Rainie.  Please can you email me your full address at yvonnebabbleabout@gmail.com so that the books can be sent to you.  (Random.org was used to generate a random number which was 16 from a range of 1-20).

Thank you everyone for entering and thank you Barefoot Books for your beautiful books.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Leave a comment

Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers: “Could I talk to you?” “Why?” “You’re a writer?” “And?” “I need your help.”

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

“COULD I TALK TO YOU?”
“Why?”
“You’re a writer?”
“And?”
“I need your help.”
“You see the sign on the door?”
“Yes.”
“What does it say?”
“No visitors without an appointment.”
“Have you an appointment?”
“No.”
“Then I suggest you make one.”
“Could I make an appointment?”
“When for?”
“Now.”

I couldn’t help laughing.  Anyway, there was something about him, an indefinable quality that instantly appealed.

And so begins what would seem, at first, to be a most unlikely friendship.

Karl is eighteen.  He is desperate to win the affections of his first, serious girlfriend, Fiorella.   She has set him the task of writing about himself, his feelings, about love.  This is a real ask for Karl who has trouble writing.

“Something happens between what’s in my head and what comes out when I try to write it down.  It’s torture.”

Karl has dyslexia.  And yet, ask Karl to talk about plumbing (his job) or fishing (his passion) he speaks elequently and with no hesitation.   Fiorella, on the other hand, loves words, books, writing, and seeks and sees beauty in them and expect others to do so too.

In a panic and afraid to lose Fiorella forever, Karl turns to the writer for help.  Will he craft his replies for him?  It would work like this: Karl to provide his thoughts, they might chat about stuff, he might even have a go at writing some things down the best he can.   The writer would then work on what had been spoken or written down, on all the mis-spelt words, badly punctuated sentences and construct something worthy, beautiful even.

The writer is a well known author (a favourite, in fact, of Fiorella’s).  He is the narrator of the story and of how this unlikely relationship between them grows.  He, himself, is at a very difficult juncture in his life – recently widowed, he has had the wind taken from his sails and is no longer writing.   Enter Karl.  He brings with him the energy and curiousity of youth but also the fragility and insecurities.

Together, Karl and the writer, through a series of meetings, misunderstandings, misadventures, each find their own voice – one rediscovered in words, the other in something all the more surprising.

Dying to Know You is a gentle and thoughtful exploration of friendship, being young, growing old and finding one’s voice.  It is also honest and extemely funny in places.  I particularly enjoyed the writer’s observations of himself and his aged state:

“Take it from me, whatever you do, do not volunteer to join the swelling ranks of the ancientry.  Live long enough, and willy-nilly, you’ll be conscripted.  The benefits are limited, the perks are few and the future prospects are unattractive.”

I can’t wait.

 

Posted in Chambers, Aidan, Young Adult | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

It’s Spring (honest!) So celebrate with (and maybe WIN) Barefoot Books beautiful new Spring list picture books (Competition now closed)

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Inside sleeve, Grandpa's Garden

Broken Spring by Elli Woollard

Could someone repair this spring, do you think?

Do you think that somebody could?

This spring’s all broken, the sky’s dark grey

The sun has lost its bounce today

The clouds are spouting with terrible leaks

It’s rained and rained for weeks and weeks

And sometimes it thunders and blusters and hails

Get out your hammers, your spanners, your nails!

As there’s water, water everywhere

So could some builders come and repair

The spring? Do you think they could?

Elli writes beautiful and funny and very original poems.  And they can be found on her website called Taking Words for a Stroll – Original Poems for the Young at Heart.   Please take a look and immerse yourself in her rhyming worlds.

5 beautiful children’s picture books newly available from Barefoot Books’ spring list and yours to win (see below)

Grandpa’s Garden written by Stella Fry, illustrated by Sheila Moxley    Billy and his Grandpa work tirelessly together on the vegetable plot at the bottom of Grandpa’s garden – planning and preparing during the cold Winter months; planting seeds and potato tubers in the Spring; weeding and watering during warm Summer days; tidying and sowing new crops during Autumn to be ready again for next year.  Watch with Billy and his Grandpa as the hard earth begins to soften ready for sowing, little green shoots break through in search of light and the garden is invaded by hungry minibeasts.   It is lovely to read about and watch the relationship that Billy and Grandpa share.   Grandpa is always at hand to offer advice and encouragement.  At one point Billy is worried about all the slugs, snails and caterpillers feasting on the young, tender leaves.

“But Grandpa doesn’t seem to mind at all.   ‘Have a look around, Billy,’ he says.  ‘Tell me what you can see, and tell me how they’re protecting the garden.  Quiet, mind!’  Very quietly, I start exploring.  I find hungry frogs and snuffling hedgehogs.  There are lazy ladybirds and gauzy hoverflies.   And I see busy, bright-eyed birds fly down from the trees, searching for supper.  ‘They’re the best friends we could have,’ says Grandpa.”

At the of this book is a delightful section about planning your own vegetable patch and things to do in each season to get the best out of your patch.  Age 4+

A teepee marks the beans we buried weeks before. In I dig, finger and thumb. A gentle tug and up one comes, complete with brand new baby roots. And look! Another shoot is reaching up towards the light. 'There,' says Grandpa. 'Not long now!' But it's still hard to wait!

Planning your Vegetable Patch

My Mama Earth written by Susan B. Katz, illustrated by Melissa Launay  

“My mama wakes the eastern sun.  And weaves her magic till day’s done.”

This book is a stunning visual portrayal of the love between a mother and child.  It also reminds us, beautifully, that we too, as humankind, must never forget the relationship we have with Mother Earth.  The illustrations reveal the delicate balance between beauty and fragility in the natural world that is all around us. Age 2+

Who’s in the Farmyard? Written by Phillis Gershator, illustrated by Jill McDonald

“Who wakes up in the morning to a cock-a-doodle-doo?” 

This book is SO much fun.  When the king of the farmyard starts to crow, everybody wakes up and starts to make their own sounds too!   The hens, cluck, cluck, clucking; the sheep baa, baa, baaing; the cows moo, moo, mooing, the goats bleat, bleat, bleating; and the pigs, oink, oink, oinking.   This is one of those books that is perfect for sharing together as you travel round the farmyard illustrations and make all the animal noises together.  Each time the cockerel crows you get a peep at the next animal he has woken up through a little round window on the next page.  So sweet and great for little fingers to explore too.   There is also the opportunity to learn all the names of the baby animals too – sheep/lambs, cows/calves, goats/kids, etc.  Made from sturdy board, this book will travel and endure the constant exploring of little hands.   Age 0+

Clare Beaton’s Farmyard Rhymes 

A beautiful board book illustrated using needlework and applique.  Inside are lively animal poems – some very well known – but all chosen to develop language and relationship skills.  There are also plenty of opportunities to learn and practise those early counting skills.  A great little book for sharing rhyme and movement together.   Age 0+

 

Clare Beaton’s Bedtime Rhymes  

After a long day reading, what better way to be lulled off to sleep than by gently sharing together these relaxing bedtime rhymes.  These lovely poems should be read aloud, with the lights down low and in a soft whisper.  Shhhh.    Age 0+

 

 

*COMPETITION* Win all the books featured in this post – THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous prize, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post.

And if you want an EXTRA chance of winning, then

For these extra entries to count, you will need to leave an extra comment on this post saying what extra action you took (e.g. I liked the Babbleabout facebook page or I followed @liveBarefoot).   So that’s one comment on this post FOR EACH action taken.   The more comments the more chances to win!!!!

Terms and conditions

This competition is only open to UK residents over the age of 16.
Random.org will be used to select a number which we will then match to the corresponding comment entry on this post.
The competition will close at midnight (UK time) on Wednesday, 9th May 2012 and the winner will be announced on Friday, 11th May, here on www.babbleabout.co.uk.
Good luck everyone.

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Children’s magazines: getting past the ‘buy one magazine, get five tacky, two-minute wonder toys for free’ to something educational and beautiful

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

A sea of cellophane, pink and plastic, tacky toys

Go with your children to any supermarket or a branch of a well-known newsagent/bookseller chain and you will find it very difficult to make it past the children’s magazines section.   The magazines are strategically placed at kiddy eye level and are adorned with garish,  brightly-coloured plastic toys all neatly packed in a sea of cellophane.  ‘Buy one magazine, get five tacky, 2-minute wonder toys for free’ they scream at you.   Kids love them, (most) parents HATE them.

I have made it my mission to seek out good quality, educational magazines that DON’T have a rubbish toy stuck to the front, are beautiful to look at and I would be happy for my children to read.   The magazines featured below can all be acquired by subscription, usually at a reduced rate.   There is something really magical when children get their own post – a parcel delivered by the postman just for them, with their name on it.

Here are my findings.   (Just so you know, the following magazines were all purchased by me, they were not freebies.)   All of the magazines discussed are available through subscription, the last one can also be bought at most supermarkets and newsagents.

Anorak ‘The Happy Mag for Kids’   is aimed at boys and girls aged between six and twelve years and is published four times a year.   It is visually stunning, more like a book than a magazine, and bound in heavy-duty paper with a matt finish.   My nine year old daughter, upon opening the parcel it arrived in, squealed with delight and it was some time before I was able to wrestle it off her to take a look myself.    Each edition is based around a theme (the current issue, no. 22, is all about food, see below).  It opens with ‘good stuff’ and ‘read stuff’ (I particularly like this section as it is a book review section for children by children).   Then there are highly imaginative comic strip stories using photographs (Munkie and Horrace) and colourful, fun illustrations (The gumball).  Further on you get to go inside the Anorak Food Store to discover good foods, not-so-good foods, what our ancesters ate, foods we love to hate, illustrators’ ideas of their most perfect, imaginary packed lunches(yummy and definitely not-so-yummy) and how to make a scale model of the solar system using food.  My children and I are particularly looking forward to making our very own street scene of Paris.  Mais oui!    What really stands out, though, are the stunning contemporary illustrations used throughout – they are colourful and stimulating and will clearly resonate with children, tapping into their vast imaginations.   I don’t think they will be lost on adults either.

Extract from Munkie and Horrace

Extract from The gumball

Good Food is Good

They Ate What?

Make your own Paris!

Make your own Paris!

DiscoveryBox by Bayard Magazines  Recommended for children aged between 9 and 12 years (although, of course, this depends on an individual child’s reading ability and understanding).  Published ten times a year.   My nine year old daughter has been subscribing to this magazine for a year or so now and really looks forward to each edition.   I actually think this magazine is particularly suited to boys as it treats a range of subject areas – nature, history, science, the world, sports – in a variety of different writing styles.  There are no long, extended pieces of text.  Instead, information is presented in short texts, broken up with illustrations, fact boxes and informative captions.   Each edition does include one ‘longer’ narrative text which treats a non-fiction subject as a linear story to provide children with a long chunk of text to read – great for building up reading stamina.  At the end of the magazine there is a fantastic Do It Yourself activities section which compliments the topics covered in the main body of the magazine.  So, for example, in the Japan issue (see thumbnail), there are instructions for preparing a Japanese lunch, ideas for painting a self-portrait in the style of Van Gogh (the narrative lifestory included earlier, The true story of Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters in the world) and some experiments observing the behaviour of snow inside your fridge (complimenting the picture story Mission to the South pole).   Every edition also includes a pull-out poster (with extra information on the back), comic strips and fun collectible info-cards.  We have found that this magazine has provided us with excellent ideas for homework projects, particularly in terms of looking at how to present information in different styles.

Nihon-E Yokojo! (Welcome to Japan!)

Japanese traditions

Quick look! Digestion, an amazing process!

Extract from: The true story of Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters in the world

Extract from: The true story of Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most famous painters in the world

Do It Yourself activities section: Prepare a Japanese lunch

AdventureBox by Bayard Magazines    Recommended for children aged 6 to 9 years and published ten times a year.   This magazine from Bayard is essentially designed to get children hooked on reading and it does this by including a story, split into manageable chapters, with full-colour pictures on every page.  This way children can have a really good go at being independent readers which is great for confidence and building up reading stamina.  I particularly like the fact that the editors at Bayard have not shied away from stories covering tricky subject areas.   In the issue featured here, the story covers, from a child’s perspective, the delicate subject of parents and divorce but it does so sensitively and with humour.   As Anthony Browne has said “Children are more than capable of coping with all kinds of stories..”  Also featured in every issue is a NatureBox section which includes photographs and scientific information about a creature or topic from nature; puzzles and games which are intended to stimulate children’s literacy and reasoning skills; Tom and Lili comic strip and Ariol comic strip.

Extract from Pirate parents fall out

Extract fom Pirate parents fall out

Extract from Fleas! (NatureBox section)

Extract from Fleas! (NatureBox section)

Extract from Deep Sea games pages

Extract from Ariol, regular comic strip

StoryBox from Bayard Magazines   Designed for children aged between 3 and 6 years and published ten times a year.   My youngest daughter has been subscribing to this magazine for a couple of years now and in that time she has progressed from enjoying the sharing of the stories contained within to loving the fact that she can read them on her own and even read them back to me!   (In fact, she is now ready to move to AdventureBox.)   Open StoryBox and you begin with a delightful book-length story to read aloud.   Reading books aloud and sharing stories is so important, right from the word go – enter into new worlds and share the new words that go with them.  Take time to talk about the pictures too.  And in StoryBox the illustrations are always delightful.  Also featured is SamSam, ‘the smallest of the big heroes’ comic strip; Animal world – lovely illustrations and simple text about a new animal each month; and Wonder with Whizkid which introduces children to science and answers their questions about the world around them such as ‘Why don’t we see colours at night?’  One of the loveliest sections in AdventureBox is ‘Polo – an adventure without words to lead you into the world of dreams…’   Each month Polo goes on a new adventure.   What is so special is that there are no words to accompany the illustrations.   Instead, you and your child are able to look at the pictures and put your own narrative to them.  You might even want to cut them out and swap the pictures around and create your very own version?  (Just a thought).

Extract from Little Black Cat is scared of the dark

Extract from Little Black Cat is scared of the dark

Extract from Little Black Cat is scared of the dark

Extract from Why do trees lose their leaves?

Time for a rhyme

Extract from Polo - an adventure without words

Extract from Polo - an adventure without words

Extract from Polo - an adventure without words

The Official Jacqueline Wilson Mag    OK.  I know.   This magazine comes in a cellophane wrapper with gifts attached.    However, if you can get past these, there is, in fact, a very good magazine to be found here.  And the gifts that you do get are related to the magazine – that is, they’re not pink (usually), they’re not tacky (usually) and they are (usually) really useful, for example, this month’s gifts (17 April 2012) were a ‘writers set’ of stationery, folder and a guide called How to be a…Super Story Writer!   Inside the magazine are lots of hints, tips and advice on story writing, for example, What Happens Next (the reader gets to write their own ending to a Jacqueline Wilson story) and My Writing Secrets.  And for the children who love to illustrate their stories, there is a section all about illustrating including tips from Nick Sharratt himself.

Extract from Set the Scene

Extract from Create a Cliffhanger

Tracy's Chat Cards

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen, Wilson, Jacqueline | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Children’s creative writing competitions: a great way to develop your child’s creative thinking and writing skills

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Competitions are a great way to develop your child’s creative thinking and writing skills.   They usually have a theme and a word limit and these help to focus a child’s writing in terms of a style or genre, its creativity around an idea and also gets them used to accepting a brief and planning a story around a maximum number of words.   All tricky stuff but the type of assignments they should expect regularly as they progress through their school years and into work.

Here are details of current children’s creative writing competitions:

The 2012 Explore Learning National Young Writers’ Awards

This creative writing competition is one of the largest free-to-enter writing competitions for children in the UK and is open to children aged five to fourteen years whether they are confident in writing or have been a little hesitant to write in the past.  The theme this year is ‘Old and New’ and the story will be judged on its overall creativity, characterisation and descriptive language.   The maximum word limit is five hundred words.   Entrants can submit their entries by email, post or at their local Explore Learning Centre.

The competition opens for entries on 16th April 2012 and the closing date is 11th June 2012.   The prize is a trip for the winner and their family to Disneyland Paris and £500 worth of books for their school.

This year’s event welcomes best-selling children’s author Andrew Cope to the judging panel.   Andrew is probably best known for his award winning children’s books, the ‘Spy Dog’ series which were inspired by his own dog.   He has also written a series of self-help books, The Art of Being Brilliant and Being Brilliant for adults and A Brilliant Life and The Game of Life for teenagers, the UK’s first positive psychology books for this age group.  So, as a children’s writer, a qualified teacher and learning junkie, Andrew is well positioned to find the best young writers in the UK.

Interview with Andrew Cope – judge for this year’s Explore Learning National Young Writer’s Award

I have been lucky enough to catch up with Andrew, albeit via the medium of email, to talk about his involvement in this year’s Explore Learning National Young Writers’ Award.

Babbleabout:  What has prompted you to become a judge on this year’s Explore Learning National Young Writer’s Award?

Andrew Cope: When I do school visits I always try and set the kids a writing challenge.  I never cease to be amazed at their creativity and enthusiasm.  So judging something at national level is thrilling!  I’m looking forward to being amazed!

Babbleabout: Did you start your writing at a young age?  For example, my daughter loves designing and writing her own made-up magazines.  What sort of early writing projects did you do?

Andrew Cope:  I describe myself as an ‘accidental author’. I never set out to be a writer.  I just had a mad idea about my pet dog being a bit like James Bond and, hey presto, ‘Spy Dog’ was born. All of a sudden I was an author, at age 37 and a bit.  It’s great fun. There are now 15 books in the series, plus I’m busy writing ‘Raccoon Rampage’ for Harper Collins, plus a few books for adults. So, I was a slow starter but now there’s no stopping me!

I quite like producing short e-books with positive messages.  Check this one out if you want to upgrade or change your thinking.

http://issuu.com/spydog/docs/the_game_of_life-pdf?mode=window&backgroundColor=%23222222

Babbleabout: What advice would you like to give to young people starting out on their own writing journeys?

Andrew Cope: I always give the same 3 pieces of advice.  1. Read.  2. Read. 3. And read.  Just half an hour a day.  That’s all it takes.  Gets your vocab up to speed and exercises your creative muscles.

Babbleabout: So, your Spy Dog series was inspired by your own dog.  How does your dog stop her cover from being blown and what spying missions has she been on recently?  Or are you not allowed to say?

Andrew  Cope:  The ‘Spy Dog’ books are indeed inspired by my own pet dog, Lara. The dog in the book is a cool, super-sophisticated secret agent who goes on dangerous missions and saves the world. The real Lara is an RSPCA mongrel with no intelligence, talent or tricks. But with a little imagination, anything’s possible!

She has 2 missions on the go at the mo. ‘Spy Dog Rollercoaster’ comes out in June.  Top secret (obviously!) but think evil baddie meets Alton Towers and you’re not far off. And then in July,  ‘Spy Pups Training School’ sees Lara and the puppies on their first foreign adventure.  New York City beckons.

Babbleabout: What were your favourite children’s books when you were a child? Did you have a favourite author you always sought out in your local bookshop or library?

Andrew Cope:  The best book in the world ever is ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. It’s got everything…action, humour, great characters, chocolate, oompa loopas, songs and the best line ever written; ‘Violet, you’re turning violet, Violet.’ I love all the Roald Dahl stuff but Charlie is the best.

Babbleabout: Do you have any favourite contemporary children’s writers? 

Andrew Cope:  There are so many superb children’s writers out there at the mo. I particularly like Andy Stanton’s ‘Mr Gum’ series. Funniest books in the world! I also like Kes Gray’s ‘Nellie the Monster Sitter’ books.  And, for older readers, I marvel at the Harry Potter series and I also like Suzanne Collins’ blockbuster, ‘Hunger Games’.

Babbleabout: Do you have a favourite place to do your writing? For example, Roald Dahl famously had his writing shed at the bottom of his garden.

Andrew Cope:  In my early writing days I could only write at night, in my office (converted back bedroom) with the same CD droning on and on. Recently I’ve become a bit more flexible and tend to take my laptop everywhere. That way, if I’m feeling inspired I can open it up and tap away. I’ve just come back from a family hols in Morocco and managed to do a few chapters while lounging around the appartment.

Spinebreakers – The Intern – Creative Writing Competition

Your mission, for this competition, is to write the first chapter of your first fictional day as an intern – the location is your choice and it is up to you whether you write about a good or bad experience.

Where would be your dream or nightmare place to have work experience? Who would be your ideal or most horrific manager to intern with? Whether it’s working at Hogwarts or MTV, travelling the world assisting your favourite book character or going on tour with your favourite football team, we’re looking for the most creative, exciting and wackiest fictional stories inspired by Dillon Khan’s The Intern!  The competition is open to UK residents only, aged 13-18 years.

The winning entry will be chosen by Dillon Khan and will receive a signed copy of the book ‘The Intern’, iTunes vouchers and have their work published on the homepage of the Spinebreakers and The Intern website.  Five runners up will also receive a signed copy of the book.   The closing date is 27th April 2012 so you need to hurry!

Bloomsbury’s very short story competition for young writers is back!  247tales.com

247tales.com is the online writing competition from Bloomsbury that challenges young writers to create stories using only 247 words or less.   It is a monthly competition and so each month a different Bloomsbury author will pen a 247tale on a given topic.  It is then over to budding UK writers aged between 10 and 16 to create their own miniature masterpiece.

One winner will be chosen each month and they will have their 247tale featured on the website as well as winning a selection of books and a framed copy of their story.  Ten runners-up will get a signed copy of the latest book from that month’s featured author and their story will appear in the 247Library section of the website.

Authors taking part include Anne Cassidy, Jim Eldridge, Sarah Crossan, A.F. Harrold, Laura Powell and Sue Limb.  Visit www.247tales.com for more information.

Developing Literacy and Creative Writing Through Storymaking – Story Strands for 7-12 Year Olds by Steve Bowkett, published by the Open University Press

This is an excellent resource for teachers and parents looking for usable activities to help children develop their literacy skills and creative writing abilities.   The premise of the book is the use of ‘story strands’ - a technique which begins with one simple picture and then adds others to it to form a sequence.  The ‘story strands’ and use of images help developing writers to form ideas and then organise those ideas without compromising creativity.   The book is very helpfully divided into 4 main sections – Section 1 Getting Started, including brainstorming and association webs, sentence building, things happen for a reason; Section 2 Building Narrative, including prediction strips, connectives, proverbs and similies, cliffhangers, the narrative template; Section 3 Enriching the Story, including parallel story, story board games, sequels, settings, comic cuts, character creation; and Section 4 Story Grids, including zig zag story game, grids and basic narrative elements, making grids, story strings.  Even more helpfully there are 11 story grids (sets of images) included at the back of the book and there is a supporting companion website that includes downloadable images from the book, colour images, worked examples for the ‘story string idea’, additional activities and games, as well as links to the National Curriculum.  Age 6+

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Bowkett, Steve, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

7 children’s picture books/collections of fairy tales. Classic, modern and sumptuous treatments of these enduring tales

Posted on April 1, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

"She took then the little key, and opened the door, trembling". Blue Beard from The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book

“The marvels and prodigies, the seven-league boots and enchanted mirrors, the talking animals, the heroes and heroines changed into frogs or bears or cats, the golden eggs and over-flowing supplies of porridge, the stars on the brow of the good sister and the donkeytail sprouting on the brow of the bad – all the wonders that create the atmosphere of fairy tale disrupt the apprehensible world in order to open spaces for dreaming alternatives.  The verb ‘to wonder’ communicates the receptive state of marvelling as well as the active desire to know, to inquire, and as such it defines very well at least two characteristics of the traditional fairy tale: pleasure in the fantastic, curiosity about the real.”

From the Beast to the  Blonde. On Fairy Tales and their Tellers by Marina Warner

I have a huge interest in discovering more about fairy tales, their social and cultural contexts, their origins and their tellers.   And I can’t recommend Marina Warner’s book From the Beast to the Blonde more highly.   I am only at the beginning of my journey through this book and I am completely fascinated.  In the meantime, I offer up our favourite collections and picture books of fairy tales.   I start with Arthur Rackham whose illustrations, I think, perfectly suit the style of fairy tales – his use of illuminating colour washes and silhouette cut-outs.     I particularly like his amazing use of light and the sense of sunlight flooding through the windows in the main picture above, “She took then the little key, and opened the door, trembling”, Blue Beard, The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book.   The silhouette cut-out is a style that is also used beautifully in a modern-day fairy tale The Princess Who Had No Kingdom, written by Ursula Jones, illustrated by Sarah Gibb.

The Arthur Rackham Fairy Book – 23 Favourite Tales with Illustrations by Arthur Rackham   ‘Old tales with new illustrations’ was how this book was described when it was first published in 1933.   I think the illustrations are as appealing and fresh as they were back in 1933 and are a delightful accompaniment to this collection of some of the most famous and well-loved fairy tales.  Included are Dick Whittington, Jack and the Beanstalk, Beauty and the Beast, The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Hansel and Grethel.  Some less well-known ones are also here – Blue Beard, What the Old Man Does is Always Right, Toads and Diamonds and Jack the Giant-Killer.  Age 8+

"Is that you, my prince? I have waited for you very long" Sleeping Beauty

"Will you not come down?" shouted Blue Beard

Fairy Tales told by Berlie Doherty, illustrated by Jane Ray    Jane Ray is one of my all-time favourite children’s books illustrators.  My two daughters were absolutely captivated by her book Jinny Ghost the first time we got it from the library and it has remained a favourite of ours ever since.   So I was absolutely thrilled to receive Fairy Tales as a birthday present from my sister, also a talented artist and illustrator and I think you’ll see why when you scroll down to Jane Ray’s illustrations.  Jane Ray’s illustrations are typified by rich, dazzling colours and gold within and around.  I love the way they and the text are set against fairy-like wall-papers.   The tales included are Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty in the Forest, Beauty and the Beast, Rumpelstiltskin, Rapunzel, Snow White, Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp, Little Red Riding Hood, The Fire-Bird, Hansel and Gretel, The Frog Prince and The Wild Swans.  Both the text and the illustrations take on a dream-like feel in this beautifully crafted collection.  Age 5+

Rapunzel, illustrated by Jane Ray

Rumpelstiltskin, by Jane Ray

The Wild Swans, by Jane Ray

The Princess Who Had No Kingdom, written by Ursula Jones, illustrated by Sarah Gibb  A mixture of silhouette cut-outs with colour highlights and delicate, full colour illustrations bring this modern-day fairy tale to life.  The expressions on the enraged and spoilt princes are hilarious and fit with the text perfectly.

“The two princes were so enraged they pelted the new king with pastries.  The king wasted no time in bombarding them both with gooey gateaux, and soon everyone there was at it, which seemed like a terrible waste of food to the princess.   So she slipped away ….”

A wise and witty tale of a princess who sees through all the shenanigans and arrogance of the available princes and finds true love in someone with his feet firmly on the ground. Age 4+

My Favourite Fairy Tales, retold and illustrated by Tony Ross     Classic fairy tales have been given a modern, quirky and humorous treatment in this collection of Fairy Tales by Tony Ross (best known for his illustrations for Horrid Henry, and as writer/illustrator for Little Princess).    I particularly LOVE Ross’ retelling of The Hedley Kow, about an old down-on-her-luck woman who feels so blessed when just about everything goes against her.   On her way down a lane looking for something to sell in order to buy some food she finds an old pot with a hole in it.  Upon closer examination she discovers it is full of golden coins!  “Well, I’m blessed with luck to find this!” and she starts to drag it home.  Along the way, she finds that the pot of gold has turned into a lump of silver.  “That’s lucky,” she thought, “since silver is less valuable than gold, I am much less likely to be robbed.  Oh how lucky I am!”  And so the story continues – as she journeys home, her heavy load changes again to a rock and then finally into the Hedley Row, a fairy trickster who had changed himself into the pot of gold in the first place.   As the old woman watches him skip down the road, she declares “Folks round here have heard of the Hedley Kow but I’m the only one who has seen him.  Oh, how lucky I am!”  Other fairy tales retold are The Musicians of Breman, Sweet Porridge, Rumpelstiltskin, Prince Hyacinth and the Dear Little Princess, Fairy Gifts and Beauty and the Beast.   Each fairy story retold is accompanied by Ross’ instantly recognisable alluring line and colour illustrations.  Age 4+

Sweet Porridge by Tony Ross

Sweet Porridge by Tony Ross

Rumpelstiltskin by Tony Ross

Hansel and Gretel by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark    A stunning retelling of this most favourite fairy tale although it is quite a grown up, somewhat darker adaptation of the story.   A warty old witch with eyes that “glowed red, red as blood“, is desperate for the love of Hansel and Gretel’s father, Gabriel.   She ‘dispatches’ Lisette, their mother, and transforms herself into a beautiful young woman called Belladonna.  She gradually works her magic and gets under the skin of Gabriel and they marry.  But the children don’t like Belladonna.   “There’s something scary about her, about her eyes.  Have you noticed how cold they are when she looks at you from far, far away, as it she can’t see you properly.  And when she smiles, she only smiles with her lips, not her heart.  And her lips are as red as blood.”  You see, although she was able to take the shape of a beautiful young woman she was still a witch, a witch who could not see very well but who could hear and smell perfectly.   Emma Chichester Clark’s illustrations are visually stunning, dazzling yet dark too – the witch, in her true form, is actually quite scary, sinister even.  For this reason and because Morpurgo touches upon themes of hunger and cruelty, I would recommend this version for slightly older children, perhaps aged six plus.  Age 6+

"There's something scary about her, about her eyes. Have you noticed how cold they are when she looks at you, cold as ice?"

None of them noticed the magpie that was flitting through the darkness, silently, following them, silently.

"Nibbledeeday, nibbledeeday. Who's nibbling at my house today?"

Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, translated by Naomi Lewis, illustrated by Joel Stewart    This is a beautiful, sumptuous volume of tales from Hans Christian Andersen including The Princess and the Pea, The Tinderbox, Thumbelina, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Wild Swans, The Flying Trunk, The Ugly Duckling, The Nightingale, The Snow Queen, The Little Match Girl and The Goblin at the Grocers.  The introduction to the book is a fascinating story in itself – Andersen’s story.   An only child to impoverished, somewhat mismatched parents, he inherited his father’s freedom of thought and originality – “he gave his child the thought that every non-human creature or thing – a leaf, a beetle, a darning needle – has a character of its own: a thought that was to prove invaluable to the later Andersen.   Invaluable too was his father’s teaching him how to make and work small toy theatres – human life in miniature.“  It seems that his fairy tales reflect Andersen’s own life story – trials, rejections, disappointments, rags to riches.   Not only that, Andersen, apparently, deliberately, included glimpses or perhaps even a portrait (The Ugly Duckling) of himself in each and every one of his tales.   Naomi Lewis challenges the reader of the book to take on the quest of seeking him out in the stories.   Helpfully, Naomi Lewis also includes an introduction to each of the stories too – giving us a flavour of how the story was conceived, how the story was received by the critics of the day and what we, today, nearly two hundred years on, can take from the story (I have in mind The Emperor’s New Clothes, see image below).  Age 6+

"If your Imperial Highness will graciously take off the clothes he is wearing now, we shall have the honour of putting on the new ones here; you can see the effect yourself in this great mirror."

"The sun had not yet risen when she came in sight of the prince's palace and made her way up the splendid marble steps...she fainted, and lay as though dead". (From The Little Mermaid)

"She was so beautiful, wonderfully delicate and grand; but she was of ice all through, dazzling, glittering ice - and yet she was alive." (From The Snow Queen)

Hansel and Gretel, written and illustrated by Anthony Browne    Anthony Browne’s books are an invitation to “value the act of looking” (his words).  To see beyond what is obvious, as if looking at something for the first time, as children do.  And children really do see things differently from adults.   My children are often first to see the faces in the knots and bark of trees or the hands in the tangled roots on the forest floor.  In Hansel and Gretel there is even more than meets the eye.   Take for example the illustration (see below) where the stepmother is looking down on her two sleeping step-children as she prepares to rouse them.  See how her shadow on the wall behind her extends to the gap in the curtain and so gives the impression she is wearing a pointed hat.  Likewise the picture of the old woman watching at the window of the gingerbread house.  Again the curtains are arranged to look like she is wearing a pointed hat.   Anthony Browne is not afraid to draw out the darker themes within fairy tales and in Hansel and Gretel there can be nothing darker than the betrayal of a child by it’s mother.  Anthony Browne’s response?  “Children are more than capable of coping with all kinds of stories; it’s adults who are threatened by the darkness in children’s books.   But it has a place: an essential place. If we insist on telling children that everything in the garden is lovely, we’re doing them a disservice.”  Age 6+

"At the edge of a large forest lived a poor woodcutter with his two children and their stepmother. The family was always very poor, and when a terrible famine came to the land, they could find nothing to eat."

'At daybreak, before the sun had risen, the woman came and wakened the children. "Get up, you lazybones, we must go to the forest to fetch wood."'

"From another window an old woman watched them."

"They began to run, rushed inside and threw their arms around their father."

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Browne, Anthony, Chichester Clark, Emma, Doherty, Berlie, Gibb, Sarah, Jones, Ursula, Lewis, Naomi, Morpurgo, Michael, Pre-teen, Rackham, Arthur, Ray, Jane, Ross, Tony, Stewart, Joel, Teenage | 8 Comments

Wonder by R.J. Palacio: “My name is August. I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”

Posted on March 25, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

First impressions?  When I got this book out of the envelope after it had dropped through my postbox, I immediately thought what a grotty looking cover!   I turned it over to read the blurb (as you do).  It said

Point made.  And I hadn’t even opened the front cover.

The designers at The Bodley Head (imprint of Random House) have been very clever indeed.  Scuff marks and a mottled look have been added to give the front cover a worn and slightly damaged feel.  And it works… really well.

August Pullman is ten years old.  He loves his Xbox, his dog Daisy and knows just about everything there is to know about Star Wars.  He has an older sister, Via, and a loving, if somewhat overprotective, Mum and Dad.    He also has a terrible facial deformity, the result of a “previously unknown type of mandibulofacial dysostosis caused by an autosomal on chromosome 5, complicated by a hemifacial microsomia characteristic of OAV spectrum“.  In other words, he was incredibly unlucky in the genetics lottery of life.

Up until now, August has been homeschooled by his parents, mainly Mom.  However, August is smart and his Mom feels that the time is right for August to try real school.  “You’ll learn things you’d never learn with me”.   And besides, he’ll be old enough to go into fifth grade, the first year of middle school, so he won’t be the only new kid.

“I’ll be the only kid who looks like me”.   Naturally, August is dreading it.

I hadn’t appreciated until reading this book and then reading further around the subject how big a deal it is to be ‘popular’ at your typical American middle/high school.  To be able to sit at the ‘top’ table at lunch with the football players and the cheerleaders.  Apparently some school lunch tables are even ranked in order of popularity.  It seems that groups are formed across a whole spectrum, from super-popular, jocks, middle-of-the-road jocks, goths or emos, druggies, to geeks or nerds.  Coincidentally, I had a conversation with a friend of mine recently who expressed real relief at not putting his son through the American school system because of the very existence of this system of popularity.

It’s no wonder then that August’s Dad felt that sending him off to middle school would be “like a lamb to the slaughter”.

August’s narrative of his first year at middle school is touching, funny and honest.  It is also very moving because all the way through August understands.   He understands why the other kids behave they way they do, react the way they do, say the things they say.

“They were just being normal dumb kids.  I know that.  I kind of wanted to tell them that.  Like , it’s okay, I know I’m weird-looking, take a look.  I don’t bite.  Hey, the truth is, if a Wookiee started going to school all of a sudden, I’d be curious, I’d probably stare a bit!”

Woven into the narrative are the stories of others whose lives August touches.   For instance Via, August’s older sister, describes how “August is the Sun.  Me and Mom and Dad are planets orbiting the Sun”.    She is accepting of this (how could she be otherwise, there was no point in complaining) but at the same time yearns to be free of all the stuff that comes with having a brother with a facial abnormality – the staring, the pointing, the lack of ‘me’ time with Mom and Dad.   Sometimes she just wants to scream out, don’t forget me!

“Once, I got up in the middle of the night because I was thirsty, and I saw Mom standing outside Auggie’s room.  Her hand was on the doorknob, her forehead leaning on the door, which was ajar…..I wonder how many nights she’s stood outside his door.  And I wonder if she’s ever stood outside my door like that.”

I wonder whether R J Palacio will one day tell the story of August’s Mom.   As a Mum myself, that would be a story about which I would like to hear more.

Changing Faces – changing the way you face disfigurement

Changing Faces is a charity for people and families whose lives are affected by conditions, marks or scars that alter their appearance.  It aims to help individuals lead full and satisfying lives, to give practical and emotional support to adults, children and their families and provide training, support and advice to professionals in health and education.

Changing Faces also aims to transform public attitudes towards people with disfiguring conditions.   They promote fair treatment and equal opportunities for all, irrespective of their appearance. They campaign for social change: advocating for more integrated health services; influencing schools and workplaces to create more inclusive environments; and lobbying for anti-discrimination protection and enforcement.

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Palacio, R J, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Fairyland Olympics : an enchanting children’s picture book about a forest of fairies that decide to hold a Fairy Olympics. *Win a signed copy by the illustrator*

Posted on March 17, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

It is so much fun to imagine what other creatures, real or imaginery, would do if they got hold of the Olympic idea – underwater sea creatures at the bottom of the ocean; insects and butterflies on a hot sunny day in a meadow somewhere; even all the animals in a city zoo!   Imagine the opening ceremonies that would be held, the games villages and stadia that would be built and the events that would be planned and staged.

This is just what Mighty Meg and Lucy Longlegs (aka Meg Clibbon and Lucy Loveheart) have imagined and created with The Fairyland Olympics.  This is Olympics fairystyle and it is enchanting.

“One day a very excited wizard on his magical broomstick gatecrashed a meeting of very important residents of the Enchanted Forest.  They were arguing about what sort of party they should hold in the summer.  ‘Stop!’ said the wizard, so they did.  ‘I’ve just come back from the world of humans.  They have something called the Olympic games once every four years.  It is a sort of great big sporting party.  Why don’t we do something like that?’”

And they did.  Soon everyone was hard at work getting everything ready – giants in charge of construction, food fairies and gourmet goblins started cooking, fairy godmothers began to make banners, bunting and beautiful decorations, to name but a few.

Let the games begin!

(I recommend you click on the images below so that you can see Lucy’s beautiful illustrations on a larger scale and in more detail).

The Misty Mountain (snow and ice events), the Arboreal Grotto (musical events), the Swamp (Troll dancing, mud wrestling), the Rainbow Podium (prize giving)

The Theatair (aerial events, cloud gymnastics), the Spherena (track events), Sea Palace (water events), the Games Village

The Rainbow Relay. A live report from the Spherena: Announcer : "Now, over to Gary Gigglebottom who's down by the finishing line for one of the most anticipated events of the games... the Rainbow Relay."

The Theatair. Sun, moon, stars and rainbows illuminate the beautiful theatair where the aerial events take place.

The Games Village

At the end of the book are some lovely ideas for holding your own garden olympics – create event cards and invitations for your friends, make special coronets for winners (instructions included) and hold a closing party.  There is even a recipe for a special energy drink and cut out medals to hand out.

The Fairyland Olympics is a lovely, enchanting book, perfect for this year of the London Olympics 2012.   The illustrations are exquisite and there are some really funny bits too. For example,

“Here is the Games Village. (1) Garden with delicious healthy vegetables. (2) Kitchen making lots of food with delicious healthy vegetables.  (3) Herb fairies in the cottage hospital looking after people who haven’t been eating delicious healthy vegetables…”

Competition!  Win a signed copy by Lucy of The Fairyland Olympics

Lucy Loveheart in conjunction with Babbleabout is offering a fantastic prize – a signed copy by Lucy of her delightful book The Fairyland Olympics.   To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is design your own Gold medal for the Fairyland Olympics.  You can use felt-tips, colouring pencils, paints, collage – whatever you like.  Even salt dough if that is your preferred medium.   The more colourful the better!   When you are happy with the final result, take a photograph and send it to me at yvonne@babbleabout@gmail.com      You have plenty of time – in fact, you have the whole of the school Easter holidays.   The closing date is Sunday 15th April, midnight.  Good luck designers!  My 9 year old daughter has already had a go and here is her medal (sadly for her she is not allowed to enter).

After the 15th April, I will put up an online gallery of all the entries and then Lucy herself will decide upon a winner.    The winner will be notified on this site on Friday, 20th April 2012, midnight.

About Lucy

Lucy Loveheart has been a full-time artist, illustrator and designer for over 18 years and has worked together with her mother, Meg, on a series of 17 children’s books to date.   To see Lucy’s new Print Gallery and for more information about paintings, exhibitions and future projects please visite www.lucyloveheart.com

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Clibbon, Meg, Loveheart, Lucy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Learning your times tables: a necessity so why not make it fun! 5 ways/tools to engage your children with times tables

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

 

"Six sixes are 36, seven sixes are forty-two, eight sixes are forty-eight....."

There’s no way of avoiding them.  The times tables are a necessity if one is to progress along the mathematics learning journey. So, like them or not, knowing your times tables is important.   They are the building blocks for further maths study later on – division, long division (urgh!), long multiplication, fractions, calculating area and so on.

Not only that, but knowing the times tables is important for tasks in our daily lives too – working out quantities in recipes (especially if doubling or quadrupling quantities); working out money-off discounts at the shops; measuring for furnishings around the home (widths of curtains for instance).

It is important when learning times tables to engage the learner.  Simply reading and trying to memorise long lists of times table sums may work for some but not for everyone.  Also, rote learning will not provide the learner with the background understanding of the operation of multiplication – that multiplication is the grouping of sets, repeated addition and the inverse of division.   Once the understanding of the concept of multiplication is secure, then it is important to move on to fast recall.  And this is helped by the fact that, actually, the number of sums to memorise and recall is halved by learning pairs of sums together – 4×5 is the same as 5×4.   This happy fact is considered below when we look at using arrays.

5 ways/tools to engage your children when learning their times tables

Arrays

We used smarties (adds to the appeal of any activity, believe me!) to make up arrangements of columns and rows to represent the two parts of a multiplication sum.  These are called arrays.  And the beauty of using arrays is that they clearly show that 7×8 is the same as 8×7 in a very clear and visual manner.

The above arrangement of smarties shows 7×8=56, 8×7=56, 56 divided by 8 = 7,
56 divided by 7=8, 8+8+8+8+8+8+8=56 and 7+7+7+7+7+7+7+7=56.   (Of course, other small candy-covered chocolates are available!  I wouldn’t recommend chocolate buttons though (messy)).

The Terrific Times Tables Book by Kate Petty and Jennie Maizels

A very visual and stimulating look at the times tables with lots to do on every page – flaps to lift, dials to turn, flowers to grow, sweets to make and so on and so on.   Throughout there are really helpful tricks to help children learn their tables, e.g, when learning the 4 times table, remember that 4 is twice 2, so all the answers are double the answers in the 2 times table and when learning the 5 times table, all the answers end in a 5 or a 0.  The 9 times table is fabulously represented by a 3D pair of hands leaping out of the book.  The idea here is to push every tab so that all 10 fingers are pointing upwards.  Then pull down the finger with the number you want to multiply by 9.  You then count the fingers to the left of it – these are your tens.  Count the fingers to the right of it – these are your units.  A very visual and fun way of explaining a clever trick for learning the 9s.   This is a fun book for exploring the times tables and my 9 year old loves it.  For some though it might be too visually stimulating.  Age 5+

Hoo Ha! Times Tables Playing Cards by Hoo Ha! Enterprises Ltd

On first inspection, the idea behind the Hoo Ha Times Tables playing cards appears to be too simplistic.  But actually the simplicity of this game is the reason why it works so well.

Inside the box are 3 sets of playing cards – the 7 times table playing cards, the 8 times table and the 9 times table.  (Other box combinations are available).  Each playing card within a set has one sum on it, including the answer (this is important and I mention why later on), e.g, 1×9=9.  There are 24 cards in each set, 2 cards of each sum, e.g, 2 of 1×9=9, 2 of 2×9=18, 2 of 3×9=27 and so on.  There are also 4 extra cards – 2 of ‘Hoo’ cards and 2 of ‘Ha’ cards.   Play is based on picking up pairs of matching sums or matching the Hoo and Ha cards to spell Hoo Ha!  The key to this game however (and I can’t stress this more strongly) is that as a child plays the game, he/she has to read out the sum clearly as they turn over each card (it is part of the rules).  By doing so, they are seeing the sum (visual), saying the sum (verbal), hearing the sum (aural) and physically turning the card over (kinaesthetic).   It is this that makes the game so successful.  In addition, the game can be played equally well by children with a wide range of attainment levels because the answers are on the cards (year 2 through to year 6).  My 6 year old and my 9 year old are able to play this game together very successfully and it is the reading out loud and the hearing of the sums that makes this game both accessible and successful for learning and memorising the times tables.

Arcademic Skills Builders Website – Online Maths Games

Arcademic Skill Builders
If you have children who respond particularly well to learning and practicising maths skills using computer applications, then Arcademic Skill Builders is an excellent site.   My daughters use this site in conjunction with other learning methods and I have no problems with this at all.   The games are fun, competitive and very engaging.   As well as multiplication, there are games for the other mathematical operations and for other areas of the numeracy curriculum.

Times Table Snap by BrainBox/The Green Board Game Company

Although this game too is based on pairs (and snap) like Hoo Ha (above), it is a very different game to play.  It is more suited to children who are more secure in their times table knowledge but could do with more practice and perhaps need to develop faster recall.  The pack is made up of selected times table sums from across the entire range (1 times table through to 12 times table), numeric answers and answers written in words.

As in traditional snap, play starts by shuffling the pack and dealing out all the cards equally between players.  Each player keeps their cards face down.  The first player then starts by turning over their top card and placing it face up in the middle.  Each player takes a turn and turns over their top card and places it on the pile in the middle.  The first player to recognise that a match has been made calls “Snap!”.   A match could be 4×3 and 6×2 or twenty-four and 6×4 for example.   The pack could also be used to play pairs.

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Maizels, Jennie, Petty, Kate, Pre-teen | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Demon’s Watch by Conrad Mason : A fast-moving adventure of pirates, magic and improbable heroes, perfect for ages 9+

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

The Demon’s Watch – a debut novel by Conrad Mason, published 1st March 2012 by David Fickling Books

Port Fayt.  Trading heart of the Middle Islands.  Situated between the Old World and the New World, it has long been a safe haven where humans live peacefully, more or less, alongside trolls, elves, goblins, imps and fairies.  It has its usual problems as you’d expect from a trading port – tides of drunken sailors making their way from one inn to the next for just one more tankard of grog; dubious entertainment in the form of Harry’s Shark Pit where merfolk take on Harry’s pet sharks (and where there are no runners-up prizes); and the ‘odd’ bit of contraband that slips through the net.

Keeping a close eye on all the goings-on in Port Fayt is Captain Newton and his ragbag of watchmen – the Demon’s Watch.   There’s Captain Newton himself.  Larger than life but never in your face, unless the situation calls for it.  His preferred course of action is to ”stay in the shadows, unseen and unknown.  Always waiting, always watching”.  But that’s just the way he likes it.   Then there’s the Bootle twins, Frank and Paddy, who are trolls and the sons of Mr and Mrs Bootle, proprietors of Bootle’s Pie Shop.  There’s Hal, the Demon’s Watch’s very own magician, pasty-faced and bespectacled, but able to conjure up a spell in the tightest of corners.

“‘How’s that spell coming, Hal?’ called Newton, pulling a pistol from the unconscious pirate’s belt.   ‘I’m trying to concentrate,’ said Hal through gritted teeth.  ‘These aren’t exactly perfect conditions for magic, you know.’   Newton grunted and fired the pistol.  ‘Fine.  Hate to rush you.’”

Old Jon, the elf, has been a watchman since, well, forever.   He can usually be found sitting in the corner, watching and listening carefully.  He’s the one with the long white hair who doesn’t say much.  But when he does, it’s worth listening to.   Finally, there’s Tabitha.  You can’t really miss Tabitha.  Dyed blue hair (you’ll find out why when you read the book) and a tendency to speak and act a little impulsively.  The thing about Tabitha is that she’s young.  She’s also desperate to impress Captain Newton who took her under his wing when she was orphaned at a young age.   But what she lacks in experience and judgement Tabitha more than makes up for with courage and tenacity.

Meanwhile, half-goblin boy Joseph Grubb is working at the Legless Mermaid, a tavern of ill repute run by his uncle Mr Lightly who rewards his hard work and unremitting service by calling him a ‘mongrel’, ‘stupid’ and other nice names like that.   A chance encounter with a Captain Clagg, a pirate described as “thicker than Mrs Bootle’s custard”, a mysterious package left after another drunken brawl and suddenly Grubb finds himself free of the Legless Mermaid but embroiled in Fayt’s criminal underworld.  It is there that he meets the Demon’s Watch.

“‘We’re the Demon’s Watch, son. Protectors of Port Fayt.  Scourge of all sea scum.  Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of us?’”

Port Fayt is facing its most dangerous threat yet.  The powerful League of the Light, already in control in The Old World, want to rid it of all non-humans or ‘demonspawn’ as they put it so nicely.  Throw into the mix a dangerous witch seeking revenge on the port that exiled her ten years earlier and you have a remarkable, fast-paced, magic-filled, pirate-strewn, fantasy adventure.  Will Grubb become Fayt’s most improbable hero?  The one person who could help the Demon’s Watch save Port Fayt?

Conrad Mason’s descriptions of life in Port Fayt, his humour and his turn of phrase make The Demon’s Watch a complete joy to read.  Stop for a moment and breathe in deeply - smell the rich aroma of Velvetbean alongside the rotten fish, taste the salt in the air and hear merchants bartering at the dockside or another fight breaking out in the Marlinspike Quarter.   Lose yourself in Port Fayt.  And if you do, here’s a map to help you find your way.

Interview with Conrad Mason, author of The Demon’s Watch

Babbleabout: The Demon’s Watch is your debut novel. What was your inspiration to write it? 

Conrad Mason:  I’d tried to write things before The Demon’s Watch, but never got further than the first page. Then I read How to Write a Novel by John Braine. It’s a really inspiring book, and it got me started on the project that would become TDW. I was always interested in fantasy stories which played around with the conventions of the genre, and I felt that someone ought to stand up for goblins. They generally get treated pretty badly in fiction. I suppose I felt sorry for them.

Babbleabout: I understand you read Classics at Cambridge University Did this in any way help you with ideas and with your writing?

Conrad Mason: Yes, in that it involved a lot of writing! And my 10,000-word thesis was a good lesson in stamina, which of course is very important for working on a novel. Ideas are harder to track down, but I will say that studying Apuleius’s novel The Golden Ass, about a man who accidentally transforms himself into a donkey, had a big effect on me.

Babbleabout: What were your favourite children’s books when you were a child? Did you have a favourite author that you always sought out in a bookshop or at your local library?

Conrad Mason: So many… Roald Dahl early on. And later I became obsessed with the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Martin the Warrior was the first book which made me cry.

Babbleabout: You are a very young writer. What advice do you have for any aspiring children’s writers?

Conrad Mason:  I think everyone has to find their own way of doing things, but my personal breakthrough was in separating the act of writing from the act of editing. They’re different skills, and it’s very difficult to do both at the same time. Beyond that, I think the main thing is to keep reading and writing. Critical reading can help you spot what works and what doesn’t. And of course the more you write, the more consistently good your writing becomes.

Babbleabout:  I understand you volunteered as a reader at local schools. Tell us a little more about this, e.g was this through a charity or direct with the school?

Conrad Mason:  It was for a charity called Volunteer Reading Help, organized through Usborne Publishing where I used to work. I went to the local school once a week and spent half an hour or so reading with children aged 7 to 9. It was so much fun. And especially gratifying when they enjoyed Usborne books…

Babbleabout: Who is your favourite contemporary children’s writer?

Conrad Mason:  This is a tough one! I am terrible at picking favourites. For younger children, I love Andy Stanton’s Mr Gum books. For older readers, two recent favourites have been A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd and Wonder by R.J. Palacio.   But ask me on another day and the answer will probably be different.

Babbleabout: The actions of the League of the Light (in The Demon’s Watch) could loosely be compared with events during a dark period in European history (World War II). Would this be a fair comparison?

Conrad Mason: Yeah, I think it would be fair. In real life, people we think of as evil rarely think of themselves that way, and I very much wanted to have this sort of villain in my book. I think they’re far more scary than the ‘Dark Lord’ variety. The League of the Light are absolutely convinced that they’re doing the right thing, which is what makes them so determined and so dangerous. It’s something I’ll be exploring more in the sequel…

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Mason, Conrad, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

5 children’s picture books celebrating storytelling from around the world. Lose yourself in beautiful artwork and touching stories.

Posted on February 27, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

I am always keen to feature traditional tales from around the world.  Stories often passed down by mouth, generation to generation, perhaps with variations to them depending on the storyteller and always unique to the cultures, the landscapes and the people that inhabit them.   You can learn so much from these stories – lessons in life and lessons about the lives of others living far off, in the farthest places.   To me they are always enchanting.

Tales of Wisdom and Wonder, retold and narrated by Hugh Lupton, illustrated Niamh Sharkey   A beautiful collection of tales from around the world brought to life by Hugh Lupton’s narrative and Niamh Sharkey’s artwork.   The stories are thought-provoking, quite often astonishing and always life affirming.  Lupton has dug deep into old anthologies or simply heard the stories from friends who have in turn heard them from someone else.   Whatever the source, Lupton has sought to be “true to the spirit of the tales, and to all those countless tellers who have carried them before me.”    The stories are: Monkey and Papa  God (Haitian), The Curing Fox (Cree, Native American), The Pedlar of Swaffham (English),  The White Rat (French), The Blind Man and the Hunter (West African), Fish in the Forest (Russian) and The Shepherd’s Dream (Irish).  Age 5+

A page from The Blind Man and the Hunter (West African)

The Day of Ahmed’s Secret, written by Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland, illustrated by Ted Lewin    Ahmed is bursting to tell his family a secret.  But first he has a whole day of errands and jobs to do  in the bustling streets of Cairo.  “My donkey pulls the cart I ride on.  I have many stops to make today”.  Ahmed is very proud of the work he does, carrying big, heavy bottles of fuel to people’s houses.   But he has a secret he is even more proud of and he can’t wait to finish his work and hurry home.   Sharing Ahmed’s busy day is so exciting – hearing the sounds, taking in the rich colours and the details of the buildings in and around Cairo and meeting all the people he sees along the way.   Age 4+

Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson, paintings by James Ransome   Clara is a slave on Home Plantation.  When she arrived at the plantation aged 12 years and all alone she was sent straight to work in the cotten fields.   Rescued from this unforgiving work by her Aunt Rachel (“she wasn’t my for-real blood aunt“), who teaches her to sew, Clara becomes a seamstress up at the Big House.  Clara overhears talk of Canada and the Underground Railroad – they “is people who been helpin’ folks get there, secret-like“.  But how to get there?  How to get across the Ohio River and to the Underground Railroad?   Using her newly acquired sewing skills, Clara starts a quilt and by using scraps of fabric together she fashions her own secret map.  And as she sews she traces each stitch, each piece of fabric, over and over in her mind, providing an imprint of the whole journey.   Ransome’s paintings are vivid and full of the light of the landscape – hot yellow midday skies contrasting with the blue of the creek and the green of the swamp.  At the back of the book is a wonderful project idea to make your own neighborhood map using a large sheet of construction paper and lots and lots of craft materials – buttons, wool, string, bottle tops, old magazines and newspapers, dried noodles, peas or beans.  Age 6+

"Don't worry, Aunt Rachel. I got the memory of it in my head."

The King and the Kiang, story by Mariam Karim-Ahlawat, art by Shalini Biswajit   This is a tale of a young girl who lived in the valley of Yumthang, deep within the Himalaya mountains of Sikkim.   It is said that her mother left her in the rhododendron flowers that cover the valley where she drank of their nectar and so grew up with blazing red hair and eyes of deep pink.  Her name is Kunzang and she speaks to no one.  But she is often seen riding her kiang (wild ass) with its flowing mane, as red as her hair.    One day, a powerful King and his army arrive and stay in the peaceful and beautiful valley.  Upon glimpsing Kunzang, the King is at once mesmerized by her and her steed.  He orders their capture.  And as they are led away, the weather changes, storm clouds gather and thunder shakes the valley….. A beautiful tale of nature and of leaving well alone.  Biswajit’s illustrations are magical, quite impressionistic in their style with no detail on the faces and with colours that capture the Himilayan hillsides.  Age 5+

Mukand and Riaz, written and illustrated by Nina Sabnani     This very moving story is set against the backcloth of partition between India and Pakistan in 1947.  Mukand and Riaz are best of friends, sharing life together, cricket, scrapes, eating their favourite buns from the bakery at the market, helping each other with their work.  Riaz even wants to share Mukand’s cricket cap but Mukand will not let Riaz wear it.  When he wears his cap Mukand feels he can do anything.   Then everything changes.  English soldiers appear on the streets, their schoolteacher doesn’t come into school one day and Riaz tells Mukand he must hurry home to his family.  Their country is no longer one but two – India and Pakistan –  and Mukand’s family must leave.  Mukand’s family board a ship to India and as it departs, Mukand takes off his favourite cap and throws it to Riaz.  They never meet again.  This book is based on the memories of Nina Sabnani’s own father and is a heartbreaking reminder of the loss of friendships and homes in war.  The applique illustrations are beautiful, colourful and textured.  Age 6+

 

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Witch at Turlingham Academy: an exciting new book series for girls age 8+ who love magic, witchy adventures and boarding school fun

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Children’s books set in boarding schools have such an enduring appeal.  For adults, they are a nostalgic look back at their own school days, friendships made, friendships lost, the fun, the scrapes, the tears.  I didn’t get to go to boarding school.  Instead, I went to a HUGE comprehensive school, a tired-looking ‘community college’ made from brick and portacabins.   It was very rough around the edges.  If you kept your head down, worked hard and stayed out of trouble you could do quite well.  For some it was more a question of survival and developing strategies to get by.  My reading material at the time included the Malory Towers and St Clares series by Enid Blyton and I remember being transported to a completely different world – boarding school – and LOVING every second.

Children, of course, are living the whole school thing right now.  It is a huge part of their lives and which is why they love reading ‘school genre’ books.  It is what they know and probably what they would write themselves.  They can follow the characters in the stories as they make friends and mistakes along the way (just as they do).  They can follow them as they work out that popular doesn’t always mean nice and sort the true friends from the not-so-true friends.   And they can share in the fun of the adventures, the tricks played and, of course, the midnight feasts.

The Witch at Turlingham Academy by Ellie Boswell: out on 1st March and bringing boarding school fun and witchy goings-on bang up to date

It’s not fair!  Actually, it’s doubly not fair as far as Sophie is concerned.  For starters, she is the only day girl at Turlingham Academy and so misses out on all the late night gossip in the dorms and the midnight feasts.  And just to make matters worse, Sophie’s mum is the Headmistress, no less.

It’s the start of a new term at Turlingham Academy and all Sophie’s friends are arriving back after the long summer break.  Hugs and greetings are exchanged, stories told of long and boring flights from Los Angeles and holiday snaps swapped on mobile phones.  This is boarding school 21st century style!

However, if Sophie thinks it is going to be a normal term at Turlingham Academy, she couldn’t be more wrong.  Strange things start happening almost at once – the ancient but broken lighthouse lantern that towers over the school suddenly starts blazing away for the first time in fifty years; Sophie discovers a gift intended for her but posted five years earlier hidden in a drawer in her Mum’s office; and a new girl, Katy, joins the school.   Katy starts to bewitch all of Sophie’s friends and is then found conducting strange experiments in the science labs.   She confesses to Sophie that she is, in fact, a witch-hunter and is looking for a witch at the school who is getting stronger by the day.   Sophie agrees to help Katy find the witch but ends up making a discovey that is both startling and life-changing.  One thing’s for sure, “life at Turlingham Academy was never going to be the same again.”

My nine year old daughter read and loved this book – the schoolgirl chatter, the mischief and the innocent fun.   This book is great for that age group (8-12 yrs) who are starting to leave behind little girl fun and are looking forward to a little more independence, a little more responsibility and lots of girly chat.   The Witch at Turlingham Academy succeeds in introducing these ideas in a gentle and fun way.

The Witch at Turlingham Academy is the first of a series of witchy adventures written by Ellie Boswell and published by Atom and I know for a fact my daughter is going to be very excited to get her hands on the next one and the one after that and the one after that….

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Boswell, Ellie, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The Not So Scary Cactus by Theatre Tots: Storytelling using Drama, Music and Dance

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Storytelling can take many forms – a cosy cuddle at bedtime, a whole school story in assembly.  It can be one person telling a story, it can be hundreds.  It can even be off-the-cuff made-up stories in the middle of the night to a poorly child who can’t sleep.  Done that.

Most cultures have a long tradition of storytelling in one form or another.     In winter, when it is dark for most of the day and time hangs heavy, storytelling is an important time for elders of the Inuit community in Greenland to pass on stories of the land and the mythical creatures that are said to inhabit it.  The elders heard these stories from their fathers who had, in turn, heard it from theirs.   Stories are part of daily life in India too.  In fact, there are professional storytellers who travel from district to district telling stories through performances, songs, puppet shows, dances and plays.

As a family we love to go to Norden Farm Centre for the Arts to see storytelling in plays and puppet shows.  One of our favourites has been Miki which I have already written about here.  Theatre Tots is a company that produces drama workshops and shows for early years children and children with special needs.   They see drama and plays as an important way of continuing the storytelling tradition and for building confidence, sparking creativity and imagination and developing social skills.   And now Theatre Tots have written their first book which tells the story in printed form of one of their touring shows – The Not So Scary Cactus.

The Not So Scary Cactus written by Laura Sydonie, illustrated by Beverley Wilson, published by Theatre Tots

This is a delightful and touching story of Colin.  Colin the cactus.  He lives in the Wild West desert along with the rest of his cactus family.   They are a fearsome lot – upright and tall, lots of sticky-out, sharp spikes and horrible, scary faces.   No-one gets past them to steal the gold from the gold mine, believe me!

One day, when Colin has grown up a little more, Chris the daddy cactus says it’s time for Colin to earn his spikes (so to speak) and take his turn to stand guard at the entrance to the gold mine.   But something is troubling Colin – he just doesn’t look the same as the other cacti.  You see, he doesn’t have any spikes, none at all.   He’s the not so scary cactus.   Colin decides to set off into the desert in search of his missing spikes.  But he finds something even better – his true self.

The Not So Scary Cactus is a heartwarming story of difference, finding your true self and seeing the good in others.  It is also an excellent resource for parents and teachers of young children who want to go beyond telling a great story and act it out too.  Because all the way through the book there are prompts which allow a grown-up to suggest actions, movements, sounds or words that go with the story, e.g, can you make spiky hands?; can you hop?; can you shout YEE HA?.

The text and prompts are wonderfully supported by vibrant and colourful illustrations which show lots of character expressions and movement – great for copying and trying out for yourself as you act out the story.  A CD comes with the book which includes three songs – The Not So Scary Cactus Song, Colin the Cactus Theme Song and Hello song.   Age 2+

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Rachel Isadora : Evoking the colours, shapes and patterns of Africa in a reworking of Brothers Grimm

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

"... and everyone danced and danced all through the night."

Rachel Isadora began dancing at the age of six and went on to dance professionally in New York City.   Rachel also lived for ten years in Africa.   Both influences are clearly visible in the treatment she has given to the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

The hot colours, the patterns in the fabrics and the landscape, the textures and the edgy shapes, all lend themselves so well to Isadora’s chosen medium of collage.   Collage is great – anyone can have a go and get instant and beautiful results.   What’s more, the materials for collage are all around us – finished-with newspapers, wallpaper samples, ends of wrapping paper rolls, sweet wrappers, bits of coloured or hand-made papers, coloured envelopes from junk mail, all ordinarily destined for the recycling bin.

"Soon the princesses reached a grove of trees with silver leaves. Then they came to one of gold leaves and one of diamond leaves. The soldier broke off a twig from each."

Every night the princesses go to sleep, locked away in their bedroom.  Every morning their shoes are completely worn through.  It’s as if they have been dancing all night long.  How can that be?   Their father, the King, offers the hand in marriage of one of the princesses to anyone who can solve this mystery.  Many try.  All fail.  Until, that is, a soldier, travelling on foot one day, meets an old woman who offers some very timely advice and the use of a magic cloak.  At last, the secret and a hidden-away, underground world is revealed.

We were enchanted by the idea of twelve princesses so we decided to make our own paper-chain of princesses and used the collage idea to give them clothing, hair accessories and shoes.   We taped two A4 pieces of plain paper together down their long sides and then folded them in a zig-zag fashion.  A simple princess outline was drawn, making sure that the arms reached to the edges of the paper.   The princesses were then cut out and decorated.

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Isadora, Rachel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Noah’s Rocket: a highly entertaining and modern reworking of the Noah and the flood story, a great read for children age 5-9

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Recognise the rocket on the front cover of Noah’s Rocket by Tony Frais?  No? Well, here’s a big clue.  Next time you are walking through the City of London or watching the latest news about bankers’ bonuses, take a good look at the buildings on the London skyline and you might just spot it.   To locate its exact location, you need to read the book.

Noah’s Rocket by Tony Frais is a modern take on the biblical story of Noah and the flood.  Swap Mount Ararat in Turkey (supposedly the resting place for the Ark) for the City of London and you have the beginnings of a very funny and highly engaging version of this most famous story from the book of Genesis.

Noah is minding his own business pottering in the garden of his small house in a street just like any other street in London.  His three grown-up sons have long since left home and he lives quietly with his wife Ethel.  Life is good.   Suddenly, he hears a loud whooshing noise and a voice talking to him.

“Hello Noah…. This is God speaking to you.  The world has become a very bad place with too many wicked people.  I am going to destroy them by causing a flood…. Your garden is too small to build a very large ark or a very large submarine.  You only have enough space to build something very tall instead!   Noah, I want you to build a giant space rocket… Take your wife, your three sons and their wives and put them into the rocket.  Also, you will collect two of every living creature, male and female, and put them, with enough food for everyone, into the rocket.”

What follows (probably after a long lie down in a darkened room) is a very funny story of how Noah rises to the challenge God has set him.   After all, how difficult is it to build a rocket rising over 150 metres in a small garden in a London suburb?  But Noah doesn’t bargain for the neighbours who start to get very cross because the rocket is making their television pictures go all wobbly.  Then there is the local policeman called by the said angry neighbours who, when hearing Noah’s story, has heard enough.  And where exactly do you get two of every living creature, male and female, in the middle of London?   The problems don’t go away once you get airborne either.   How do you keep all those animals entertained up there in deep space?   And, of course, there’s the small problem of zero gravity and all that animal pooh!

The animals board Noah's rocket

Will Noah complete the mission asked of him?   And who are all the men in bright, white suits who keep coming to Noah’s aid just as things are looking really bad?  You are just going to have to read the book to find out!

The Times Educational Supplement have described Noah’s Rocket as a “sparky, highly readable reworking of the Noah and the flood story” and I would entirely agree.   It is laugh-out-loud funny and very original.

Noah and Stanley the Spider (the hero of the story) have their very own website.   Schools can order special school packs which includes a copy of the book, a play of the story, an assembly play and curriculum planning resources.

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Frais, Tony | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

6 books about science for younger children: investigate, explore, witness and prepare to be amazed

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Our very own sun clock

Science can be so exciting for children – discoveries to be made, amazing transformations to be witnessed and everyday things to be looked at in a completely new way.    Getting science out of the classroom and exploring the world and all its wonders makes it so accessible and immediate.   There is no need to buy expensive or sophisticated equipment.  Most simple experiments make use of easy-to-find, everyday materials – just like our sun clock above.

Science can be made even more meaningful and real when part of a story which is why I have included two delightful picture books which tell the story of the lifecycle of frogs.

6 books about science for younger children: investigate, explore, witness and prepared to be amazed

Growing Frogs by Vivian French, illustrated by Alison Bartlett, published by Walker Books as part of their Nature Storybooks range   What happens when you take an empty fish tank, add some pond water and pondweed, scoop in a little frogspawn… and wait?    Told from the perspective of a little girl and her mum, this story describes how they carefully collected some “grey jelly stuff…yuck” (frogspawn) from a nearby pond and watched them magically grow into tiny commas, then tadpoles, then not-quite-frogs and finally baby frogs.  The story is excellently supported by little nature notes along the way which describe exactly what is happening during the lifecycle and there is also very useful advice if you want to grow some frogs from your own garden pond.  Age 3/4+

The Teeny Weeny Tadpole by Sheridan Cain and Jack Tickle   Follow the treacherous journey teeny weeny tadpole makes as he swims in and out of the lily pads, splashing his way to the edge of the stream and further out to where the stream widens and the water becomes clear.  Along the way he meets lots of other creatures, all of whom seem to be able to jump really high, higher than him!  But what teeny weeny tadpole doesn’t seem to notice is that each day he is changing, little by little.  And those strong back legs come in very handy when he meets the big bad fish who EATS LITTLE TADPOLES!   Another delightful tale of the tadpole to frog lifecycle.  Age 2+

The Usborne Pocket Scientist (The Blue Book and Internet Linked)   This book may be pocket-sized but it is absolutely stuffed full of sciency facts and information.  It explores the everyday, nature, the mysteries of science and the complexity of technology.  But all in a text that is simple, easy to read and supported by clear, yet detailed illustrations.   Each section includes pages of internet links about the subject area covered.  The contents are:- How do animals talk? How do bees make honey?  Why are people different? What makes you ill? Why is night dark? What’s the Earth made of? What’s out in space? What makes a car go? Science experiments with magnets; Science experiments with light and mirrors (which is where we got the idea for the sun clock above); science experiments with water; and science experiments with air.   Age 6+

100 Science Experiments (Internet-Linked) by Usborne   This book takes information  about science a step further by testing out some theories with hands-on investigations.  The book explains that most of the experiments make use of things we have lying around our homes – simple stationery, kitchen things and household items.  There are experiments that look at light, shadow, colour and seeing things; vibration and sound; forces of pushing and pulling, friction, and gravity; energy; the stability of structures; flight; energy, electricity and electromagnets and so on and so on.  What I particularly like are the very clear instructions and diagrams and the explanations of exactly what is going on with each experiment.  Ideal for early scientists.  Age 5+

How Cool Is This? An up-close, inside look at how things work  A Dorling Kindersley Book  What is the science behind a dynamo torch?  What happens the instant a bubble bursts?  How do you get the stripes in a toothpaste?  And what are the aerodynamics that allow a frisbee to fly?  These and many more questions are asked and answered in this fascinating book that reveals the science behind and inside ordinary and not-so-ordinary objects.  Explore the magic of organic chemistry in a bubble gum bubble, wonder at the extraordinary geometric beauty of snowflakes and crystals and find out how radios transform digital radio code into sound.  Age 6+

Why does light cast shadows? (Investigating Science series published by Franklin Watts)   This book is one part of an excellent series of books that encourage investigation to find out more about the world of science.   In this particular book, it starts by examining the subject of light by asking – what is it and what does it feel like when there is no light?  It then moves on to how we see with our eyes, looking at natural daylight and then light sources at night.  Other questions looked at are :- how light travels and bounces; how light is blocked and the making of shadows.  Each chapter has a simple experiment to try with clear instructions and diagrams and there is a “Because…” section which explains the science behind the question.  Other books in the series are What is a force? How do we use materials? How can solids be changed? How do we use electricity? And What does a magnet do?   Age 5+

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans: shortlisted for Costa Children’s Book Award 2012 and recommended for girls/boys age 8+

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

The Costa Book Awards 2012: The Children’s Book Award: Shortlist

Flip by Martyn Bedford (Walker Books)
The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Walker Books)
Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans (Doubleday)
Blood Red Road by Moira Young (Marion Lloyd Books) – WINNER

Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans (Doubleday)

Stuart Horten is small for his age, very small.   In fact, he often gets confused for someone much younger – this he finds VERY annoying.  Not only that but his parents are very tall (how strange is that?).  His Mum is very clever – a scientist.  His Dad is equally clever – he compiles crosswords.  But clever does not mean sensible.

Everything changes for Stuart the day his Mum is offered a job in a hospital a long way from home and the family upsticks and move to Beeton which, as it happens, is where Stuart’s father was born.  Problem no. 1 – Beeton is dull, really, really dull.  Problem no. 2 – it’s the start of the school holidays and Stuart knows no-one.  See what I mean about sensible!

By the third day in his new home, Stuart is bored, bored rigid.  His father suggests a “brief perambulation” – that’s a short walk to you and me – and they set off to explore Beeton and to go to a factory that once belonged to Stuart’s Great Uncle Tony.   And this is where Stuart’s adventure begins – to find his Great Uncle Tony’s lost workshop, reputed to be stuffed full of all sorts of magic and trickery.  You see, Great Uncle Tony was also a famous magician and his stage name was Teeny Tiny Tony Horten (note the height connection!).

A tin box with a secret compartment and a handwritten message from Great Uncle Tony set Stuart off on the strange and dangerous quest.

“I have to go away, and I may not be able to get back.  If I don’t return, then my workshop and all it contains, is yours if you can find it – and if you can find it, then you’re the right boy to have it.

Affectionately,

Your uncle Tony

PS. Start in the telephone box in the High Street”

Will Stuart be up to the task - bearing in mind he needs a box to stand on to reach just about anything!   Who can he trust?  The triplets, April, May, June, who live next door?  Maybe, maybe not.  And is he the only one who wants to get their hands on Great Uncle Tony’s workshop and everything inside?  I doubt it.  And who is the shadow that keeps following him with a white dove circling above?

Small Change for Stuart is a heartwarming tale of mystery, magic and tenacity with lots of clues and puzzles along the way.  It is also a very funny read.  Stuart’s father’s crossword-clue dialogue is hilarious, for example, “Do you have any plans for the matutinal hours?” Meaning, doing anything in the morning?   And Stuart’s continuing hang-up about his height is very endearing.

I highly recommend this book for girls and boys aged 8+ who enjoy a mystery, some magic, a little time travel and lots of laughs.

 

Posted in Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Evans, Lissa, Pre-teen | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

6 beautiful children’s books from Barefoot Books – “Explore. Imagine. Create. Connect. Give Back*.”

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

If you take a look at the inside flap of a Barefoot book, you will find the Barefoot message proudly written under the name Barefoot and a drawing of two tiny feet.  It says,

“At Barefoot Books, we celebrate art and story that opens the hearts and minds of children from all walks of life, inspiring them to read deeper, search further, and explore their own creative gifts.   Taking our inspiration from many different cultures, we focus on themes that encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning, and sharing of the world’s diversity”.

I have come across Barefoot books at my local library and in some bookshops and to me they have always stood out as a little different from the more widely known about or more commercially packaged children’s books.  They stand out because they bring meaningful stories together with beautiful artwork in a way that goes against today’s commercialisation of childhood – every time.   They also encourage exploration of and respect for different lands and cultures – very often a Barefoot book will come with cultural notes and background information about the country/continent explored.

6 beautiful children’s books from Barefoot for you to explore

The Boy Who Grew Flowers, written by Jen Wojtowicz, illustrated by Steve Adams     This is one of our favourite Barefoot books and I’ve read it over and over again to my children.  Meet Rink, a very special boy who, every full moon grows flowers all over his body.  One day at school Rink meets Angelina Quiz, a girl with her own secret.  And together they discover the joy of difference, of acceptance and real friendship.   Jen Wojtowicz dedicates this book to her brother, Wally, “because you were there to show me that what makes us different is what makes us wonderful”.  Age 4+

Lin Yi’s Lantern – A Moon Festival Tale, written by Brenda Williams, illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe  A heartwarming tale of a little boy who learns that putting others first and being patient brings its reward in the end.  Lin Yi is desperate for a red rabbit lantern for the Moon Festival taking place later that day.  First, though, has to buy the things his mother needs at the market.  Lin Yi bargains hard but still does not have enough money for his little red lantern.   Lin Yi accepts this graciously but Uncle Hui has one last surprise for Lin Yi.  Benjamin Lancombe’s illustrations are so beautiful that I’ve included some for you to enjoy below.   This lovely book includes educational notes at the end about The Legend of the Moon Fairy, life in rural China and instructions on how to make your very own Chinese lantern.   Age 3+

Lola’s Fandango, written by Anna Witte, illustrated by Micha Archer, storytime CD narrated by The Amador  Family    Now we spend time with Lola and her family in their small apartment in the middle of a busy city in Spain.  Lola is always looking up to her big sister,  Clementina, and feels she lives in her shadow.   Even her name sounds so much better.   Cle-men-ti-na.   One day Lola discovers her mother’s old Flamenco shoes hidden away in a cupboard.  Does Lola have the talent and duende, or spirit, to learn Flamenco?  Lola and her Papi meet secretly to share the rhythm and the steps of Flamenco up on the roof of their apartment block, all through Spring, Summer, Autumn.  “Soon it will be too cold to dance on the roof”.   Will Lola be ready to dance at her Mami’s surprise birthday party?   The story’s text is wonderfully punctuated by the sounds of Flamenco: dancing shoes on the floor – Tap! Tap! Toca toca TICA!; the clapping of the Flamenco rythmn – 1-2-3, 4-5-6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12!; and the snapping of Lola’s fingers – Snap! Shap!  And beautiful, vibrant illustrations capture the colour of Spain.  Age 2+

Watch a Barefoot behind-the-scenes video with the Amador Family who narrate the storytime CD that comes with the book.

Indian Tales – A Barefoot Collection, written by Shenaaz Nanji, illustrated by Christopher Corr   Head East and we reach India, a country of contrasts, colour and life.   The writer, Shenaaz Nanji, introduces this collection by explaining how stories live on in India – the best-known are passed by word of mouth from one generation to the next, some are told through folk songs, dances, plays and puppet shows and others by professional storytellers travelling from one district to the next.  The stories collected together in this book are organised into their different regions and each section includes a description of the region and key facts.  The regions covered are Gujarat, Punjab, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala – a trip of a lifetime!   Age 8+

The Animal Boogie, illustrated by Debbie Harter, sung by Fred Penner, includes enhanced CD with audio and video animation of the story     We’re staying in India but this time we are dancing deep in the Indian jungle.   All the different jungle animals are teaching children from around the world how to shake, swing, stomp, flap, leap, slither and sway in time to the jungle rythmn.  The CD that comes with this book includes animated video with audio singalong and words that children can enjoy the songs along with the characters of the story.  Age 2+

The Shipwreck, The Inuk Quartet Volume 1, written by Jorn Riel, illustrated by Helen Cann, a paperback chapter book from the Advanced Readers section of the Independent Readers Series    Our Barefoot journey ends in the frozen, ice-covered wilderness of Greenland.  Leiv, raised on his family farm in Iceland, is seeking revenge for the murder of his father.  He stows away on a ship bound for Greenland.  Nearing the coast, the ship is crushed by moving ice floes.   Close to death, Leiv is rescued by two Inuit children, Apuluk and Narua.  And what follows is a moving, insightful look at the lives of the Inuit people living off the land and sea of Greenland.  Jorn Riel describes the Inuit’s nomadic way of life, their temporary homes (stone and turf or igloos in winter, tents made of sealskins sewn together in summer) and their tradition of storytelling.  ”In winter, when it was dark for most of the day, time often hung heavy.  That was when Shinka [Apuluk and Narua's grandfather] began to tell his stories.”   We learn about the changeable weather – it is no surprise to Apulak and Narua when it snows in the middle of summer.   We learn about the way the Inuit get everything, absolutely everything, from the land and sea around them - seals, food and clothing; walrus, thongs, skins for boot soles and meat; reindeer, warm sleeping bags, anoraq and delicious meat; bears, meat for dogs and people, skins for clothing and sleeping; and so on and so on.  “You are right”, Leiv acknowledges, “What more could one want?”  Riel describes an Inuit child’s life of being on the move, finding security in their families and unconstrained by “clock time.  They slept when they were tired; they often played well into the small hours, ate when they were hungry and worked when they felt like it.  Maybe that is why Inuit children grew up to be happy and contented people”.  Leiv learns much too – peace, tolerance, respect, respect for people and the natural world.  “We have never had war”, Narua said. ”But maybe that is because the people up here do not have so much.  Here we share everything and do not crave what others have”.   The wonderful text is beautifully supported by Helen Cann’s illustrations which were inspired by a visit to the Artic Circle.  Age 10+

Barefoot Books full catalogue is available to view and books can be purchased on their website.  Their paper catalogue is as beautifully produced as their books!  The asterisk following Give Back in the title, just so that you know, refers to the support Barefoot Books gives to organisations that share the same goals –  ”of global understanding, empowering children through art and story, and protecting and preserving the earth for future generations”.

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen, Riel, Jorn | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

4 books to help children to learn to read and write

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Before talking about particular books to help you support your child with reading and writing, I can honestly say that the best thing that I have found to help with my children’s language development is simply to enjoy lots and lots of books together.   My children are six and nine and every evening we create a special time (usually just before bedtime) to enjoy a good book together.   As they are a little older now, we sometimes choose chapter books so that we can see how a story develops over time.  Also I think it is quite important to read books to your children that are above their own reading level so that they are introduced to vocabulary that they would not necessarily come across in their own reading.  Of course, we still also love picture books at bedtime.

The books listed below provide us parents with some extra help and ideas to support our children on their reading and writing journeys.  They include ideas about choosing books, how to help children who are struggling to love books and specific help with supporting your child as they learn phonics (the sounds conveyed by letters or groups of letters and the blending of these to read or write words).

4 books to help children to learn to read and write

101 Ways to get your Child to Read by Patience Thomson, foreword by Michael Morpurgo    In the foreword to this book, Michael Morpurgo describes the love his mother had for reading him stories and poems.  “And that’s the point.  She loved doing it.  I could tell that by the way she read it.  She was enjoying the story as much as I was.”  And he goes on to stress this point again later – “If as a parent or teacher you read to a child and make it a special moment, if you read because you love it, then the child will catch that love like a falling star, and put it in his pocket for life”.  Patience Thomson has worked for many years with parents of children who find it hard to read and has built up a wealth of experience and ideas to help.  Chapter 1 is all about helping your child to get started on letters (starting to read); you can learn how your child’s mind works, so that you can find the best way to help (Chapter 2); you can find out what’s stopping your child from reading, and look for ways round it (Chapter 3, Types of Reading Problem); you can change your child’s attitude to reading (Chapter 4, Changing Attitudes); you can offer support to your child from before starting school all the way through to the teens (Chapter 5, Tots to Teens); you can make sure that your child has the right things to read, like books and magazines that he or she really enjoys (Chapter 6, Choosing the Right Book); and some parents might like to brush up their own reading skills (Chapter 7, Adults and Reading).   This books is stuffed full of tips and there are also lots of contact details and links in a very handy Useful Addresses section at the back.  Finally, this book is available at a very reasonable price of just £1.99 from Barrington Stoke, right here.

Firm Foundations – A Parents’ Guide to the Skills Essential for Reading and Writing, by Clare Welsh and Lynn Fallaize    This books takes literacy right back to firm foundations and reminds us of the importance of developing pre-literacy skills.   It explains to parents exactly what these skills are and highlights their importance as foundations to a child beginning his/her literacy career.   Secondly, and just as important, this book provides parents of young children or parents with older children who may be struggling with literacy, with a bank of enjoyable activities to play at home.  Here are some examples of them: Paint, Picasso!  This is an exercise which teaches the child to listen very carefully to auditory instructions (don’t worry too much about the final piece of work!).  All you do is instruct your child to draw, or paint, exactly what you tell him/her to.  It is extra fun when there are other children to play along with.  If they have all been listening carefully, their pictures should all look roughly the same.  I have used this extensively in the classroom, especially when looking at prepositions such as ‘on’, ‘beneath’, ‘under’, ‘besides’, etc.  I have also asked children to give instructions to each other.  This helps them to understand about giving clear and precise instructions.   This book is a lot of fun and helps to build children’s skills in literacy in a clear, accessible and enjoyable way.

Montessori Read and Write – A Parents’ Guide to Literacy for Children by Lynne Lawrence  Much of the Montessori theory is about providing the right conditions for learning - allowing children to learn by doing and giving them the power to educate themselves; acknowledging that they learn when they are interested and when they have chosen an activity themselves.  If you ever go to a Montessori nursery you will see that all the activities, games, puzzles, books are completely accessible and the children are usually free to chose the activities or games themselves (once they have been shown how to use it).  Replicating this at home is important.  So if you want to encourage you child to read, organise a small ‘reading corner’ in your living room (e.g some low shelves that he can reach by himself and a comfortable place to sit.)    This book is full of games to play with your child to develop their language skills  - games with rhyme and ryhthm, games to develop listening skills, games and activities to prepare the hands for writing (e.g finger painting, playdough/clay), sound games and using sandpaper letters so that children can feel around the shape as they say its associated sound.

Using Phonics to Teach Reading and Spelling by John Bald (CD included)   This book is excellent for giving parents a basic introduction to teaching reading and spelling using phonics.  Phonics is the teaching of sounds that the letters and combinations of letters in our alphabet make.  It is also an extremely useful handbook for teachers and teaching assistants working with children aged betweeen three and eleven.  It is quite theoretical and technical in parts but I have found its ideas and resources extremely helpful.  The appendix at the back includes lists of all the main spelling patterns in English.  Also extremely useful is the CD Rom of photocopiable resources.  I have used some of these to provide help to weaker readers and they include word games (snakes and ladders) and word jigsaws.

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce: shortlisted for Costa Children’s Book Award and recommended for girls/boys age 9+

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

The Costa Book Awards 2012 : Children’s Book Award: Shortlist

Flip by Martyn Bedford (Walker Books)
The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Walker Books)
Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans (Doubleday)
Blood Red Road by Moira Young (Marion Lloyd Books) – WINNER

The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce

It was a normal last term of Year 6 at her school for Julie of Bootle – the last sports day at primary school, the leavers’ trip, the leavers’ photograph.  And hoping upon hope that the boy you like would NOTICE YOU!

All pretty normal that is until Chingis and Negui, two brothers, arrive all the way from Mongolia.  Stood there, staring through the railings.  “The little one was wearing a furry hat and they had identical coats.  Mad coats – long, like dressing-gowns, with fur inside.  But any coat would have looked mad.  The sun was beating down.  The tarmac in the car park was melting. Everyone else was wearing T-shirts.”

Julie is at once intrigued and excited about the new arrivals at her school.  Her eyes are opened to the landscape, the people, to life in Mongolia, when Chingis and Nergui appoint her as their “Good Guide” and show her the Polaroid photographs of life back home.

Julie’s eyes are also opened to the landscape of her own backyard, to Bootle, and to the houses, the flyover, the mountain of scrap metal towering over the Seaforth dock, the fields, the trees and sands leading all the way to the coast north of Liverpool.   You see Chingis has been carrying round with him a Polaroid camera won on a tombola at the Refugee Project Summer Holiday Party in Bootle.    And in the photographs he has been taking, Chingis has been creating alternative realities, a blurring of the boundaries between Mongolia and Bootle, Liverpool.

“Chingis shook the Polaroid dry and showed it to me.  The funny thing was, it looked like Mongolia, as though he could turn bits of Liverpool into bits of Mongolia just by pointing his camera at them….so you didn’t have that camera when you were in Mongolia?  So none of your photos is actually of Mongolia?  Are you even from Mongolia?  But I didn’t say any of that.”  

Julie recollects warmly the friendships gained in that last term of primary school.  And then its sudden and abrubt ending – their teacher, Mrs Spendlove, announcing in the first lesson one morning, that Chingis had phoned her in the middle of the night.  He had wanted to say goodbye.   It was complicated.  Something to do with not having the right papers.   And that was that.

The Unforgotten Coat is very imaginatively and cleverly put together – the style of a journal – by its writer, the photographers, Carl Hunter and Clare Heney and the designers at Walker Books.  It asks to be picked up.

Frank Cottrell Boyce wrote The Unforgotten Coat to support The Reader Organisation - a pioneering charity with an aim to bring about a Reading Revolution.   Its primary mission is to make reading and literature accessible TO ALL and it does this through Get into Reading groups, Read to Lead training, Our Read campaign, Community Theatre and Reader-in-Residence projects in NHS Trusts, care homes, prisons, schools and libraries.   A VERY worthwhile cause.

Follow-up activities to do with The Unforgotten Coat

  1. Explore Mongolia.  Open an atlas, find where Mongolia lies on our our planet, which countries does it border with, what are its main geographical features, its climate, its natural resources?   What are its main customs, its religion, its language/s?
  2. Think about the issues of immigration.   What drives people, families, to leave their homes, their homelands?   What is the pull from the new country (economic)?  What is the push from their own country (again, economic, poverty, persecution, war)?   Consider the effects of immigration upon the new, receiving country – cultural diversity (new languages, new sounds, new music, new artforms, new foods); pressures on housing, schools, jobs.
  3. The Bluecoat - a creative hub of four galleries located in the heart of Liverpool – has put together a fantastic teachers’ resource pack to support the reading of The Unforgotten Coat.    It can be found here. 

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Cottrell Boyce, Frank, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Miki by Stephen Mackey: beautiful dreamy snowscenes and a magical mid-winter tale of courage, friendship and adventure

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

Miki written and illustrated by Stephen Mackey

A forever-icy world and magical underwater creatures brought to life by Stephen Mackey, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts and Slot Machine theatre company

Just before Christmas I took my two daughters (aged nine and six) to see Miki at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts (Maidenhead, Berkshire), produced by Slot Machine theatre company.   We were totally captivated.   By the creativity and extraordinary puppetry.  By the amazing and amusing costumes of the undersea creatures.  And by the story itself – an inspiring and touching tale about friends, the simplicity of wishes and courage in adventure.

“I wish”, said Miki, as she fished for supper,  “I could catch a star.  A star would shine forever.”  On midwinter eve when an icy wind blew, the moon weaved its magic and wishes came true.

Miki, Polar Bear and Penguin just want to brighten up the cold, dark and icy world in which they live.  They wish for a tree, they wish for some pretty lights “to cheer it up” and they wish for a star, a star that would “shine forever”.   And then, first Miki, then Polar Bear and finally Penguin are taken on an adventure, deep down in the depths and beauty of the ocean below their little fishing hole, safe in the magic of midwinter eve.  There, they  meet a host of underwater creatures – a gentle giant of a narwhal, a tiny octopus, crabs, a very big octopus and hundreds of twinkling stars.  Will Miki be able to bring back a star for the friend’s little tree before the midwinter eve magic runs out?

Miki hangs some fairy lights

"A star that would shine forever"

As you can see, Stephen Mackey’s illustrations are beautiful and dream-like in the way they portray the icy world where Miki, Polar Bear and Penguin live.

David Tennant has read Miki as part of CBeebies Bedtime Hour, here it is.  Charming, isn’t it.

Create your own Miki theatrescape and puppets and act out this delightful story

My daughters and I turned an old cardboard box into an icy, cold, winter landscape on top and an under-the-ice waterworld below.

Miki and her friends try to brighten up their icy, dark world

Miki and Penguin's magical underwater journey

Slot Machine theatre company are now touring with Miki – through January, February and March 2012.   See their website for more details and contact information.

 

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Mackey, Stephen | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Flip by Martyn Bedford: Shortlisted for Costa Children’s Book Awards and recommended book for girls and boys age 14+

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Yvonne Keen

The Costa Book Awards : Children’s Book Award 2012 Shortlist

Flip by Martyn Bedford (Walker Books)
The Unforgettable Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Walker Books)
Small Change for Stuart by Lissa Evans (Doubleday)
Blood Red Road by Moira Young (Marion Lloyd Books)

Flip by Martyn Bedford

Ever wake up in someone else’s body?  Alex did one summer morning.   Having supposedly walked home from his friend’s house in late December the night before.  Work that one out!

Imagine just for a moment what it would be like to wake up in a strange bedroom, in a strange house and in a stranger’s body.   Then… and then, to have to go downstairs for breakfast and sit round the breakfast table with this other ‘mum’, this other ‘dad’ and this other ‘sister’ who are all acting as if everything is completely normal.   Just imagine.

Your mind is telling you that you are Alex but people around you are calling you Philip or Flip (Philip’s nickname … apparently).   And when you look in the mirror you don’t see your own eyes looking back at you.  No.  You see another boy, a boy about your age, “a boy without freckles, or gingery-blond hair, or blond eyebrows so faint you could hardly see them…The face gazing back at Alex from the mirror was brown-eyed and tanned, with the stubbly beginnings of a moustache and dark hair cropped in the stylishly unkempt way that he could never get his own hair to go.”

“Any moment now this would stop freaking him out.  Any moment now, a TV presenter and camera crew would burst into the room and everyone would fall about laughing at the practical joke they’d played on Alex.”  Any moment now, PLEASE.  

You are now standing outside a strange school where the only thing you do recognise is the smell – school corridors.  You’re wearing a strange uniform and thinking ‘Well, if I’m Philip, who are Philip’s friends?’  Imagine that too.

Flip is a tense and riveting psychological thriller.  Martyn Bedford really gets into the mind of teenage Alex as he is suddenly and unexplicably facing a life-changing scenario, literally.   Bedford is in tune with both teen angst and teen humour, understanding that point where you are between child and adult.  As Philip, Alex thinks back to his life pre body swap and realises what he has left behind.   This drives him on to see if he can find a way back to his true self.   Read the book to see if Alex (the mind, the soul) makes it back to Alex (the body).

Posted in Bedford, Martyn, Teenage | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

American Children’s Classics 1: Little House on the Prairie: Books for Girls Age 9+

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Image courtesy of Keep it Thimble

Say Little House on the Prairie and most people (well, those around my age anyway) will remember the NBC television series of the same name starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert.

Actually, Little House on the Prairie is the second of a series of three Little House books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.   It tells of the Ingalls’ pioneering journey from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to the huge prairie lands of Kansas, ending near to a town called Independence.   Their journey is told in the third person but is a semi-autobiographical account of Laura and her family as they set off to “see the West”.   Everything they own is packed into their covered wagon, crossing too many creeks to count and making camp at nightfall.   Before noon one day, after travelling across the wide Kansas prairie, Pa stops the wagon.  ”Here we are, Caroline!” said Pa.  “Right here we’ll build our house.”

“All around them there was nothing but grassy prairie spreading to the edge of the sky”.   The huge skies, the vastness of the prairie, the bright stars hanging so low Laura often felt she could reach out and touch them, are a constant backdrop.   All the seasons of the prairie are vividly described – “the whole world was rippling green and gold under the blazing sky” (Midsummer); “the grasses were a dull colour under a dull sky.  The winds wailed as if they were looking for something they could not find” (Autumn); “the days were short and grey now, the nights were very dark and cold.  Clouds hung low above the little house and spread low and far over the bleak prairie…hard little bits of snow whirled in the air and scurried over the humped backs of miserable grasses” (Winter); “Spring had come.  The warm winds smelled exciting, and all outdoors was large and bright and sweet. Big white shining clouds floated high up in the clear space”.  (Spring).

The prairie was plentiful too - a source of food (rabbits, deer, Prairie chickens, wild blackberries), water and wood to build the family’s house and stable.   And so the Ingalls were very optimistic about their choice of homeland.  They worked hard to make a home for themselves, demonstrating perseverance and also gratitude for the help offered by other settlers and for the bounty offered up by nature.  Particularly touching is the joyfulness that Laura and Mary feel when their neighbour delivers their Christmas presents on behalf of Santa Claus.  The girls are overwhelmed by their very simple gifts – a new tin cup, one peppermint candy stick, striped red and white, a little heart-shaped cake (too pretty to eat) and a shining bright, new penny.  What a striking contrast to today’s Christmasses!

Although the prairie stretched out as far as the eye could see, the Ingalls were, in fact, sharing it’s vastness and bounty with Indians because it was Indian Territory.  The issue of white settlers and the rights of the Indians is woven throughout the book.  Pa Ingalls seeks to reach out to the Indians but Ma Ingalls is much more cautious.  A tension exists between the two communities until word comes to the family that politicians in Washington plan to send soldiers in to take all settlers out of Indian Territory.  Having endured and enjoyed a year on the Kansas prairie it was time to leave and the very next morning the covered wagon was packed up again. ”The little log house and the little stable sat lonely in the stillness”.

My daughters and I have loved reading Laura’s account of her journey to the Kansas prairie and the year they spent there.  We talked about the difficulties the family faced, the land issue between the white settlers and the Indians and even the role of children within family life.  Although I’ve recommended this book particularly for girls, there is plenty in it to interest boys too.  Pa Ingalls is a very strong figure in many ways – strong physically, mentally, morally.  He works hard with his hands, is firm with his decisions and is not afraid to stand up for what he believes.  I found the extended descriptions of how he built the log house, the stable, the door and the fireplace fascinating – a lot of detail is included.

Cornbread – a staple part of the Ingalls’ prairie diet

Cornbread formed a staple part of the Ingalls’ family meals so we decided to make some.  The results were delicious!   The Cornbread recipe we used probably has some added extras  but it does share the same main ingredient – cornmeal (polenta) which I found at my local supermarket (world foods aisle, next to the large bags of rice).

Ingredients for Cornbread

 

Mixing all the ingredients together

 

Cornbread muffins - delicious

Other activities related to Little House on the Prairie

  1. Why not trace the Ingalls’ journey from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to the Kansas prairie using an atlas?   You’ll be amazed at the length of the journey and the landscapes they crossed.
  2. Have a discussion (in class, as a family) about the land issue between the white settlers and the Indians.  The settlement of land is always a contentious issue and is being played out across many parts of the globe today.
  3. The role of children in family life.   In the 1870s when the Ingalls family made their journey to Kansas, children were required to complete many chores and were expected to be dutiful at all times.   Interestingly, throughout the book there are comments about how children should behave, for example, “Mary was always good; she never spoke with her mouth full”.  Should children’s literature be used to inform children about behaviour?

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Ingalls Wilder, Laura, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A brilliant guidebook on spying for young Bonds everywhere (age 7 upwards): Ralph is Not a Spy by Corinne V Davis and El Ashfield

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

'A brilliant guide to spying for beginners ... lock it away after reading or better still ... EAT IT!' SSS (Short Spy Society, for the under 12s)

Ralph is Not a Spy is no ordinary book.
For within its sumptious pages a spy story gets you hooked!
Ralph is a Chess Champion of extraordinary talent.
And the members of the International Chess Academy?
Well, you could hardly call them gallant.

Corinne V Davis has expertly written the whole of Ralph is Not a Spy in verse.   It bounces along rhymically with bucket loads of humour and is much, much better than my attempt in the paragraph above!    This book is a joy to read aloud together because of its rhythm and pace.   It will also have you laughing out loud together too!   Here’s one example of why.   (Just to set the scene, Ralph is having a secret rendevous in the loos.  Notes are being passed between him and someone in the cubicle next door.)

“One final note arrived and Ralph heard footsteps walk away.
‘There’s one important thing left that I think I ought to say:
You must dispose of all these notes – the method’s up to you,
But (just to play it safe) may I suggest a number two?’”

Who can Ralph trust?   Who is the REAL spy?   Help comes from some very unlikely sources – the quietest, nerdiest member of Ralph’s class at school, Blair McBond; the class pet, a gerbil, who is also a master code-breaker; and Ralph’s mum who can chase an escaping ice-cream van with the best of them and still not break the speed limit!

El Ashfield’s illustrations add to the excitement and drama – drawn in pen and ink and filled in with colour or shaded in varying degrees of grey to black – they give an air of mystery to … well, the mystery!   The carousel man with the evil eyes is particularly scary.  I wouldn’t want to bump into him on a dark night.  And here’s Jaws, the Gerbil – not your average classroom pet that’s for sure!

Jaws the Gerbil. By days Jaws just pretends to be your average furry pet, but this, my friend, will shock you more than all the rest, I'll bet. The minute that he has some information to off-load, he lets me know by tapping out the message ... in MORSE CODE!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you remember that I said at the beginning that Ralph is Not a Spy is no ordinary book.    Well, not only is it a story, told in rhyme, but there are spy missions to be solved or codes to be cracked along the way.   And a whole spy zone of further activities to be completed and missions to accept at the end of the book.   The most famous code in the world – Morse – is explained along with suggestions for practicising it.   But take care.   You never know when you are being watched.  Always have your wits about you and check for hidden sound bugs in your clothing.   Finally, when you have completed all the tasks set in the book, EAT IT.  Don’t let it fall into enemy hands.

My nine year old daughter loved this book.   When she picked it up to look at it the day it arrived, a smile spread across her face and stayed there.   We had great fun trying out different spying activities (see our suggestions below) and there are even further opportunities for spying missions by going to Ralph’s very own website, www.ralphisnotasuperhero.com where there are competitions, school activity sheets and lesson guides.

Spying activities – our suggestions.  As Ralph would say “Good luck and keep your wits about you”

  • Design your own super spy gadget, McBlair Bond style.   Write a descriptive paragraph detailing how your gadget might be used.   Do a drawing complete with labels and explanations of the various parts and how they work.   You might want to have a go at making your final design using junk modelling.  We always keep a store of boxes, cardboard, tubes, plastic food trays, bottle tops, packaging etc in our understairs cupboard for activities such as these.
  • Write secret messages to your friends.    Secret writing method 1.  Here’s what you need: white paper, white crayon or white candle, poster paint, water, paint brush.   Using the white crayon or white candle, write your secret message.  To reveal your message, mix a little poster paint with water and paint over your paper.   All will be revealed!    Secret writing method 2 (best to vary your methods for extra secrecy!!).  Here’s what you need: white paper, paint brush, lemon juice.  Write your message using the lemon juice ink and allow it to dry completely.  To reveal, hold the message close (but not too close) to a heat source, e.g a light bulb or a candle or you can iron your message (ask a grown up to help).

 

Posted in Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Ashfield, El, Davis, Corinne V., Pre-teen | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Children’s drawing competition – illustrate a short story and win an 83 piece art chest or Crayola set and £500 of books for your school!

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Fancy winning yourself an amazing 83 piece art chest or Crayola set and £500 worth of books for your school or nursery?  Yes?  Then sharpen your brains (and your pencils), imagine yourself as a children’s book illustrator and enter the Tesco Magazine Kid’s Book Club picture competition.  We are!

All you have to do is read He should have listened to Grandad by Steve Hartley, draw a picture to illustrate it and then ask a grown-up to scan it or photograph it and send it in using the online form here.  (See terms and conditions below).

Popular children’s author/illustrator Ed Vere (Mr Big, Banana, The Getaway) will be on the judging panel.  Not only that, Ed will be available to answers questions, give tips and generally inspire live on Twitter this Monday, 12th December, at 4 pm.   Where – @tescomagazine.  Use #kidsbookclub.   More details here.

If you can’t make it at 4pm on Monday, you can tweet your questions to @tescomagazine in advance, just remember to add the hashtag #kidsbookclub.

Ed will be giving away a signed ink and watercolour sketch plus 5 copies of his new book Bedtime for Monsters* to participants in the twitter chat.   Winners will be chosen at random.

*Monsters, did you say monsters?  I wish I had known about this book earlier.  I would have featured it on my post “5 children’s books about monsters for our very own little monsters to enjoy“.

 

 

 

 

Terms and conditions

  • Closing date: Wednesday 14th December 2011
  • There are three categories; two to five years, six to eight years and nine to twelve.  One winner will be picked from each category.
  • Prizes – the winner of the two to five years category will win £50 worth of Crayola products, the winners of both the six to eight and nine to twelve categories will each win a Reeves Watercolour Art Chest.  Each winner will also receive a £500 cheque for their nominated school or nursery to spend on books.

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen, Vere, Ed | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

5 children’s Christmas craft books – activities and projects to brighten up your home this Christmas

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Homemade bauble made from an old Christmas card

I think homemade Christmas decorations add something really special and unique to a home.    Making your own decorations can also be fun and very inexpensive.   For example, the homemade bauble featured above is made from an old Christmas card and two split pins – that’s all.  All you do is cut up an old Christmas card into strips, punch holes in both ends of the strips and insert a split pin.  Then fan out the strips into a bauble shape – easy!    This simple idea comes from Jane Bull’s book The Merry Christmas Activity Book.  Here are some more of our favourite Christmas craft books for children.

Should you wish to purchase any of these books simply click on the book image and you will go through to the Babbleabout/Amazon children’s bookstore. 

The Merry Christmas Activity Book by Jane Bull – 50 things to make and do for a fun Christmas    This book is packed full of lovely and simple ideas for turning your home into a winter wonderland.    All the ideas are very affordable to make and will mostly make use of bits and pieces you already have lying around.    There are some fabulous ideas for Christmas bunting, hanging decorations, lanterns, festive windows, Christmas scents and sweets and baking which make delicious gifts for friends, family and teachers.   An extremely useful Christmas craft resource book.  Age 4+

Angelina Ballerina’s Christmas Crafts – Count down to Christmas with Angelina! published by Puffin, based on the text by Katherine Holabird and illustrations by Helen Craig   Brighten up your Christmas holiday with twenty-six craft activities and recipes inspired by Angelina Ballerina.   There are some really unusual ideas in this book.  For example, here’s one we particularly like – pretty pasta snowflakes.  So, to make beautiful snowflake decorations for your window or tree all you need to do is to arrange the different pasta shapes into snowflake shapes.   Glue the shapes together with PVA glue and leave to dry.   Then paint with acrylic paints and again leave to dry.  For extra shine, paint again with varnish.   So simple but so effective.  Age 4+

Christmas crafting with kids – 35 projects for the festive season by Catherine Woram    Get busy with glue, paper, scissors, needle and thread and more with over 35 colourful and fun Christmas projects.   Just today, for example, my daughters and I sat down and made some beautiful red and green felt hanging stars using pinking shears and matching cotton thread.  My six year old found this an ideal easy sewing project for her little fingers to try and with some determination and a little help she got there in the end and was very proud of her little green star.   Age 5+

The Usborne Book of Christmas Art Ideas    Usborne do these sorts of books SO well and this is no exception.  Over 100 ideas for decorations, cards, wrapping paper and gift boxes using collage, printing, paints, pastels, stencils, inks, glitter, foil, gold and silver pens.  Phew!   More than enough ideas here to keep everyone busy in the days leading up to Christmas.  Age 5+

 

Usborne Preschool Activities Christmas Fun    Not wanting to leave the little ones out, this book is especially for you.    Simple and charming ideas involving lots of finger printing, cutting out for winter collage pictures and sticking with glue and glitter – all enormous fun, maybe a little messy and brilliant for developing important skills such as hand control, coordination and concentration.   Age 2+

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Bull, Jane, Craig, Helen, Holabird, Katharine, Pre-teen, Teenage, Uncategorized, Woram, Catherine | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

5 children’s books about monsters for our very own little monsters to enjoy

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

One of my little monsters in training!

Have you got monsters-in-training?  I have!   The thing about ‘hoomum’*monsters is that they might look angelic but don’t be fooled!  Beneath that wide-eyed, sweet-smiling exterior is a tantrum of monstrous proportions ready to EXPLODE!   Know what I mean? (*hoomum, by the way,  is Gormy Ruckle’s word for humans in Monster Mayhem by Guy Bass)

Maybe that’s why writers and illustrators seem to love creating stories about monsters?   Aren’t we all capable, occasionally, of turning into little monsters?  I know I can come close during that hour between 7.30 am and 8.30 am on a weekday morning just before school.

Or maybe it’s because writers can really let their imaginations run wild and the results are, well, monstrous – creatures covered in “terrible tusks and terrible claws, and terrible teeth in [their] terrible jaws”, (The Gruffalo, see below), that can swallow five whole puppy pancakes in one gulp (Monster Mayhem, see below).

Anyway, here are our favourite books about monsters to read to your little monsters, I mean angels.

Should you wish to purchase any of these books simply click on the book image and you will go through to the Babbleabout/Amazon children’s bookstore.

Monster Mayhem by Guy Bass    Warning to little girls of a sensitive nature!  Gormy Ruckles, our little monster hero, eats kittens on toast and whole puppy pancakes.   (Boys will love this!)   Gormy Ruckles is a monster in training.  He is adorable but strong-willed, prone to outbreaks of stomping (sound familiar?) and is desperate to be a big monster like his dad.   He lives with his mum, dad and best friend (actually, his only friend) Mike the Scuttybug on Peatree Hill, which lies through the thick ring of trees and out of sight of ‘hoomums’.  Incidentally, Mike the Scuttybug is obsessed with poo, just so that you know.    Anyway, Monster Mayhem contains three hilarious tales of Gormy’s adventures as he learns to become a real monster and all the while his mum and dad can only look on and suggest he take another look at his book of How to be a Better Monster. In the first adventure Gormy learns lesson six hundred and eleventy-seven – the hard way!  That monsters can’t eat fish – watch out for monster-sized burps and big, green clouds of gut-gas of truly epic proportions!   In his second adventure, Gormy gets to take part in his first ever junior monster contest – with hilarious results!  But at least he gets to find out who his true monster friends are!  Finally, will Gormy’s overprotective dad let him out of his clasp for a monster-sized adventure with his big Uncle Kruckles whose only rule in life seems to be who needs learning when you can be smashing, monstering and good old-fashioned hoomum scaring?  But then Uncle Kruckles hasn’t bargained for … the Gloam!  Will Gormy remember all his lessons from How to be a Better Monster and save the day?  “Lesson five hundred and fivety-five – Expect the Unexpected!”   Age 6+

Guy Bass is an award winning author of a Blue Peter Most Fun Story with Pictures Book Award (2010) and I can understand why.  His Monster Mayhem book is hilariously funny – Gormy Ruckles is both repulsive and adorable.  How can that be?  Well, he is just another monster in training, much like my own!

Monster Madness by Guy Bass    If that’s not enough monster mayhem for you, try Monster Madness as Gormy learns again that being a monster isn’t as easy as it looks!    Age 6+

 

 

Dexter Bexley and the Big Blue Beastie by Joel Stewart    Is it possible for a boy to be friends with a monster?  Especially if that monster is hungry… and bored!   Dexter Bexley, though, is up to the task. But how long can his quick-thinking keep him from being the Big Blue Beastie’s next snack.  Long enough, perhaps, for the monster to see Dexter as something more – a friend. This is a funny and tender book about friendship and Stewart’s retro illustrations are delightful.  Age 5+

The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler   The Gruffalo has got to be one of the most famous monsters of them all!   Right from the opening lines, readers and listeners will be drawn along with mouse as he takes a stroll through the deep dark wood.   Julia Donaldson’s rhythmical text is perfect for reading aloud and will actively encourage the youngest of listeners to join in with the adventure.   Meeting fox, owl and snake along the way, Mouse shows that it is quick thinking (rather than size or strength) that stops him becoming the next tasty snack.   And in any case “there’s no such thing as a gruffal…oh!”  “Oh help! Oh no! It’s a gruffalo!” But clever little mouse even manages to fool the Gruffalo into believing that he, mouse, is the scariest creature in the wood!   Well done little mouse.  Age 2+

Monster Day at Work by Sarah Dyer    It’s kids-at-work day and little monster gets to spend a day at the office with Dad.  He gets to navigate the rush hour, sit in on a very important business meeting, do some work on the computer (“That is very easy – I get a much higher score than Dad”), eat lunch in the staff canteen, colour in some charts and even do some exercise in the gym after work.   Nothing to it!   “I don’t know why Dad complains so much…”   And apparently Mum has it easy at home too!   A hilarious and very innocent child’s eye view of the world of work and the world of looking after the home.  Age 3+

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Bass,Guy, Donaldson, Julia, Schleffer, Axel, Stewart, Joel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Another delightful children’s picture book from Ping and Pong – this time join Ping and Pong in a Christmas adventure all of their own

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ping and Pong are the delightful, miniature creations of Amy Trevaskus (author) and Alison Heath (illustrator) and have featured in an earlier piece right here on Babbleabout.  And now they get to feature in their own Christmas adventure – Ping and Pong Santa!

Ping and Pong live in the clock on Lucy’s hallway.  It’s Christmas Eve and Lucy’s Nana and Grandad have come for tea and are reading Lucy some bedtime stories all about Santa and his reindeer.  Intrigued, Ping and and Pong are determined to stay up and wait for Santa.  Not only do they meet Santa, but they get to try out his sleigh for real, whooshing and swooping over and past roof tops, clinging tightly to the bobble on Santa’s hat.

As usual, Alison Heath’s pen and ink and colour illustrations are beautiful and bring out the delight in the faces of Ping, Pong, Lucy and Santa and the details of their home and surroundings.   And as usual, Amy captures life in miniature perfectly, seeing things from the way-down-low perpective of two little people who are exploring the world around them, having fun and learning along the way.   In the meantime, come and meet Ping and Pong.  Gorgeous, aren’t they!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Heath, Alison, Trevaskus, Amy | Leave a comment

9 Children’s Christmas Picture Books That Capture the Magic of this Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Christmas Berries

Get into the true spirit of Christmas with these beautiful children’s Christmas picture books.   Reading these books together always gets us excited during the days before Christmas.   We don’t do mounds of presents in our house but we can’t help getting excited about the making of gifts, the wrapping of presents, the writing of cards, the rehearsals for school plays, seeing friends and family, playing games and decorating the Christmas Tree.  Lovely.

Merry Christmas Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark    Emma Chichester Clark is one of our all-time favourite author/illustrators.   She has successfully combined her work with other authors (e.g Michael Morpurgo, see below) and illustrated her own books as in this case.   Blue Kangaroo is quickly becoming an all-time classic children’s character and it is not difficult to see why.  He has an endearing and gentle nature and is clearly very loved.  In this lovely Christmas tale, Blue Kangaroo is spending his first Christmas with Lily and her family and Lily is working really hard to make it extra special.  Blue Kangaroo wants to give her something equally special in return.  The opportunity arises on Christmas Eve when Father Christmas comes crashing down the chimney and he and Blue Kangaroo get to spend some special time together.    Age 2+

Little Owl and the Star – A Christmas Story by Mary Murphy   A really charming story told through the eyes of a little owl who looks on as the kings, the shepherds and angels gather for the birth of a special new baby.   Little Owl senses that something really wonderful is about to happen.  A little star sparkles along and takes the owl along to be at this most amazing event.  The language used is so very gentle, here for example, “Aah! Such a peaceful baby.  I stretched out my wing, to touch the baby’s cheek and the baby woke and smiled.  What a happy smile!  The smile went right inside me.  The waiting feeling went away”.  On the last page, the star dazzles brightly over the stable; hold it under a light and lots of tiny little stars glisten within it.  Lovely.  Age 0+/1+

The Best of Times, written by Michael Morpurgo, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark   “A story can bring love and laughter, sorrow and tears.  But to save a life… That will require the greatest story of all.”   A beautifully written story of despair, of not giving up and discovering that the best of times lies in not in being surrounded by great riches but the generosity and kindness of strangers, health and the happiness of family.  An ailing Princess is restored to happiness by the acting out of the Christmas Story by a group of travellers.  And one year on, she has her own precious baby in her arms.   Age 5+

Paddington and the Christmas Surprise by Michael Bond, illustrated by R W Alley   Who can’t fail to fall in love with this adorable, brown bear?  Everyone it seems except perhaps the store manager at Barkridges, the local department store where Paddington takes the Brown Family for a Christmas treat.  “There’s a sleigh ride through Winter Wonderland and you get to visit [Santa's] workshop at the North Pole” announced Paddington excitedly.   But soon Paddington begins to wish he had used his bun money to buy buns as the broken plastic reindeer and the sad attempt at Santa’s winter garden fail to impress.  But don’t worry reader because Paddington comes to the rescue in his own special way.  “Bear?” exclaimed the manager.  “Did I hear someone say bear?”  Age 2+

Farmyard Tales Christmas by Heather Amery and Stephen Cartwright and published by Usborne   The excitement is really building in the farmhouse on Apple Tree Farm and everyone is getting ready for the big day.  Peep under all of the flaps and discover what everyone’s doing on Christmas Eve.   Poppy and Sam are busying themselves feeding and putting the animals to bed.   Then letters are written to Santa as Farmer Dray arrives with the Christmas tree.  By bedtime, Poppy and Sam can hardly contain their excitement – a scene no doubt played out everywhere!  This is a lovely book showing the normal and happy goings on in the lead up to Christmas Day – a great reminder for grown-ups too of that magical feeling as the big day finally draws near.  Age 1/2+ 

Cat in the Manger by Michael Foreman   A humorous and warm take on the nativity story, seen through the eyes of a cat who is just trying to get a decent night’s sleep in a barn somewhere in a faraway land, a long time ago.    It’s not easy sharing the barn with all the other animals – cows, stupid but at least they keep the barn warm; goats, always fighting and arguing with each other; donkeys, they might look friendly but turn your back and they kick you; …. and mice!  Then one night the menagerie is joined by a man and a lady on a donkey (not another donkey!).  The cat’s endearing commentary continues “Then I heard a baby cry.  That’s all we needed.  A crying baby!” … and then changes tenderly.  “Then all the shuffling stopped. The baby wasn’t crying.   Everything was silent.  It was if all the animals held their breath.  It was if the whole word held its breath…”   Michael Foreman’s beautiful illustrations perfectly accompany this gently funny Christmas story.  Age 4+

I’ve Seen Santa! by David Bedford, illustrated by Tim Warnes    Little Bear is so excited on Christmas Eve he can’t sleep… he wants to see Santa.   So, everytime he hears a noise Little Bear goes to investigate and sees …. Big Bear drinking Santa’s milk…Big Bear eating Santa’s mince pies… and Mummy Bear putting presents in their stockings!   “What are YOU doing?” said Big Bear.  “I’m giving you both a present from me,” said Mummy Bear.  “Just in case Santa is a tiny bit late.  What are YOU doing?”   In the end the whole Bear family stay up to see Santa.   But do they?   I think lots of Mums and Dads will enjoy this book because, I don’t know about in your house late on Christmas Eve, but we’ve had some very close calls when making special deliveries!!   Shhhhh!   Age 0+

Mog’s Christmas written and illustrated by Judith Kerr    Mog is getting flustered, nothing was right in her house at all!    Everywhere you looked things were different – people being busy hanging brightly coloured ‘things’ on the walls, Mr and Mrs Thomas were cooking, a tree was walking into the house, a tree talking!  Mog finds solace up on the roof of the house where these strange white fluffy cold things were falling from the sky.  Sigh.  Inside everyone is equally miserable, why won’t Mog come down?   Then suddenly there is a noice in the chimney.  Is it Father Christmas?  ”It’s Mog!”.   Age 0+

One Snowy Night by M Christina Butler, illustrated by Tina Macnaughton    Calm bedtimes and Christmas!   Hardly natural bedfellows!   But this book might just persuade the little ones into bed during this most exciting time of the year.    This is the story of a little hedgehog who unexpectedly wakes during his long winter sleep.   He tries to go back to sleep but he is just too cold.    Then, a gift arrives from Father Christmas – a warm, red, woollen hat but no matter how hard little hedgehog tries he can’t get it to fit over his prickles.   So off he goes searching for a more fitting recipient and his hard work is rewarded.   Age 0+

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Bond, Michael, Chichester Clark, Emma, Foreman, Michael, Kerr, Judith, Morpurgo, Michael, Murphy, Mary | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

9 children’s pop-up books – amazing feats of paper engineering to delight any child (and adult!)

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

copyright Yvonne Keen, www.babbleabout.co.uk

We are HUGE fans of pop-up books in the Babbleabout household.  Pop-ups, if executed well, bring a truly magical setting to a story, they add drama, explain what’s happening and highlight key events.  All of this makes a classic story accessible to a younger audience.

Fairytales especially lend themselves to the pop-up treatment.   We have pop-up versions of Cinderella, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland and each one has created a really magical and enchanting setting in which the stories unfold.

As an adult, I still marvel at the creativity and beauty of some of these feats of paper engineering.   And I love them because they offer an antidote to the digital world of computer games.

Actually, pop-ups aren’t just for kids…..but that’s for a later piece.  Anyway, here are our favourite children’s pop-ups.

The Chronicles of Narnia, based on the books by C.S. Lewis, pop-ups by Robert Sabuda    Robert Sabuda is currently one of the best known paper engineers and works out of his studio in New York with Matthew Reinhart who also is a children’s book creator and paper engineer (see below).   In The Chronicles of Narnia, there is one amazing pop-up for each of the stories – The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.   When you handle the book, you instantly know you are in for a treat – it’s hard-back cover and the thickness of it’s contents.   Each page leaps right out at you, literally.   The pop-up of Aslan (pictured) is quite simply spectacular and completely captivated my eldest daughter when she first clapped eyes on it.  A book to really treasure.  Age 5+

Cinderella, A Pop-Up Fairy Tale by Matthew Reinhart    Matthew Reinhart’s resplendent retelling of Cinderella comes to life with intricate pop-ups, foil, ribbons, acetate and amazing three-dimensional surprises.    The stunning transformation of a pumpkin into a magnificent coach can be seen in the main picture (above) of this piece.   This book shares the same sturdy cover and thickness of contents of Sabuda’s book so, once again, you know you are in for something really special.   A really magical retelling of a classic fairytale.  Age 5+

Beware of the Storybook Wolves by Lauren Child, paper engineering by Corina Fletcher   Lauren Child’s colourful and unique illustrations work perfectly with a children’s pop-up book and Corina Fletcher has certainly done them justice.   The opening page with Herb sitting up in bed at the end of his bedtime story captures that time just before ‘lights out’ wonderfully.   “In her hurry, Herb’s mother forgot to take the book with her” and Herb is right to be scared because just as he is dozing off, he realises he is not alone.  The wolves from his bedtime storybook feature throughout the book in scary 3D alongwith a sleeping princess, a wicked fairy, the Fairy Godmother, Prince Charming and a tiny caterpillar.  Perhaps not a book for bedtime but definitely one to be enjoyed with the lights on.   Age 5+

The Wonderful World Book by Kate Petty and Jennie Maizels, paper engineering by Ruth Wickings    “The whole world is in your hands” and it really is when you open the first page and up pops a huge 3D planet Earth as it demonstrates it’s place in space.   This book is full of pop-ups and lift-me-up flaps, great for little hands to explore the geography of the world and feel their way around continents, oceans, rivers and mountains, countries and  natural disasters.  A very visual way of explaining and demonstrating what happens in our wonderful world.   Age 5+

Peter Pan – A Classic Story Pop-Up Book with Sounds by J.M. Barrie and Paul Hess, Retold by Libby Hamilton   This beautiful pop-up book comes with the additional component of music and sounds and this really adds to the atmosphere created by the 3D effects.   In the first scene, Big Ben emerges skyward out of the London mist with Peter Pan, Wendy, John and Michael flying past on their way to Neverland.   And so the familiar adventure continues, visiting the Lost Boys hideout under the trees, the mermaids at the lagoon (listen out for Captain Hook’s evil laugh), onto the Jolly Roger where Captain Hook is defeated and Peter Pan turns the ship for home.   Age 4+

How to Find Flower Fairies, published by the Penguin Group   Perfect for girls who love fairies.   The cover, text and images have all been given an old fashioned feel because it has been made to look like it has been researched and put together by Cicely Mary Barker, the original creator of the Flower Fairies.   The details and little touches are delightful, including the addition of a mock photographic album from the 1930s showing Cicely’s photographs of fairies in her garden and with her friends and family.   There is advice on where to look for fairies with pop-ups of tree tops, the forest floor, garden flowers, by the wayside and the marsh.  Look carefully and you will find tiny little fairies hidden in all these beautiful, minature worlds.  Age 5+

The Nutcracker – A Magical Pop-Up Adventure by Nick Denchfield and Sue Scullard    I love the story of the Nutracker.   Open this book and you enter Clara’s world – the huge Christmas tree in the  Stahlbaums’ house, lit up, and surrounded by presents; the mice and the Mouse King in full battle with Fritz’s toy soldiers; the journey through The Land of Snow to the Land of Sweets, both of which are breathtaking.  There is even a ballerina under a sweet-covered arch that can be spun round and made to dance.   Age 5+

Danger Island – A Perilous Pop-Up World by Nick Denchfield and Graham Howells    Is it a book, is it a game?  Actually both.  And also great for boys this time.   It goes like this – “Your plane has crashed on a remote island.  You’re lost and alone… But don’t despair!   You’ll find everything you need to help you in these pages.  Read the story, follow the instructions and … good luck!”   Luckily you are given a survival pack which has everything you need to complete six missions – help the dinosaur find her missing egg; make a catapult for the tree creatures; rig up a zip-line for the trolls; construct a raft for the aliens; search for the explorer’s poisonous beasties; find the pirates’ treasure.   Finally (phew!) you make your getaway vehicle and … escape!   All combined with an amazing, multi-dimensional paper sculpture of an island in the centre pages.   Age 7/8+

A Three-Dimensional Victorian Dolls House, designed by Willabel L Tong, illustrated by Phil Wilson, paper engineering by Renee Jablow   This beautifully illustrated dolls house carousel has two storeys and eight rooms and will surely delight all lovers of miniature.  Open up, tie back the ribbons and the contents reveal exquisite decorative details and pop-up furniture including a chandelier, a baby grand piano and even an opening and closing loo lid.   An accompanying sheet contains press-out dolls and play accessories.   This will delight my six-year old daughter.   I can’t wait to see her face on Christmas Day, shhh!   Age 5/6+

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Barrie, J.M., Child, Lauren, Denchfield, Nick, Lewis, C.S, Maizels, Jennie, Petty, Kate, Pre-teen, Reinhart, Matthew, Sabuda, Robert, Teenage | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

And the 10 fabulous books in the Great Babbleabout/Tesco Kids’ Book Club *Giveaway* go to……

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

…..*Lauren Morris*.   Congratulations Lauren.  Please can you email me your full address so that the books can be sent out to you as soon as possible.  (Random.org was used to generate a number which was 62 from a range of 1-199)

Thank you everyone else for entering and thanks to Tesco for providing such a great prize.  Look out for further competitions on the Tesco Kids’ Book Club pages and here at Babbleabout.

 

 

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Granny by Anthony Horowitz : A Taster for a Forthcoming Post about Grannies in Children’s Books

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

What is it about grannies that inspires so many authors to write books about them or feature them in their stories?   David Walliams is currently topping the children’s books bestsellers list with Gangsta Granny (see later post) and who can possibly forget George’s grandma in George’s Marvellous Medicine (Roald Dahl; also see later post).

My sister and I were doubly unlucky when it came to our grannies.  My dad’s mother had decided that her little boy was not yet ready for taking a wife – after all, he was only 45!  And so when my sister and I came along…. well, all I can say is, we weren’t exactly welcomed with open arms.  She never visited us and we probably saw her less than the number of fingers on both our right hands.    I have very few lasting memories of my other granny too.   Those I do have include a deepening sense of gloom as my sister and I sat in the back of mum’s car every Sunday on the way to her stuck-in-the-Victorian-era house by the sea; the sound of her voice as she screeched ‘Riiiiiiiiich’ to her long-suffering husband, our lovely Grandpa; and the comments that used to regularly come out of her mouth when she came on day trips with us in the car.  Here’s one I particulary remember, “Just you wait ’til I’m laid out in my coffin!”  Nice.

So, I was very excited to read a copy of Granny by Anthony Horowitz because it is very apparent from the front cover illustration, the blurb on the back and Horowitz’s introduction that his experience of ‘older’ relations is very similar to mine.   Horowitz has used his ghastly experience very effectively by creating a truly EVIL character in his book.   Ivy Kettle, Joe Warden’s granny doesn’t just look evil, she IS evil.  Here’s Horowitz’s description of her, “the terrible caves in her wrists where the skin seem to sag underneath the veins, the blotchy patches on her legs, the whiskers on her upper lip and really quite enormous mole on her chin……he could see it in the wicked glimmer in her eyes, in the half-turned corner of her mouth.  And it was so strong, so horrible that he shivered.  She was evil”.

Joe’s parents live in blissful ignorance of granny’s evil plans and the peril that Joe finds himself in.  Actually, Joe’s parents live in blissful ignorance fullstop!  They are rich, uncaring and totally wrapped up in their own worlds – making money by whatever means (Joe’s dad) and shopping, horse-riding and avoiding her motherly responsibilities by whatever means (Joe’s mum).    This gives granny the perfect environment to hatch her evil plan for Joe.   Who will save Joe?  Does anyone care?

Although scary in places (I wouldn’t recommend this book for children under 11),   Granny (the book, not character) is also very funny.   It also has some interesting things to say about family life, for example, “Joe did not like his parents.   He didn’t like the house [a huge house called Thattlebee Hall], the garden, the cars, the huge meals, the cigarette smoke… any of it.  It was as if he had been born in a prison cell, a very comfortable one certainly, but a prison nontheless….. The strange truth is that many rich children have a much worse life and are much less happy than poor children.   This was certainly the case for Joe”.

Granny by Anthony Horowitz was kindly sent to me for review by WHSmith.

For other books by Anthony Horowitz, including the Alex Rider series and the recently published new Sherlock Holmes The House of Silk, see the children’s books section, WHSmith.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Horowitz, Anthony, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

7 children’s picture books that gently touch upon generosity, letting go, honesty, good deeds, difference and love

Posted on November 5, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Image copyright Yvonne Keen, babbleabout

Continuing the theme of books that help us nagivate through life’s ups and downs, this collection will definitely guide parents and children along the way.

That’s Love by Sam Williams, illustrated by Mique Moriuchi   A beautiful reminder of what love means to a child.  Not stacks of presents at Christmas but the simplicity of “being kissed, being missed…wanting to share, wanting to care”.  “Seeing the good, the way we all should. Being special, being there, the way you are, the way you care, THAT’S LOVE.”   Enough said.   Age 0+

Jessica Strange by Malorie Blackman, illustrated by Alison Bartlett    Jessica is confused.  Her mum, brothers and sisters are all mice.   But she doesn’t look like them.  In fact she’s not quite sure what kind of animal she is at all.  So she visits all the other animals that live in the farmyard and asks each of them in turn if they can tell her what she is.   At last Mrs Duck has some wise words for Jessica, “If you want to stay with your brothers and sisters, then stay with them.  It doesn’t matter what you are, as long as you love them and they love you”.   ….”a thoughtful look at differences.” TES PRIMARY   Age 2+

Something Else, written by Kathryn Cave, illustrated by Chris Riddell   Something Else tries to be like the others.  But everything he does shows how different he is.  Then Something turns up and wants to be friends.   But Something Else isn’t sure he’s at all like him and turns him away.   Something looks sad and small and this reminds Something Else how he felt when the others turned him away.  A heart-warming tale about accepting difference.  Age 2+

Blame it on the Great Blue Panda! by Claire Freedman, illustrated by Emma Carlow and Trevor Dickinson   Pandi is a cute, adorable little panda bear.   But he is also very naughty.  And every time he is naughty he says “It wasn’t me….it was the Great Blue Panda!”   Pandi’s mum knows the truth and decides to teach Pandi a lesson.  Pandi’s in for a shock!   And only then does he learn the value of honesty.   Age 2+

I Love My Cloth by Amber Stewart, illustrated by Layn Marlow    Bean is a little rabbit who is very attached to Cloth.  Mummy and Daddy rabbit think it is time to start doing things without Cloth.   But Bean is not so sure and hatches a plan, her “keep Cloth forever plan”.   But things don’t quite go to plan and Bean, with the help of Mummy, Daddy and big brother, slowly gets used to life without Cloth.  A really gentle story about letting go.  Age 2+

How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham    A beautiful story told mainly through pictures and the minimum of words and it works really well this way because parents and children can create their own commentary to go with the illustrations.  Will is a little boy who picks up a fallen bird from a crowded city pavement.  Everyone else has simply walked by.   He and his parents gently nurse the pigeon back to health.  With a little hope, “Will opened his hands and with a beat of its wings, the bird was gone”.  “A simple good deed shines with a child’s transforming faith”.  Books for Keeps   Age 0+

The Story Blanket written by Ferida Wolff, Harriet May Savitz and illustrated by Elena Odriozola    A heart-warming story about generosity rewarded, with stunning illustrations by the award-winning illustrator of The Opposite.  Babba Zarrah is the village storyteller and all the children love to sit on her beautiful woollen blanket to listen to her stories.   It is winter time and all Babba’s neighbours need new clothes.  Where is Babba going to get the wool to knit them?   “Every question has an answer,” said Babba Zarrah.   “I just have to think of it.”  Soon all the village children are huddling much closer together on Babba Zarrah’s story blanket.  Soon there is no blanket left, but the villagers have a solution for that!   Age 2+

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Blackman, Malorie, Cave, Kathryn, Freedman, Claire, Graham, Bob, Stewart, Amber, Williams, Sam, Wolff, Ferida | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

*This competition is now closed* Children’s Books – The Great Babbleabout/Tesco Magazine Kids’ Book Club *BOOK GIVEAWAY*

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

*This competition is now closed.*  Thank you everyone for taking part.

To celebrate  the launch of Tesco Magazine Kids’ Book Club story-telling videos, we’ve got one copy of each of the ten featured story books to giveaway – yes, that a ‘goody bookbag’ of 10 books for one lucky winner.    The stories range from beautifully illustrated picture books, to young readers and hilarious extracts from chapter books for older kids.  There’s a story to engage boys, and girls from 2-12 years and above.

To be in with a chance of winning this fabulous prize, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post.

So, the books are:-

Picture books (2-5 years)
Mine! Rachel Bright
Dog Loves Books, Louise Yates
Otto the Book Bear, Katie Cleminson
Thank You for Looking After Our Pets, Tim Hopgood
Little One’s Bedtime, Suzie Reeve
The Night Before Christmas, Clement C Moore
The Gruffalo’s Child, Julia Donaldson and Axel Schleffer

 

 

 

Chapter books
Daisy and the Trouble with Life, Kes Gray
‘Monster Madness’, Guy Bass
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Flies Again, Frank Cottrell Boyce

 

 

 

And if you want an EXTRA chance to win this goody bookbag, then:-

  • follow @tescomagazine on Twitter.   They are giving further bags of books away, watch for their twitter notifications.
  • like the Babbleabout facebook page.

For these extra entries to count, you will need to leave an extra comment on this post saying what extra action you took  (e.g. I liked the Babbleabout facebook page).   So that’s one comment on this post FOR EACH action taken.   The more comments the more chances to win!!!!

Terms and conditions
This competition is only open to UK residents over the age of 16.
Random.org will be used to select a number which we will then match to the corresponding comment entry on this post.
The competition will close at midnight (UK time) on Wednesday, 10th November, 2011 and the winner will be announced on Thursday 11th November, 2011, here on www.babbleabout.co.uk.   Good luck everyone.

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Bass,Guy, Bright, Rachel, Cleminson, Katie, Cottrell Boyce, Frank, Donaldson, Julia, Gray, Kes, Hopgood, Tim, Moore, Clement C, Reeve, Suzi | Tagged | 199 Comments

Children’s Books – Watch Before You Buy at Tesco Magazine Kids’ Book Club

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

Tesco Magazine Kids’ Book Club are launching a new series of story-telling videos – a great way to watch before you buy.  All the new story-time videos have been read by leading actors such as Alison Steadman, Caroline Quentin and Meera Syal and are set to produce lots of chuckles from kids and parents alike.   The stories range from beautifully illustrated picture books (see above), to young readers and hilarious extracts from chapter books for older kids (see below).   There’s a story to engage boys, girls from 2-12 years and above.   Anything to kick-start a love of reading, be it story-telling videos, interactive applications or Kindles, is good in my book.

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Bass,Guy, Bright, Rachel, Cleminson, Katie, Cottrell Boyce, Frank, Donaldson, Julia, Gray, Kes, Hopgood, Tim, Moore, Clement C, Reeve, Suzi, Yates, Louise | Leave a comment

5 children’s picture books that gently touch upon friendship, acceptance, separation and the value of not having it all

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Image copyright Yvonne Keen, Babbleabout

Few of us escape experiencing difficulties or upsets along the way.   It can be during these times that we learn the most about life, ourselves and what is important although this isn’t always easy.  And for children, it must be especially difficult and confusing as they are not armed with understanding, emotional maturity and wisdom that come with growing up.   Stories help, a lot.  Which is why I’ve put together this group of books

The Boy Who Grew Flowers, written by Jen Wojtowicz, illustrated by Steve Adams.   Jen Wojtowicz dedicates this book to her brother, Wally, “because you were there to show me that what makes us different is what makes us wonderful”.  We have read and re-read this book over and over again because of its uplifting and heart-warming tale about the value of acceptance.    Rink is a very special boy who, at every full moon, grows flowers all over his body.   “He was shy and quiet and different from the other children, so the teacher gave him a seat at the back of the room and did not bother with him.  As for the children, they had all heard rumours about Rink’s strange relatives, so they stayed a safe distance from him”.   Then Rink meets Angelina, a girl with her own secret, and together they find ways to help each other and their lives are changed forever.  Adams’ illustrations are stunning and beautifully support the story.  Delightful.   Age 5+

Look What I’ve Got! by Anthony Browne    I love Sam, the main character in this book.   I don’t like Jeremy, the other main character.   But then you have to wonder why it is that Jeremy acts the way he does (is it all his fault?).    Jeremy goes round with his nose in the air, showing off about all the stuff he has – a new bicycle, a pirate outfit, an ENORMOUS bag of lollipops.   He never shares but he always gets what he deserves (but not in the way he expects!).   Sam, on the other hand, is kind, friendly, happy in his own skin and very patiently rescues Jeremy from his scrapes.  The lesson here – happiness does not come from what you have but from who you are and how you are with the people around you.   Age 4+

Those Shoes, written by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones    As parents we constantly struggle getting the message across that there is a world of difference between wanting something and needing something.   And we are not helped by the constant bombardment from advertising on television directed at children and the peer pressure out on the playground.   Jeremy (yes, another Jeremy) is desperate to have those shoes – the ones with black high-tops, two white stripes, perfect shape.  Everyone at school has them.  But he can’t – his Grandma simply can’t afford them.  So Jeremy and his Grandma try the charity shops and eventually find a pair that Jeremy squeezes his feet into (they are way too small).  They really hurt his feet.  And then Jeremy notices someone else who might need his shoes more than him.  A powerful lesson about wants versus needs, particulary pertinent in today’s economic times.  Age 5+

Melrose and Croc, Friends for Life, by Emma Chichester Clark   Best friends Melrose and Croc remind each other what it is that they like about each other, ‘”You can do somersaults!”, said Little Green Croc.  “And you can draw aeroplanes!” said Melrose.’ Then one day Little Green Croc laments, “I wish I were more like you.”  “But you are you, and I am me….” said Melrose…”   A really touching story about what makes us and our friends special, unique and loveable.   Age 3+

Mum and Dad Glue, written by Kes Gray, illustrated by Lee Wildish   It’s no good.  No matter how hard he looks, a little boy can’t find the right glue at the glue shop to stick his Mum and Dad back together.   He is rescued by the kind, lady shopowner who offers him lovely words of advice.   He leaves the shop with no glue but with this message, “But there’s one thing to remember, and this should mean a lot.   My parents may be broken, but their love for me is not”.   The gently, rhyming text speaks about life belonging in a contemporary family and is accompanied by warm, colourful illustrations.   Age 5+

 

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Boelts, Maribeth, Browne, Anthony, Chichester Clark, Emma, Gray, Kes, Wojtowicz, Jen | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

5 Children’s Books Set During the Second World War (Plus Links to Teaching Resources)

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Image copyright Yvonne Keen, babbleabout.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

War is not an easy or straightforward subject to talk about with children.  War is never simple, never black and white.    The stories featured here are told through the eyes of children caught up in a war caused by grown-ups but felt by everyone.  The stories speak of innocence and wondering.   In Now, Felix watches Nazi soldiers flinging around and burning all the books from his orphanage library.   But it’s OK thinks Felix “I get it…..Mother Minka was complaining to us library monitors only last week that the library was very messy and needed a tidy-up….[t]hey’ve reorganised the library and now they’re burning the books that are left over”.   And in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Bruno, the lonely son of a concentration camp commandant, wonders at all the children over the other side of the fence and yearns to join them.  The stories also speak of courage and determination.   In The Silver Sword, we follow the perilous journey of four children across war-torn Poland to Switzerland in search of their parents, where every day is a struggle to survive.  And in The Machine Gunners, we experience daily life for Chas McGill and his gang as they collect war souvenirs in between nightly German bombing raids

Once by Morris Gleitzman Morris Gleitzman says he was inspired to write Once, Then and Now from reading the stories, diaries, letters and memories of those who lived at the time of the Holocaust. Once is the story of Felix, a young boy who runs away from an orphanage in Poland to search for his Mum and Dad. Instead, he finds and befriends a little orphan called Zelda, whose Father wore a Nazi uniform. Throughout the story, Felix describes events exactly how he sees them but interprets them as a young, innocent boy (as you would expect him to). Therefore, he doesn’t always understand fully what is actually taking place. And yet the reader does. This makes the story incredibly moving. Age 10+

Then by Morris Gleitzman Then continues the story of Felix and Zelda who are taken in by Genia, a farmer’s wife, living alone. She gives the children new Polish identities. Then the Nazis come. Be prepared for a harrowing ending but done with such beauty and simplicity of language and again seen through the eyes of a ten year old boy – “Oh. Oh no.” Age 10+

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Bryne   Bruno’s father is very high up in the German Army.   The ‘Fury’ assigns him a new job, commandant of a concentration camp.  So Bruno and his family have to move from their five-storey house in Berlin (with servants) to a new home, leaving all his friends and everything familiar behind.   Bruno feels hard done by, miserable and very lonely.    As days pass, he begins to wonder at the people in the striped pyjamas living on the other side of the fence and his boredom and curiosity gets the better of him.  He sets off to explore.   After much walking, Bruno sees a speck which turns out to be a boy and who becomes a friend he meets at the same spot along the fence almost every day.  The conversations of the two boys reveal their childhood innocence and naivety (especially Bruno’s).   Here’s an example “Are there many other boys over there?” asks Bruno.   “Hundreds,” said Shmuel.  Bruno’s eyes opened wide.  “Hundreds?’ he said, amazed.  “That’s not fair at all.  There’s no one to play with on this side of the fence.  Not a single person.”  “We don’t play,” said Shmuel.  Watch out for a killer punch in the final pages.   Age 10+

The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier    Written by a schoolteacher shortly after the Second World War ended and who knew the landscape of Europe well, this story tells of the remarkable journey four children make from the ruins of Warsaw in Poland to Switzerland as they struggle to search for their parents.   The children’s father, Joseph Balicki, has escaped a prison camp in southern Poland and tries and fails to find his children amongst Warsaw’s ruins.  He does find Jan though, an orphan with whom Joseph entrusts a silver sword and a message for his children (for them to make their way to their grandparent’s home in Switzerland).   Jan and the Balicki children meet up and here begins their perilous journey to safety.   An amazing insight into life in war-torn Europe – life carrying on under incredible hardship and deprivation.   Age 8+

The Machine Gunners by Robert Westall     Chas McGill is making the most of life in Garmouth, a town in the north of England, bombed almost nightly by the Germans.  After each raid, he scours the town for war souvenirs hoping to get the best collection amongst his schoolfriends.  Then he stumbles across a machine gun in the debris of a German bomber which ignites his idea for a fortress of his own.   The writing depicts the grim reality of life in a British town subjected to constant threats from German bombers – the frustration of running for the shelter just as tea is served (another wasted meal of rationed food); the dog-tiredness of the grown-ups (balancing the day job and night-warden duties); the emotional neglect of many children as the adults that remain struggle to maintain something of normal life.   It’s no wonder that Chas and his friends find solace in their own underground shelter.    Age 12+

Links to teaching resources covering the Second World War

Imperial War Museum

BBC – History: World War Two

BBC – Primary History – World War Two

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Bryne, John, Gleitzman, Morris, Pre-teen, Serrailler, Ian, Teenage, Westall, Robert | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Children’s Books on iPad and Desktops – A Way Forward But Not THE Way Forward

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Up until now I have resisted any developments in children’s books which in any way might distract from the serenity and quiet of following a storyline in a traditional, printed book.   My two children are avid readers and I put that down to the fact that we have no distracting and competing technology in our home (e.g. Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox, etc).   And then a close friend pointed out to me that perhaps I should consider these new developments and see them as just another way of engaging with a story.   My friend also gently pointed out that I use technology a lot of the time (I write on my site, use Facebook, Twitter, etc).  Point taken.   So, I sat down the other day and read with interest the article on the Made in Me – blog : What is an iPad good for?   Such a good article.

And it made think about another form of storytelling and book production which has been around for a whole lot longer than digital books – pop-ups.  If done well, these too highlight key events, explain what’s happening and add drama to well-known stories and tales.    All of which make a classic story accessible to a younger audience.   Modern pop-up books are becoming increasingly sophisticated with amazing feats of paper engineering, sound-effects and some even bridging the gap between book and computer (Disney Cars: Augmented Reality Book by Ellie O’Ryan (Carlton)).

The point I am trying to make here is that perhaps we should consider digital forms of books as a way forward, which might engage a young audience, encourage reluctant readers and provide an additional route into more traditional forms of reading (just like pop-up books!).   There is one huge caveat though, the digital application of a book must be done well.  Here (below) is an example of one children’s book app which I think has been done well.  It retains the integrity of the story, it has no whizzy features which distract from the storyline and it allows the child to enjoy his/her own version of the story … the best version.

I have always been a huge fan of Ladybird books.    I had lots as a child and I hunt them out in the depths of local charity shops and second-hand bookshops for my own children.   Made in Me is a children’s digital publishing company founded by a group of friends, artists, developers, teachers and parents and they have done something wonderful to classic Ladybird books – Me Books.   Me Books is a picture book app which allows parents and children to interact with and personalise the classic Ladybird books in an entirely new way.   By tapping words and text, the application plays narration, character voices and sounds.   Also, a child can add their own, completely unique commentary/version of the story by creating audio hotspots.  This is done by drawing an area with your finger and recording your own voice or sound.

Me Books - children's picture book app

 

 

 

 

Me Books - children's picture book app

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can see immediately that a child’s imagination could be really fired up by the storytelling opportunity that this app allows by putting their own words into the mouths of, say, the big bad wolf or Goldilocks.

Made in Me have also produced an award-winning desktop chapter book called The Land of Me, designed for children aged between two and six.   Designed with leading child development experts, The Land of Me allows children to make creatures, construct buildings, choreograph dances, compose music, tell stories and much more.   The Land of Me was introduced by Education Scotland to three local authorities to assess its impact on learning and to see how it might be used both in and outside the classroom, more information on this here.  

I remain and always will a complete advocate of  the printed book.  Nothing can replace the joy of turning the pages of a picture book, gently following the words and rhythm of its story and being absorbed by its illustrations.  But I accept there are other ways to engage with a story, pictures and text if done well and carefully.

Please note – we trialled the Land of Me products as described above and these are available for anyone else to trial on the same basis – see The Land of Me website.  (FYI our house happily remains a Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox-free zone.)

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Children’s books for new and developing readers – engaging books to move onto after Oxford Reading Tree

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

 

 

A majority of primary schools in the UK now use the Oxford Reading Scheme to support the teaching of reading to their children.   The scheme has synthetic phonics at its heart which is the preferred method for teaching reading skills in schools.   In short, synthetic phonics teaches children to decode or break words down into individual sounds (phonemes) which can be blended together to read a written word.   The English alphabet is made up of 26 letters, these 26 letters create 44 sounds in 144 combinations.  Phew!  Learning to read English is certainly not straightforward and the Oxford Reading Tree does an excellent job in supporting a child’s reading journey.

However, sometimes I get asked to recommend other children’s books that will provide some reading variety, engagement and which will develop confidence, thus making reading a pleasure.   The books and book series listed below are specifically recommended for new and emerging readers who are looking for books which bridge the gap between picture books and chapter books.

Corgi Pups, published by Random House    Described by the publishers as “perfect for new readers just starting out on real books”.   And they look and feel like ‘real’ books too which can be a big confidence boost for emerging readers.   The stories cover a range of topics suitable for the 5-7 age group – particularly animal and football stories.   The font size and line-spacing means that there is not too much text on a page and, additionally, the text is broken up with drawings and short chapters.  Ages 5-7

Walker Stories published by Walker Books    A delightful series of books “designed as the perfect first step into fiction”.   Each books contains three stories which are based around a character.  The stories are short but not too short and so are excellent for building up reading stamina and confidence.    My six year old particularly enjoyed Glog by Pippa Goodhart, about a resilient little cave-boy who has to fend for himself when his tribe accidentally leave him behind when they move to new hunting grounds.  Ages 5-7

Happy Families, written by Allan Ahlberg and published by Puffin   “The best thing to happen to beginner readers since Dr Seuss” (Children’s Rights Workshop).    Based on the classic “Happy Families” card game, you get to meet all sorts in this engaging reading series.  All are delightfully illustrated in colour and with the right amount of text on each page.   So get ready to meet Ms Cliff the Climber, Mr Creep the Crook,  Mrs Vole the Vet, Master Money the Millionaire, Master Salt the Sailor’s Son, Miss Dust the Dustman’s Daughter, Miss Dose the Doctor’s Daughter, Mr Tick the Teacher, Master Bun the Baker’s Boy…. and many more.   My six year old daughter has LOVED these books.   Ages 5-7

I AM READING series published by Pan Macmillan   This series definitely bridges the gap between picture books and full-blown, extended chapter books.    They feature short, numbered chapters to build up stamina in reading, easy-to-read type and clear, simple sentences.   Top authors have contributed to this series making them ‘cool’ too – Jacqueline Wilson and Alan Durant are two.   All include colourful pictures to support the text and provide visual clues.  I particularly like the “Tips for Beginner Readers” at the back of the book – good advice for parents too who want to provide additional ideas and support.  Ages 5-7

Coloured Banana books published by Egmont    This is an excellent series of books organised into four levels depending on reading ability: Green bananas, books containing three short stories in one for first readers; blue bananas, simple stories for early readers; red bananas, bridging books for building confidence; and yellow bananas, chapter books for newly fluent readers.   The size of text, language choice, spacing, and use of illustrations changes as the reader works through the different levels.   The story topics are suitable for boys and girls covering subjects such as football, animals, and mermaids.  Well-known authors and illustrators have contributed to the series including Jacqueline Wilson and Korky Paul.  Ages 5-9

Colour Young Puffin books published by Puffin   A lovely series of books for developing readers – short stories or chapters, simple words and sentences, pictures throughout – and confident readers – long, more developed stories or chapers, simple sentences, pictures throughout.    Again, well established authors are used – Anne Fine, Jeremy Strong, Dick King-Smith, Helen Cresswell and Frank Rodgers.  These books look and feel like real paperbacks which will give any child a real confidence boost but inside are carefully written using simple language and colourful illustrations for visual clues.  Speech bubbles are included for shared reading opportunities.   Ages 5-9.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Ahlberg, Allan | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Make it with paper – 6 children’s books for budding paper engineers

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

I don’t know about your children, but mine go through paper like drinking water.  Thankfully we have a plentiful supply of scrap paper.   Paper, scissors, sellotape and lots of imagination will keep children happy for hours.   And sometimes the results are, quite frankly, amazing.  Real feats of paper engineering.   Also, it is not always about the end result.   The planning, the designing, the cutting, the folding, the sticking together are all important life skills to take into adult life.  So even if your child presents you with a paper or cardboard tractor and it looks more like a bird’s nest, give lots of praise because the journey to the end result will have been a lot of fun and very worthwhile.   Here are our favourite books for making things with paper.

How to make Pop-Ups (Usborne)   This is an excellent starter book for creating amazing 3-D designs from paper.  But actually older children will also get lots from this book.  There is a very useful ‘Getting started’ section which shows you folding tips, how to trace a template, scoring card etc.  And then on to the projects – easy pop-ups, things on springs, pop-up chains, pop-up farm, animal mouths, space-ship lift-off and so on.   Age 3+

A Wacky Guide to Paper Fun – How to make almost anything with paper!   Alan Snow   This has got to be one of those books you reach for during wet weekends and school holidays.  Nearly all of the ideas here just use paper and stuff you will have lying around.  We particularly enjoyed the ‘Incredible Indoor Sports’: Bat-a-Rat, Cornflakes Football, Whack-a-Fish, Paper Plate Tennis and Ten Pin Bowling.  Also fun (and educational) are the ‘Moving Pictures’ sections (Act one and two).  Age 5+

Get Writing – Creative book-making projects for children by Paul Johnson    Firstly, please don’t be fooled or put off by the title of this book (i.e. “Get Writing..”).   This is an excellent book for using paper engineering and book-making to support children’s writing work and project activities.   We have used this book extensively to make books for learning log assignments set by my children’s primary school.  The book itself contains over a hundred ideas for book-making for children aged 7-12.  Each section introduces a basic book form, e.g. a pop-up book, a shape book, a zigzag book or a flap book, and then gives examples of different ways the design can be used for a variety of exciting writing projects.   They really bring project work activities to life.   Age 7+

Make it with paper published by Book House    Contains beautiful and very entertaining ideas for children for rainy days at home or in the classroom, all using materials/items which are easy to find.  Ideas include frilly flowers made from coloured crepe paper, a collage-covered concertina-style booklet (great for a homework project, see above), a clever ‘growing’ paper doll and a complete small-town scene.    Age 5+

Things to make and do with paper (with stickers) published by Usborne    Usborne have done it again with this colourful, idea-packed book of paper activities.   And once the project is finished, it can be decorated with the stickers that are included!   Here are just some of the lovely ideas – a shiny necklace using rolled up giftwrap, cut-out clowns, paper gliders, a bird mask, dolly paperchain which can then be decorated with tissue paper and stickers, tissue paper flowers, fairy pictures, jumping frogs and pop-up cards.   Age 3+

Art from Paper (with projects using wastepaper and printed materials) by Gillian Chapman and Pam Robson   This book has some stunning art projects created from paper with an emphasis on making use of old newspapers, giftwrap, old greetings cards and all sorts of wastepaper.   There are some simple ideas such masks and disguises to slightly more involved projects such as making handmade paper; bangles, beads and bowls from papier mache; and bookmaking with proper, bound covers.   For teachers, there is a very useful topic web all about art from paper.   Age 5+ to adult.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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5 Children’s Books about Saving the Planet – Picture Books That Carry an Important Message

Posted on September 27, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Besides caring for our fellow human beings, is there a more important message than taking care of our planet?   These delightful children’s picture books carry this message in stories, suggestions, activities and facts.   As Michael Foreman puts it so well in Why the Animals Came to Town “Wakey-wakey, everyone! You’ve been asleep for far too long.  Our world is burning, melting, sinking.  Everywhere there’s rubbish stinking.”

Why the Animals Came by Michael Foreman    Why have the animals come to town and what is the message they bring?  The rhyming text and beautiful illustrations combine to form a powerful reminder of why we need to look after our planet.   After all, “how empty would the world be, without the animals roaming free”.  I love Michael Foreman’s illustrations, perfect for storytelling.   Age 4+

Growing Green – A young person’s guide to taking care of the planet by Christina Goodings and Masumi Furukawa   So now we know why, what can we do about it?   Well, this delightful little book contains all sorts of ideas for taking care of our planet – how to tread carefully and thoughtfully as you walk through long grass, becoming a gentler user of the world’s resources (before you buy, think: could you do without it?), putting less on the rubbish heap by recycling more, growing your own greens and so on.   “When humankind lives gently and fairly, the world will be a better place”.   Age 3+

Dear Greenpeace by Simon James   Little Emily sees a whale in her garden pond and writes to Greenpeace to tell them all about it.  Greenpeace write back saying “I don’t thing you’ll find it was a whale you saw, because whales don’t live in ponds, but sea water”.   And there follows a delightful exchange of letters between Emily and Greenpeace all about the subject of whales accompanied by beautiful, soft illustrations.  Emily remains adamant about her whale in the garden pond and Greenpeace gently invites Emily to join them when she is older to learn more about the oceans and protecting whales.  Age 2+

Rose’s Garden by Peter H Reynolds   This heart-warming story tells of children coming from all over a city who are from all over the world to help Rose plant some colour in a dusty, forgotten stretch of earth.   And when people work together…. anything is possible.   A message for us all.   Age 2+


One World by Michael Foreman  One day a brother and sister create a tiny new world in their bucket at the seashore – seaweed, coloured stones, shells, two shrimps and three small fishes.   “Together, they held their world in their hands.   All the long afternoon, they tended their tiny world”.   And as they did so, a blob of oil spreading across the surface of a nearby rockpool reminded the children of the delicate state of the larger world they knew and how easily it could be spoiled.   Age 5+

 

 

 

 

 

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If you like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you’ll love these…3 more children’s books that will have you laughing out loud and great for reluctant readers too

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books that are stuffed full of jokes or have highly-original storylines or are a bit subversive or naughty are the very best for getting children back into reading.    Graphic or comic-style illustrations will also help to engage their readers and hold interest.   And, of course, if you laugh your pants off (which you will if you read these books) even better!   I heartily recommend any of the following books to even the most reluctant readers.

The Killer Underpants by Michael Lawrence    Who would have thought a pair of multi-coloured, one hundred percent cotton underpants would cause so much trouble?   Not only were Jiggy McCue’s pants chosen by his Mum – off-the-scale embarrassing – but then they decide to stick around, literally.   Will Jiggy ever escape the clutches of his Little Devils underpants?   This is such a funny book – a completely original and outrageous storyline and stuffed full of jokes.   Boys (and their mums) will particularly love this book.   Age 8+

Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman    Join Limpy, the cane toad, on a perilous journey into the city.  Limpy just wants humans to like cane toads instead of deliberately running over them on the highway – pop!    Limpy is a really endearing character – warts and all – who sees the best in everyone and has a hilarious sense of humour (just like his creator).   Against all the odds, Limpy begins to win over the people of Australia.   “Stack me!”.   Age 8+

 

 

Herbert’s Wormhole by Peter Nelson, illustrated by Rohitash Rao     Alex Filby has promised his parents that once he has slayed the very last Alien Invader on his AlienSlayer 2 video game, he would play outside for the rest of the summer.   Big mistake.  Alex lives in Merwinsville, the most boring town of all time and his mum has arranged a whole summer of playdates with the geek, I mean kid, next door (Herbert).   Never mind Alex.  There’s always the “Safe-T-Kids Jump n’ Jammin’ Jungle Gym” your Mum and Dad have had built in the backyard.   But there’s more to the tunnel-slide than you think.   Especially when wearing Herbert’s AlienSlayer: 3-D! silver zip-up bodysuit!    Described as “A Novel in Cartoons”, I challenge any reader not to fall about at the time-travelling adventures of Alex and Herbert.   Although this is an American book, it is available in the UK (and don’t be put off by the occasional American spellings).   Age 8+

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Kinney, Jeff, Lawrence, Michael, Nelson, Peter, Pre-teen | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

9 Children’s Books About Africa : Celebrating Africa’s Colour, Culture and Diversity in Stories and Rhyme

Posted on September 17, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Image courtesy of the world wide web

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always been fascinated by Africa.   My father was stationed in west Africa during the Second World War.   Besides being a soldier he was an artist and he brought back paintings that he did, vivid with colour, of his pet monkey, the wildlife and the goings-on beyond his army camp.

All the books I have chosen below bring out the rich, hot colours, the unusual animals, the beautiful landscapes and the interesting people of this most amazing continent.

Mama Panya’s Pancakes – A Village Tale from Kenya written by Mary and Rich Chamberlin, illustrated by Julia Cairns    Mama Panya wants to make pancakes for her and her son, Adika, so she cries out “today, we go to the market”.  But she only has two coins in the cloth tied around her waist.  However, on their journey, Adika is always one step ahead of her, handing out invitations to their meal of pancakes and negotiating “a little bit and a little bit more” from their market trader friends.    The message here, kindness is always rewarded.    At the end of the story there is a really helpful information section about village life in Kenya, what you might meet on a walk to market, speaking Kiswahili and facts and a map of Kenya.   Age 4+

Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne    This is a lovely tale of friendship and generosity with a joke running through it that children will LOVE.   Handa’s colourful basket of fruits looks very inviting to the animals she passes on the way to her friend, Akeyo.   But who has the biggest surprise at the end of Handa’s walk?    Lots of oranges, yellows, blues and reds bring out the warmth and vitality of Handa’s surroundings.   Age 2+

We’re Going on a Lion Hunt by David Axtell  A colourful, African take on a traditional tale.   Through long grass (swish, swash), through a lake (splish, splash), through a swamp (squish, squelch), a big dark cave…. in we go!   A great story for reading aloud and shouting out noise words together.   And excellent for learning and understanding prepositions (over, under, around, through).    Age 1+

 

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Beatriz Vidal    This book is a cumulative rhyming tale which builds through repetition and rhythm, rather like “The House That Jack Built”.    And because the tale builds upon itself and the words and phrases are frequently repeated, those listening can confidently join in.   Beautiful illustrations really capture the colour and light of Africa.  Age 2+

Jamela’s Dress, story and pictures by Niki Daly    Jamela, a mischievous and very likeable little girl, gets so carried away with the beautiful material her mum has worked so hard for and bought for a friend’s wedding that she parades it down the main street for all to see.   Only she doesn’t see what’s happening behind her.   Is there going to be a happy ending for Kwela Jamela African Queen?   Age 2+

What’s Cooking, Jamela? Story and pictures by Niki Daly    This time Jamela grows too fond of the family chicken destined for Christmas lunch and hatches a plan to rescue her from the pot.    Only things don’t quite go to plan!   Thankfully, though, everyone agrees “You can’t eat friends!”.    Delightful.   Age 2+

 

 

South African animals by Lindiwe Mabuza, illustrated by Alan Baker    Go on a wildlife journey from A-Z and discover all the amazing and incredibly varied animals that inhabit Mbali’s world.   Mbali is a young Swazi girl who introduces all the local animals from aardvark, buffaloes and cheetahs, to whales, yellow-billed kites and zebras.   Lovely rhyming text adds to the appeal.    Age 2+

African Folk Tales by Hugh Vernon-Jackson, illustrated by Yuko Green   This is a collection of traditional African folk tales recorded as they were told by people of Nigeria and other cultures.    Some tales teach us valuable lessons in life, others seek to explain why animals look the way they do.   All of them provide an entertaining account of life in Africa.   Age 6+

 

 

 

The Colour of Home, written by Mary Hoffman and illustrated by Karin Littlewood    Hassan and his family have fled war-torn Somalia and have come to live in England.   But where have all the colours gone?   All around is cold and grey and everyone speaks a strange language.  At school Hassan is encouraged to paint and slowly he begins to see the colours of his new home and new surroundings.   He is settling down.   A moving and gentle introduction to the refugee issue.   Age 6+

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Browne, Eileen | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dyslexia Friendly Children’s Books – Building a Confidence in Reading for All Children

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All children should have access to books and be able to enjoy a good story or information book.   They can then experience the pleasure of a swashbuckling adventure, follow incredible true-life stories of exploration and find out fascinating facts about the world we live in.

But not all children find reading easy. And this is especially so for children with dyslexia, “a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling”.  (Rose Review, June 2009).

Corinna Shepherd has been working with children and adults who struggle with dyslexia for a number of years and has set up three Chillterns IDL (Indirect Learning) Centres in Buckinghamshire.  Here she offers assessments and remedial help with reading and spellings.  With such a wealth of experience and needing more resources to offer children , Corinna decided to set up Dancing Kites Creative Learning and write and publish her own books specifically for children with dyslexia.    Her books are designed to make the world of words and imagination accessible, using words and illustrations together in a fun way and which encourage children to read and write.  The books are organised in ‘steps’ which are aligned closely to stages 1 to 3 of Dyslexia Action’s well-established Alpha to Omega Scheme.

My Dog Nick and rats and cats…. written by Corinna Shepherd, illustrated by Phil Wood   This Step 1 book uses rhyming text and rhythm to engage and to reinforce sound patterns and learning.   The text is also supported by clear and simple illustrations which provide plenty of visual clues.   Step 1 books are designed for a child to use with an adult helper.  At regular intervals in the book there are fun activities to complete together which help to reinforce the reading, while helping with spelling too.    Step 1: For guidance: age 4-11, spelling age 4-8.

Will the Wizard cast his spell written by Corinna Shepherd, illustrated by Ciaran Finnegan   Similar to Step 1, this Step 2 book has illustrated poems with activities to stimulate the imagination and reinforce learning.  However readers are encouraged to be less dependent on pictures to decode words and they are set at a more challenging level in terms of language choice.   Step 2 books are designed to appeal to children who are working at a lower spelling age than their actual age or interest level.   Step 2: For guidance: age 6-13, spelling age 8-12.

Through the Magic Window written by Corinna Shepherd, illustrated by Ciaran Finnegan  A Step 3 book which again is set at a more challenging level in terms of language choice and which has much more text compared to illustrations.   This encourages the child to read and spell without relying too heavily on pictures or visual clues.   I particularly like the interactive activities that are included in this book, for example, in one activity the lines of the poem have got muddled up and the reader is asked to put back together the two halves of each separated sentence – excellent for checking reading and comprehension.   Step 3: For guidance: age 10-15, spelling age 12-15.

All Corinna’s books include dyslexia-friendly features:-

  • a special dyslexia font called Myriad Pro
  • a font size which is large enough and with the correct use of white space
  • not too much information on the page which might otherwise cause visual confusion and disorientation
  • the use of pictures with words to accurately represent the stories and the language used
  • tinted backgrounds where there is no obvious colour alongside coloured lettering.

Mum of two and student on an Advanced Certificate course in the teaching of children with Dyslexia, says of the books “I really liked the rhyme.  Children with dyslexia don’t often hear end sounds and struggle with rhyme, so this was a good reinforcement, using the constant simple rhyme…. I loved the amount of visual clues that reinforced the ‘story’ and word.   Emphasis was given to font also, for example, the word GIANT was large, invisible was ‘invisible’ – superb clues throughout.”

Another publisher of books specially designed for struggling, reluctant and dyslexic readers is Barrington Stoke who publish well-written, interesting books by well-known authors across a range of ages and reading abilities.   Again, their books all include dyslexia-friendly features and are tested by children reading at the age of eight.   Helpfully, their books are organised according to both interest age and reading age and feature many well-known children’s authors such as Michael Morpurgo, Jeremy Strong and Malorie Blackman.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Using Children’s Fiction to Inspire Interest and Take Up of Science and Engineering Subjects – ‘Is’ by Derek Webb

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Yvonne Keen
Saltash Bridge

Saltash Bridge. Image courtesy of www.ikbrunel.org.uk

 

 

 

 

 

Derek Webb is the author of Is.   And Derek Webb has been very clever.   Firstly, he has written a children’s fictional book which will enthuse children about all things science and engineering.   And secondly, by making the main character a girl, Webb also succeeds in challenging gender stereotypes in the workplace and in careers.

Isabel Williams is the herione.   She is a tiny, twelve year old girl who joins Robert’s class sometime during the second year of secondary school.  She may be small but Is is about to make a big impression – in the middle of her first physics lesson with Mr Phillips she openly challenges his assertion that her design for a bridge just won’t work.   You see, Is is fascinated by science and engineering.  So much so, she believes she is Isambard Kingdom Brunel reincarnated.

Robert tells the story of the journey he makes with Is.   Actually, several journeys.  Firstly, one of engineering discovery where the two of them visit Brunel’s railway bridge across the River Thames at Maidenhead, then on to the first tunnel ever built under a river in the world, again Brunel’s (go to Wapping underground station), to the Science Musuem and finally to Box Tunnel, site of the longest railway tunnel in the world when it opened in 1841.   Robert and Is also navigate the sometimes treacherous teenage years of growing up.  Is, especially, faces up to the challenges of life in a single-parent family and starting yet another new school.

Is is woven with lots of humour and mystery and has an ending which will leave all aspiring engineers inspired and thirsty for more.

Is is supported by a fantastic website – the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Portal - where you can access an IKB timeline, topics, a really comprehensive set of teacher resources and educational and Brunel-linked weblinks.

For teachers and home-educators, I have also included here a suggested cross-curricular list of activities based on Is for years 5 and 6.   Cross currricular[1] Derek Webb

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The ABC Animals – Reassuring Stories for Children Starting School

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Starting school can be a daunting time even for the most confident of children.   And for us parents it isn’t a whole lot easier.  Even if your child is outwardly putting on a brave face, most children will be just a little bit apprehensive on their first day.   Where do I go?  What if I need the loo?   Will my teacher be nice?   Will I make new friends?  Will the other children be friendly?   Where do I eat my lunch?   These are just some of the questions that might be running through your child’s mind.

Emma Tofi has combined her loves of storytelling, writing and working with young children to produce a beautifully written set of picture books to reassure little ones as they begin their school lives.    The setting for each of the books is Jungle Junior where Alana Alligator, Bertie Bullfrog and Charlie Cheetah are adapting to school life.   But school days don’t always run smoothly for our animal friends and each of them has to deal with an issue that many children might face in their early years at school.    The gentle, reassuring text of each title is accompanied by colourful and expressive illustrations by Hermione Skrine.   All the books come complete with some fun activities such as colouring-in pages and word searches.   I particularly like that Charlie the Cheating Cheetah includes a win-the-race board game to play – an excellent way to practice turn-taking and playing to enjoy and not just to win – just what the book gently advocates.

The books are an excellent resource for teachers and parents alike and are a perfect way to introduce sensitive issues in a completely non-threatening way during circle time or PSHE sessions or at home cuddled up together on the sofa.

Alana the Angry Alligator by Emma Tofi, with illustrations by Hermione Skrine    Alana doesn’t have any friends and she doesn’t want any, thank you very much!   But secretly, she doesn’t want to be alone all the time.    She covers up her shyness by pretending not to care.   In this gentle story, shy, lonely Alana learns how to make friends and have fun with the other animals at Jungle Junior.   Age 4+

Bertie Bullfrog and the bullies by Emma Tofi, with illustrations by Hermione Skrine   “Bertie Bullfrog hated school.   It wasn’t because he found classes difficult.  In fact, Bertie was rather clever.  It wasn’t because he didn’t like his teacher.   Miss Giraffe made learning fun.   It was because Bertie was being bullied.”   Bertie is at a loss as to what to do.  If he tells the teacher, it makes the bullies even more angry.   And his friends don’t want to know in case they get bullied too.  Rescue comes in the form of Tamara, a tiny little tree frog, who encourages Bertie to stand up for himself.    Bertie, Tamara and the rest of Miss Giraffe’s class turn the tables on the bullies.  “This isn’t very nice”, they say, “You’re all picking on us”.  Together, Bertie and the bullies learn the value and importance of friendship.  A really touching story revealing the feelings and fears of the bullied and the bullies.   Age 4+

Charlie the Cheating Cheetah by Emma Tofi, with illustrations by Hermione Skrine    Charlie has to learn the hard way that winning is not everything especially when it means losing your friends.   The trouble is Charlie LOVES to win.  So much so, that he cheats.    But his friends on the Sports Day committee have had enough and Charlie is banned from taking part.   Charlie learns that there is more to being a friend than winning at games in this gentle, reassuring story.   And in the end Charlie wins something far more important than first prize.   Included in this book is a page with a win-the-race game – perfect for practicising turn-taking, winning and, most importantly, losing.   Age 4+

I believe Emma’s books are an invaluable resource for Early Years and Key Stage 1 teachers.   The first term of school can throw up all sorts of issues in the classroom and the playground and these books can be used to gently explain and reassure young children and help them to settle into school life.    Emma’s books are available through Thingley Press and Amazon.

 

 

 

 

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6 Delightful Children’s Picture Books from Small, Independent Publishers – Celebrating their Creativity

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Here are six delightful children’s picture books that have been published by the authors and illustrators themselves as self-publishers or by setting up their own, independent publishing companies.    And I am so glad they did!

The authors/illustrators of these books all clearly share a passion for imaginatively bringing to life simple childhood pleasures – splashing in puddles, building dens deep in wild woods and following the path a bee takes as it flies from flower to flower collecting pollen.   And as I have read all these books to my children I have been reminded of how childhood should be – innocent, uncomplicated and uncluttered by worldly possessions.    Simple pleasures are to be found all around us – at the bottom of the garden, at the seashore, at the park, walking in the wood.   

Ping and Pong – Splash by Amy Trevaskus, illustrated by Alison Heath.   Lucy takes her two little (and I mean little) friends, Ping and Pong, to the park.   They try out the slide – yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeee – the swings - higher, higher – feed the ducks and the best bit of all – get soaking wet, splashing in the huge puddles.   Perfect simple fun for a rainy day.  Age 1+

Ping and Pong – Grow by Amy Trevaskus, illustrated by Alison Heath.    Join Lucy, Ping and Pong as they spend the morning at Grandad’s allotment.  Learn all about the plants and produce Grandad grows from tiny seeds and discover the important job that bees do when they fly from flower to flower, collecting pollen to make into honey.   And when Lucy and Grandad aren’t looking, Ping and Pong have an adventure of their own – thanks to a busy bee and her friends!   Age 1+

So, you’ve met Ping and Pong, the creations of Amy Trevaskus (writer) and Alison Heath (illustrator).   Lucy takes her two little friends on simple adventures – to the puddles in the park and Grandad’s allotment – laughing and learning along the way.   My daughters instantly fell in love with Ping and Pong especially as we had recently finished The Borrowers who, like Ping and Pong, are little people who live under the kitchen floor behind the clock.   Ping and Pong are full of character – Ping is mischievous and fun-loving whereas Pong is more cautious and loves helping Lucy in the kitchen and the garden.   Both are completely adorable and I am sure all children will want to have their own Ping and Pong to take with them on their adventures.   Mine do!   Alison Heath’s illustrations are a clever and beautiful combination of pen and ink filled in with vibrant and rich colours.   I love the level of detail she includes in her pictures, e.g. the allotments in Grow, and the expressions she creates on the faces of Ping, Pong and Lucy.

Jack and Boo’s Wild Wood by Philip and Eleanor Bell    This picture book brings the beauty, adventure and magic of a wild wood setting to life.   The illustrations are a clever mix of photographs and drawings which really draw you into the story and give them an almost three-dimensional feel.   We love the wild wood spotter and activity pages at the end of the book.   Age 1+

Jack and Boo’s Bucket of Treasures by Philip Bell and Eleanor Bell   Another adventure with Jack and Boo, this time at the beach.   The story follows the two young characters as they explore the beach and gather treasures at low tide.   Again the book contains a spotter guide and further ideas for families to explore at the beach.   This is a must for taking on the family beach holiday this summer!  Age 1+

Husband and wife team, Philip and Eleanor Bell of Beachy Books have written and illustrated two books (with more on the way) about the adventures their two children – Jack and Boo – have exploring the outdoors-on-their-doorstep, in the woods and on the beach in the Isle of Wight.   Descriptive and imaginative text accompanies clever illustrations where drawings of the children have been placed into woodland and beach photographs. 

If I were a bee…. written and illustrated by Dolores Keaveney    Follow the journey of a bee as it dances on bright, yellow sunflowers, drinks nectar from smiling, red poppies and buzzes round gardens full of pretty, pink foxgloves.   A gentle, rhyming text perfectly accompanies vibrant and colourful illustrations of flowers and meadows, apples and trees.   You really sense the delight of the bee on its journey and we are reminded that we must work together with the natural world to protect it for all future inhabitants – including bees!  Age 1+

Jenny the little brown hen written and illustrated by Dolores Keaveney    This is a simple and very charming story of a little brown hen who lives and potters about each day at the bottom of Sean and Kathleen’s garden.   She seems to have everything a little hen could possibly wish for – lots of space to run around in, beautiful flowers and trees to admire, seeds and grass to eat and lots of visitors to chat with – a little robin, a busy bee and Ellie and Greg, two little children who call on her often.    But Jenny is lonely.   Then, Sylvester the Rooster comes to stay and Jenny’s life changes forever.   Age 1+

Dolores Keaveney is an artist/painter who has been inspired to write and illustrate children’s books since becoming a grandmother to her “four beautiful grandchildren”.  And with great determination Dolores has self-published her books.   If I were a bee… was launched in May 2009 and is well into its second print run already.   Jenny the little brown hen soon followed in August 2010 and it too has been very successful which is not surprising given the beauty of Dolores’ paintings.   Visit her website to purchase prints and to download a colour-me-in picture from If I were a bee….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

6 Children’s Adventure/Activity/Puzzle Books to Banish Holiday Boredom

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Actually, I believe there is nothing wrong with children experiencing some boredom.   It is often during periods of having ‘nothing to do’ that the most creative and best ideas are born.   All the same, I have included here a list of books that I have reached for or have borrowed during rainy days in the school holidays.    All of these books have been great fun to do alongside my children, sparking new ideas for further activities that we have either done together or my kids have gone off to do on their own.  

The Once Upon a Time Map Book by B.G Hennessy, illustrated by Peter Joyce    My eldest daughter LOVES this book.   It is divided into six magical ‘lands’ with a map and directions for each.   Around each map are letters and numbers to help readers find their way (great for learning grid references) and a compass shows the directions of north, south, east and west.   A key also identifies local routes and distances.   It is the reader’s mission to follow a detailed route through each landscape, finding hidden objects along the way, discovering points of interest and avoiding dangers on route.  Age 5+

Lucy and the Sea Monster by Karen Dolby (Usborne Young Puzzle Adventures)    My six year old daughter and I loved working our way through this book together.  Lucy and the Sea Monster go on a magical sea adventure to find Lucy’s lost cat, Tom.  On each page, the reader has to find hidden objects, navigate through a maze, solve questions or unravel hidden messages before moving on through the book.  A delightful and happy ending with answers in the back if you get stuck.   Age 5+

The Girls’ Holiday Book, published by Buster Books   Sorry boys, this is definitely one for the girls (see below for boy-orientated activity books).    This is packed FULL of so many different and varied activities including games and quizzes, puzzles, doodles-to-do and a whole list of activities.   Here’s a really good example – perfect postcards, where instead of keeping a holiday diary, buy a postcard each day and every evening write a diary entry on the back, describing where you went and what you saw.   When you get back home, hole punch each postcard and thread a piece of ribbon through each of the holes and tie it in a bow at the top.  You’ll now have a postcard book of holiday memories.   Age 6+

The Pyramid Plot by Justin Somper (Usborne Puzzle Adventures).    I have to hand it to Usborne.  They have produced a fantastic range of puzzle adventure books (and no, I don’t work for them or sell their books!).   My eldest has just studied Ancient Egypt at school and loved it so she is relishing looking at this book.   As with Lucy and the Sea Monster there is a mystery to solve on each page before you can progress through the book although the level of difficulty is much higher with this particular range.   For example,  on page 13, the reader has to deciper a papyrus roll of hieroglyphics and a lot of the pages require careful reading of the text and good comprehension skills.   Age 8+

The Jungle of Peril by Patrick Burston, illustrated by Alastair Graham (Game 3 in the Puzzle Master Series)   Your mission is to find the treasure of Oraz, hidden deep in the Jungle of Peril.  There are mazes to work through, objects to find and paths to choose.  And if you choose the wrong one, you have to start right back at the beginning.   The secret is to work out the correct sequence of pages to get to the end of the book – good luck!  Age 5+

Dragon Quest by Andy Dixon, illustrated by Nick Harris (Usborne Fantasy Puzzle Books)   Another gem of a series by Usborne (also available are Knight Quest, Sword Quest and Star Quest).   The setting for Dragon Quest is Shortsville, in the Land of Grandos, where a spell has been cast by an evil Wizard which has made all the citizens of Shortsville go bald!   The purpose of the quest is to find and destroy the Well of Spells which gives the evil Wizard all his powers.   But time is running out as Winter is approaching and the people of Shortsville need their hair to keep warm!   Each double-spread has an intricately drawn, detailed picture in which people, objects and pathways are hidden and for the reader to find in order to progress to the next page.   The illustrations by Nick Harris are amazing and really bring the mystery and story to life.   Age 8+

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

7 Fun Ways to Keep Your Children Writing in the Summer Holidays

Posted on July 25, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

This might sound like a bit of an ‘ask’ when the sun is shining and the garden is so inviting, but all the suggestions below are fun, don’t take up too much time and don’t feel like school work at all (no offence to teachers, the ideas are just different that’s all!).

  1. Keep a record of all your holiday adventures/memories by making a holiday scrapbook.   We make one each year and this year we have made ours look like suitcases (my youngest was insistent upon putting the handles at the top rather than the sides but it was her scrapbook!).     Jane Bull in The Holiday Activity Book has some excellent ideas for making fun and interesting holiday scrapbooks including a beach shell, a mini-bus for car journeys and so on.    Keep everything that you do during the holidays – tickets, train timetables, maps, photographs, drawings, anything – and stick them in.   We love looking back at scrapbooks from previous years. 
  2. Send letters and/or postcards to friends.   There’s nothing better than hearing the sound of the post plop onto the hallway floor, racing down the stairs and finding a handwritten envelope just for you.   Kids LOVE getting their own personally addressed mail so why not get children writing to their friends during the summer holidays.
  3. Send emails.    If it is difficult to get pen or pencil to paper, what about sending emails?   Children will still have to plan what to say, form words and construct sentences.   (Just make sure the parental controls are on if leaving kids unsupervised on the computer.)
  4. Organise a garden tea party for friends, family or favourite toys and get the kids to write out the party invitations, menus, place cards, rules for party games and so on.    
  5. Have a back garden treasure hunt with friends and get the kids to write out the clues or instructions.    Don’t forget the prize at the end of the hunt. 
  6. Keep a nature diary for observing what’s going on in the garden or for taking on walks.
  7. Find a penfriend, preferably one who is around the same age and lives abroad.   I loved having a penfriend when I was a child and I got to learn so much about her life, her family, her friends, her hobbies and the country she lived in.   Perhaps you have friends or family living overseas who might know children around the same age as your child who could become a penfriend.

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Author Spotlight : 5 Brilliant Books by Morris Gleitzman. From Frozen Chicken Thawer to One of Australia’s Most Successful Authors

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

What I REALLY like about Morris Gleitzman are all the things he was BEFORE becoming a writer.   Here, for example, are some of the things he tells us he has done – frozen-chicken thawer, sugar-mill rolling stock unhooker, fashion-industry trainee, department-store santa, TV producer, newspaper columnist and screenwriter.    No wonder his stories are SO funny.   BUT he made it in the end and what must have been shed loads of perseverence and bucket loads of humour have helped him to become one of Australia’s most successful writers.   And these qualities are often reflected in the characters he writes about.   For example, Limpy, the cane toad in Toad Rage, demonstrates real guts when he clings to the front bumper of a truck all the way to the city.  And Bridget too, who, in Girl Underground, stages a daring attempt to first break into the Australian Parliament building and then a desert detention centre.

Gleitzman’s books are often laugh-out-l0ud funny, sometimes heart-wrenchingly sad but always tackling a serious issue and they challenge us to think about them too.

Toad Rage by Morris Gleitzman   Join Limpy, the cane toad, on a perilous journey into the city.  Limpy just wants humans to like cane toads instead of deliberately running over them on the highway – pop!    Limpy is a really endearing character – warts and all – who sees the best in everyone and has a hilarious sense of humour (just like his creator).   Against all the odds, Limpy begins to win over the people of Australia.   “Stack me!”.   Age 8+

Girl Underground by Morris Gleitzman    Bridget’s parents have enrolled her at one of the poshest boarding schools in Australia.   The only trouble is, Bridget’s family deals in dodgy imports from eastern Europe and her brother is in jail for stealing a cuckoo clock.   Bridget decides to keep her head down and try to stay out of trouble.  But she doesn’t count on making friends with Menzies, the son of a Government Minister (nobody important then!), who has a daring plan to rescue two kids who are held in an immigration detention centre.  Age 8+

Once by Morris Gleitzman   Morris Gleitzman says he was inspired to write Once, Then and Now from reading the stories, diaries, letters and memories of those who lived at the time of the Holocaust.   Once is the story of Felix, a young boy who runs away from an orphanage in Poland to search for his Mum and Dad.   Instead, he finds and befriends a little orphan called Zelda, whose Father wore a Nazi uniform.   Throughout the story, Felix describes events exactly how he sees them but interprets them as a young, innocent boy (as you would expect him to).  Therefore, he doesn’t always understand fully what is actually taking place.   And yet the reader does.  This makes the story incredibly moving.  Age 9+

Then by Morris Gleitzman    Then continues the story of Felix and Zelda who are taken in by Genia, a farmer’s wife, living alone.   She gives the children new Polish identities.    Then the Nazis come.   Be prepared for a harrowing ending but done with such beauty and simplicity of language and again seen through the eyes of a ten year old boy -   “Oh.  Oh no.”    Age 9+

Now by Morris Gleitzman    Now Felix is a grandfather, a retired Doctor, living in Australia.   Now the story is told through the eyes of Zelda, Felix’s granddaughter, who demonstrates the same courage as her namesake during the catastrophic bushfires in Victoria in February 2009.    A beautiful conclusion to a trilogy spanning 70 years.   Age 9+

 

I couldn’t recommend Morris Gleitzman’s books more highly for children aged 8/9 upwards.   In particular, I think they would appeal to boys who like to read books of humour but which also tackle serious, grown-up issues.

For more information about Morris Gleitzman and details of all his other books, please visit his website.    Morris Gleitzman also has his own facebook page where he will often personally respond to reader’s comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 8-10, Gleitzman, Morris, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

5 Great Children’s Picture Books for Counting Fun

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

How many pebbles can you count?

Make counting fun with these great children’s picture books and help your children begin to learn an important life skill at the same time.   Count with Ted as he falls out of bed and tries to get back in; how much food the Very Hungry Caterpillar gets through in just one week(!); how many cats Mrs McTats adopts in her small, cosy cottage; how ten fish become one down in the deep; and fly away with Granny and count from one to ten as she spins her way around the world!

My Granny Went to Market – A Round-the-World Counting Rhyme by Stella Blackstone and Christopher Corr    An excellent resource on many levels  and cleverly written in rhyme.  Granny goes on a magical, world-wide shopping trip collecting souvenirs from each country she visits.   Here’s a taster – “The flying carpet seemed to know exactly where to take her; they went to China next, to buy four lanterns made of paper.   ‘To Switzerland!’ cried Granny as the carpet turned around.  She bought five cowbells there, that made a funny clanking sound.”   Beautifully illustrated revealing the vibrancy of each of the countries visited.    Age 0+

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle   One of THE classic children’s books, the idea of which apparently came when the author was punching holes with a hole puncher into a stack of paper.   The rhythm and repetition of the text, the adorable nature of the main character and the trail of holes left by the caterpillar through the pages of the book all add to the book’s appeal.   It also introduces the numbers one through to five as the caterpillar munches his way through more and more fruit - ”On Monday he ate one apple. But he was still hungry.   On Tuesday he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry….” and so on.   Children can feel their way through his growing appetite through to five oranges on Friday.  Counting and measuring activities can be spun off from this story, e.g. why not get your children to draw their own caterpillars, like Eric Carle, with joined-up segments to make up the body.   They can then count how many segments their caterpillars have and compare with other’s drawings.   Age 0+

One Ted Falls Out of Bed by Julia Donaldson and Anna Currey   A beautiful and simple rhyming text tells of Ted’s night-time adventure as he tries to climb back into bed.   During his quest to climb back in he meets three mice, races with them in four cars, sit and gazes at five bright stars and so on.    Here’s a further taster, “One ted falls out of bed.   He tugs and pulls the bedclothes BUT…. two eyes are tight shut.   He jumps and shouts and makes a fuss, till three mice say, ‘Play with us!’”.   A lovely book for bedtime too.       Age 0+

Mrs McTats and Her Houseful of Cats by Alyssa Satin Capucilli, illustrated by Joan Rankin  “In a small, cosy cottage lived Mrs McTats.  She lived all alone, except for one cat.”   But soon Mrs McTats is joined by a growing menagerie of cats, entering in twos, then threes, then fours and more until she has a houseful!   Or has she?   There is one more little visitor at the very end who turns out to be quite a surprise.   A great resource for counting-on exercises, starting at one and going up in two, then three, four, five and so on.   Also, Mrs McTats gives each cat a name from the next letter in the alphabet so good for learning the alphabet order too.   Age 2+ 

Ten Friendly Fish by Debbie Tarbett    Work your way down from ten to one with this tactile, 3D book about ten friendly fish playing together down in the deep.   The cut-out holes and the colourful, plastic fish make this a very appealing book for little hands to explore and really helps children to count with their fingers as well as their eyes.   Great surprise pop-up at the end.  Age 0+

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Carle, Eric, Donaldson, Julia | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

8 Ways to Keep Children Reading over the Summer Holidays

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

It is well-known that reading can be neglected during the long summer holidays.   There is always so much fun to be had and quite right too!   However, the consequence of not keeping up with reading can be that some children slip back in their reading level and find returning to it at school in September more difficult.  

Here are our tips for keeping children reading during the holidays:-

  1.  Join your library summer reading scheme.   Most, if not all, public libraries, including mobile libraries, will be operating the Circus Stars Summer Reading Challenge (9 July – 3 September).   It’s open to all children aged 4-12 years. Upon joining, each child will receive a 3D circus stage and, as they read their books, they will receive stickers of characters to place on the stage. Children can also collect additional mini gifts as they read their six books.
  2. Subscribe to a good quality children’s magazine.   There are some very good children’s magazines on the market and I’m not talking about the ones you find on the supermarket or newsagents shelves with a tacky, plastic toy stuck to the front.   Bayard produces a range of high quality educational magazines which combine facts, fiction and fun in a unique way – StoryBox (ages 3-6), AdventureBox (ages 6-9) and DiscoveryBox (ages 9-12).   Each magazine is edited with it’s target reading audience in mind and vocabulary is carefully chosen for the relevant reading ages.   Both my children subscribe to these magazines and LOVE receiving their own personally addressed magazines in the post each month.   Parents with boys have found these magazines particulary good at engaging their children in reading activities.   If you want to subscribe, go to the Bayard website and use code beHbkVB9LP to get an extra 10% off the subscription price.
  3. Schedule, where possible, a dedicated time each day when you all sit down and enjoy a good read.    This can either be sharing a book together, out loud, or quietly reading to oneself.  
  4. Be a good role model.   Be seen reading too – books, newspapers, magazines, computer manuals, anything!
  5. Spin off some activities from stories to bring them to life and to make them more interesting and real.   We plan to look at some books about China this holiday – fiction and non-fiction.   And from these books, we will do some paper-making activities as it is believed that paper was invented in China.   We have borrowed a book called ‘Made in China’ by Deborah Nash which traces the journey of a paper butterfly to Beijing’s Forbidden City, on to the Great Wall of China and further still to the 2,000-year-old ‘chocolate’ soldiers of Xi’an.   At the end of this lovely book are instructions on how to make your own paper butterfly.
  6. Encourage reading in a relaxed way, in a relaxed atmosphere.   This could be anywhere – indoors, in a den in the garden, on the train to somewhere else, at a toy’s tea party!
  7. Don’t worry too much about the choice of reading material – at least they are reading.   Choose books that reflect their interest, whatever that is.    A lot of children, particularly boys, like humour or subjects that feel a bit subversive.
  8. Give a book token as part of any celebration and trust that the children will choose well.
Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Pre-teen, Teenage | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

6 Children’s Picture Books for Blissful Bedtimes

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

It’s really important to establish a calm bedtime routine after a busy day spent running, jumping, climbing, playing and generally doing everything on ‘fast’ mode.   A good picture storybook is central to establishing a quiet end to the day and setting the right mood for little ones to gently drift off to sleep.   Here are our favourites.

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Anita Jeram    Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare try to explain just how much they mean to each other at the end of a tiring day and sleep is beckoning.   Perfect for a snuggly, cosy bedtime read together.  Age 0+

Where the fairies fly by Jane Simmons   From the creator of Ebb and Flo comes a beautiful story of how a little girl called Lucy takes her younger brother Jamie, who can’t sleep, on a magical journey to find the Dreamtime Fairies.   “And one by one, first Jamie, then Floppy Rabbit, then Turtle, Tiger and Foxy, then Bear and then finally Lucy….gently slipped into the magic of sweet dreams.”   Age 0+

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, illustrated by Patrick Benson   Stunning pictures accompany the gentle, lyrical text of this book which is an ideal comforting story, especially just before bedtime.    Each of the baby owls are given a personality of their own in the drawings and the words they say.    Very reassuring for any child worried about being left by Mummy.   Age 0+

The Magic Sky by Lucy Richards    One night at bedtime, Rory’s mummy tells him about the magic sky.   Rory is very excited about seeing it but he has to wait five more bedtimes.    See how Rory fills his days waiting and then join him for a magical evening looking up at the Northern Lights.   The ending has a beautiful, touchy-feeling skyscape. Age 0+

The Sea Mice and the Stars by Kenneth Steven, illustrated by Louise Ho    Ashenteen and her family of sea mice have a very important job to do.   They have to collect the stars that have fallen from the sky and share them out to all the villagers living along the shoreline – one for every home.    The stars are pieces of magic to keep all the mice safe during the long winter.    Beautifully illustrated with stars that really shine out from the pages.  The story ends with Ashenteen falling fast asleep, dreaming of the day’s great adventure.   Age 0+

One Snowy Night by M Christina Butler, illustrated by Tina Macnaughton    Calm bedtimes and Christmas!   Hardly natural bedfellows!   But this book might just persuade the little ones into bed during this most exciting time of the year.    This is the story of a little hedgehog who unexpectedly wakes during his long winter sleep.   He tries to go back to sleep but he is just too cold.    Then, a gift arrives from Father Christmas – a warm, red, woollen hat but no matter how hard little hedgehog tries he can’t get it to fit over his prickles.   So off he goes searching for a more fitting recipient and his hard work is rewarded.   Age 0+

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Bratney, Sam, Richards, Lucy, Simmons, Jane, Waddell, Martin | Tagged , | Leave a comment

5 Children’s Gardening Books To Turn Little Fingers Green

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

All children love to get their hands dirty, digging, sowing and watering.   After planting your tiny seed, watch it grow into a delicate seedling.  Then with careful watering and feeding, your little plant will grow bigger and bigger and eventually bear blossoms, leaves, delicious fruits or plump vegetables.    Learn about the life cycle of a plant along the way and share in the bounty when you cook up a tasty soup or a fruit desert with your harvest.

Rosie Plants a Radish by Kate Petty and Axel Scheffler    Rosie, a little rabbit, LOVES radishes and her friends Ladybird and Worm take her through all the steps to growing her own.   Rosie has to be very patient but in the end all her hard work pays off as below the ground her radishes grow bigger and rounder and redder.   This is a really informative book about how plants grow with detailed drawings of what is happening at each stage above the ground and exciting flaps to open to see what is happening below ground.   And at the end there are some tips on how to grow your own radishes.  Age 2+

Ben Plants a Butterfly Garden by Kate Petty and Axel Scheffler   This time Ladybird and Worm show Ben, a little bear, how to grow a butterfly garden.   And again, detailed drawings show what is happening at each stage with flaps revealing all the activity underneath the soil.   Ben also learns about the lifecycle of a butterfly, from tiny, tiny eggs laid on nettle leaves, which then turn into lots of hungry (and fat) caterpillars, which then hide themselves away in their chrysalises before emerging as butterflies.  Look out for the big pop-up at the end of the book.   Age 2+

Grow It Eat It, Simple gardening projects and delicious recipes, published by Dorling Kindersley   This is an excellent resource for ‘growing and eating your own’.   The first ‘Know it’ section explains what healthy plants need to grow (equipment, tools, water, soil, pots etc), the life cycle of a plant, how flowers turn into fruit and making your own compost.   The rest of the book then shows you how to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables AND shows you what you can make with your produce.   There are some delicious recipes here, e.g blueberry cheesecake, sunflower pot loaves and carrot and orange muffins.   Age 5+

Little Green Fingers by Mary An Van Hage, illustrated by Bettina Paterson   This is a delightful little book full of gardening projects for even the youngest family members to enjoy and best of all you don’t even need a garden!  There are projects for Spring; Spring or Summer; late Summer and Autumn; and Winter or Anytime.   We particularly like the ‘Honey I shrunk the garden!’ project – an indoor, miniature garden with tiny, indoor garden plants, a mirror for a ‘pond’ and pebbles/stones for a ‘path’.   Age 2+

The Global Garden by Kate Petty and Jennie Maizels, Paper Engineering by Corina Fletcher   “Turn the wheel, lift the flaps and pull the tabs to discover the plants we can’t do without.”    The opening page of this book states “The world is a garden that grows everything we need.”  And this is the theme of this very clever, informative and inventive book.   There are hundreds of flaps to look under which show the fruits that come after the flowers and the different parts of plants that we eat as vegetables.  Discover how jeans, books and rubber tyres are ‘grown’ in mini, pull-out booklets and what plants were brought back by early explorers from other parts of the world.   Age 6+

 

 

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Fletcher, Corina, Maizels, Jennie, Petty, Kate, Schleffer, Axel | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

5 Great Children’s Books for Reading Aloud

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

There are some books that just cry out to be read aloud.  And over and over again!   The benefits of reading aloud to your children are well-known and numerous.

  • Hearing new words gives children an expanded and rich vocabulary.
  • A good storyteller will demonstrate the use of expression in their reading.
  • Children will develop their literacy skills because they have an adult providing a model of reading – at a simple level, story reading provides an understanding of how print functions and how it is used, e.g. left-to-right and front-to-back.
  • Children are given the opportunity to hear and understand stories that are beyond their own reading ability.
  • Even when children are able readers, reading aloud and together provides a perfect bond between parent and child.

And so on.   Here are my favourite read-aloud books.   There are lots more, of course, and they will no doubt appear on a later post.

Peace At Last by Jill Murphy   Everyone sharing this story together can get fully involved with the action here.   And parents can sympathise with Mr Bear and his desperate efforts to get a good night’s sleep.   My children LOVE shouting out all the noises that keep poor Mr Bear awake.    “Drip, drip……went the leaky kitchen tap.  HMMMMMMMMMMM… went the refrigerator.”   Age 1+

A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler  Another classic from the writer/illustrator team which can be read again and again and again and which comes with a moral to the story which we can all learn from – fill your house full of animals, then empty it and it will feel HUGE!   This is exactly what the little old lady does and “now she’s full of frolics and fiddle-de-dees,  [her house] isn’t a squash and a squeeze.  Age 1+

Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema and Beatriz Vidal    This book is a cumulative rhyming tale which builds through repetition and rhythm, rather like “The House That Jack Built”.    And because the tale builds upon itself and the words and phrases are frequently repeated, those listening can confidently join in.   Beautiful illustrations really capture the colour and light of Africa.  Age 2+

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, illustrated by Pam Adams    A great edition of a classic rhyme with a hole right into the lady’s insides which gets bigger and bigger the more she swallows.   Therefore her jumbled up insides are easy to see and really encourages participation.   Again, like Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain above, the repetitive and cumulative nature of the rhyme cries out for it to be read aloud.  Age 2+

Where’s My Teddy by Jez Alborough    The simple, rhyming text means that even the youngest children sharing this book will soon be joining in with gusto.    The colourful illustrations of the “dark and horrible” wood are very appealing and made more so by the large scale format of the book.    Great for sharing with a group of children.    Here’s a taste, “Eddy’s off to find his teddy.  Eddy’s teddy’s name is Freddy.  He lost him in the wood somewhere.  It’s dark and horrible in there.”   Age 1+

Posted in Aardema, Verna, Adams, Pam, Age 0-2, Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10, Donaldson, Julia, Murphy, Jill, Schleffer, Axel, Vidal, Beatriz | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

4 (and a few more) Children’s Board and Card Games to Support Maths Learning

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

 

Finding repeating patterns on a manhole cover!

Make learning maths fun with these board and card games.   We have found all of these games really helpful in supporting our children’s learning of numbers, spacial awareness, patterns, shapes, number operations and good old turn-taking.

Your Number’s Up!  The Green Board Game Co   I have played this game with both my daughters who are aged 8 and 6 and both have enjoyed it.   It is particularly good for revising the number operations – addition and subtraction – and number bonds to 10 and to 20.   It can be adapted easily for younger children.  Age 4+

Basic Brainy Blocks, Orda Industries Ltd   The aim of this game is to create two-dimensional pictures by placing the plastic geometric shapes on the work cards.   There are three levels of difficulty.   On cards 1-6, the pictures are simple and use simple geometric shapes.   The shapes needed to create the picture are shown, as is the precise location of each shape.   Cards 7-13 are more difficult and require planning the position of the shapes in the picture.   Players are told which shapes are required though.   Finally, for cards 14-18, there is no indication of how many geometic shapes are needed or where to place them.  Age 3-8+

Bus Stop, Orchard Toys   This is a great game for developing early addition and subtraction skills.   There are also lots of questions that an adult can ask a child as the game progresses, e.g. how many seats are left on the bus, what is the total of both die, how many more girls than boys are there on the bus?   And so on.  My youngest daughter always enjoys choosing who is to travel on her bus.  Age 3+

Maths Snap Plus, The Green Board Game Co   This is one of a set of snap games available from Green Board.    These cards can be used to play either snap or pick-up pairs and are an excellent way to secure and revise the four main number operations – addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.   Also included are some square, cube, and square root cards.  I would recommend this game for able year 3 and upwards.   Others available are – Fraction Action Snap, Four Function Snap, Times Table Snap, Tell the Time Snap, My First UK Money Snap, My First Times Tables Snap.   Age 8+

Posted in Age 2-4, Age 4-6, Age 6-8, Age 8-10 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

5 Thought-provoking Books for Teenage Readers

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

The books listed below are both ’real’ and thought-provoking.   I’ve read and LOVED all of them and think they are perfect for both avid and reluctant teenage readers.

Once by Morris Gleitzman   Morris Gleitzman says he was inspired to write Once, Then and Now from reading the stories, diaries, letters and memories of those who lived at the time of the Holocaust.   Once is the story of Felix, a young boy who runs away from an orphanage in Poland to search for his Mum and Dad.   Instead, he finds and befriends a little orphan called Zelda, whose Father wore a Nazi uniform.   Throughout the story, Felix describes events exactly how he sees them but interprets them as a young, innocent boy (as you would expect him to).  Therefore, he doesn’t always understand fully what is actually taking place.   And yet the reader does.  This makes the story incredibly moving.

Then by Morris Gleitzman    Then continues the story of Felix and Zelda who are taken in by Genia, a farmer’s wife, living alone.   She gives the children new Polish identities.    Then the Nazis come.   Be prepared for a harrowing ending but done with such beauty and simplicity of language and again seen through the eyes of a ten year old boy -   “Oh.  Oh no.”

Now by Morris Gleitzman    Now Felix is a grandfather, a retired Doctor, living in Australia.   Now the story is told through the eyes of Zelda, Felix’s granddaughter, who demonstrates the same courage as her namesake during the catastrophic bushfires in Victoria in February 2009.    A beautiful conclusion to a trilogy spanning 70 years.  

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon   Christopher finds his neighbour’s dog dead on the lawn.   He decides to find out who the killer is.   But this is a big ask for Christopher because it means that he has to start asking questions and talking to strangers.   The trouble is, Christopher doesn’t understand humans.  Maths, science, yes, but not humans.    Again, the author uses the innocence of the main character to provide a commentary on the confusion, the stress and anguish of the adults around him.   

Holes by Louis Sachar     Stanley Yelnats has been sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn’t do.   All the boys there have to dig a hole 5 ft deep by 5 ft wide everyday in the searing heat of the desert.   There is no fence to stop them running away, just their thirst.  Stanley has to dig deep.   He finds strengths he didn’t know he had, friends in unlikely places and answers to an age-old family mystery.   Really heartwarming.

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6 Inspiring Children’s Books of Poetry and Rhyme

Posted on June 27, 2011 by Yvonne Keen

Riding on My Rocking Horse by Hannah Keen, age 8

Riding on my rocking horse Through the desert sands            My hair flying out behind me      Its mane hooked through my hands.  

Riding on my rocking horse Through the woodland air    Dashing through the forest with Leaves caught in my hair.   

Riding on my rocking horse
Soon at journey’s end
Racing down the High Street
Flying round the bend.   

Riding on my rocking horse
Finished gleefully
Hopping off my rocking horse
‘Cause now it’s time for tea.

A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson   The innocence and wonder of childhood is celebrated in this collection of poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island.    One of our favourites is The Swing – How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue?  Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing, Ever a child can do!”  Age 2+

The Oxford Book of Animal Poems, Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark   This is a wonderful collection of poems taken from all corners of the natural world – oceans, desert, jungle, icecaps.   Poets from each of the continents describe the animals of their lands and the fragility of their survival.   Age 2+

The Book of 1000 Poems (The classic collection for children)    This collection was first published over 40 years ago and includes poems by William Blake, Enid Blyton, Lewis Carroll, George Eliot, Rudyard Kipling and William Shakespeare.  Thankfully, this book is very well organised with an alphabetical index of titles, classified index of subjects, index of first lines AND an index of authors!    Age 2+

Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl    This is Roald Dahl’s truly original and very entertaining take on six traditional nursery tales.    Extremely funny and full of surprising twists.   Here’s a taste, “This famous wicked little tale should never have been put on sale.   It is a mystery to me why loving parents cannot see that this is actually a book about a brazen little crook.”   Taken from Goldilocks and the Three Bears.   Age 4+

When We Were Very Young by A A Milne, illustrated by E H Shehard    Such a beautiful, little book accompanied by delightful and gentle illustrations.  It all captures a time of lost innocence that we all need to rediscover, young and old.  For example, happiness to John is simply wearing great big waterproof boots, a waterproof hat and a great big waterproof Mackintosh in the rain.   “And that (Said John) Is That.”   Age 2+

Around the World in Eighty Poems, selected by James Berry   James Berry is passionate about poetry and wants to share this “joy of word music” with young readers everywhere.  When taking this poetry tour of the world, Berry want to remind us “we are a one-world family of people”.   A colourful map shows the entirety of the poetry tour, from Greenland in the frozen North, through North and South America, across the bottom of the world to Australisia, through the Far and Middle East, Africa, finishing up in England.   Age 2+

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