A book I have read this summer, read slowly and then re-read, has been Mac Barnett’s Make Believe. A book not for children, but for adults about children’s literature. Barnett is an author and the US equivalent of the Children's Laureate. The core of his argument, as I understand it, has three strands. First, that … Continue reading Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett (Little, Brown, and Co, 2026)
Category: Reflections
Reflections on a Summer of Reading
The kids are finally back at school after a very long summer (New England has incomprehensibly-long summer breaks). And as we settle into routines again, I can get back to writing this blog which took a planned, but rather longer than planned, summer break too this year. Books are always a big part of any … Continue reading Reflections on a Summer of Reading
Reading the (Children’s) Classics aloud: batch 1
As I explained in an earlier post, I have been reading some classic children’s literature to my two children, now aged 8 and 12 years. They can, of course, and both do read independently, but there’s a particular joy in reading aloud and being read to. Some stories were designed to be enjoyed that way … Continue reading Reading the (Children’s) Classics aloud: batch 1
BookSwap!
Once a year, the PTC at my kids’ school organises a Book Swap and it is absolutely my favourite thing ever to volunteer to help with. There must be many ways of doing something similar. This one has the huge benefit of being absolutely cashless, and having (virtually) no book go to waste. (I love … Continue reading BookSwap!
Books to the Rescue
Fortunately, the days are gone when we needed Teeth Are Not For Biting (by Elizabeth Verdick, illus. by Marieka Heinlen, Free Spirit, 2003) and No More Biting for Billy Goat! (by Bernette Ford and Sam Williams, Boxer Books, 2013) – the two books that got us through a rough patch that I’m sure the parents … Continue reading Books to the Rescue
Book Review: Holes by Louis Sachar. A book that hooked my non-bookworm middle grader
My son, now 12 and a middle grader, agrees that he likes to read but is not a bookworm. He likes to read, he likes to be read to, and he likes to read together, but it’s rare for reading to be his first activity of choice (he’d usually prefer to draw). Note my surprise … Continue reading Book Review: Holes by Louis Sachar. A book that hooked my non-bookworm middle grader
Thoughts and questions about art
Browsing in a bookshop over the summer, my eyes were drawn to the bright pink cover of a small Faber book, what art does: an unfinished theory. It is a collaboration between electronic musician Brian Eno and artist Bette A. It has the form of a picture book—playful with fonts and layout, interspersed with sketches. … Continue reading Thoughts and questions about art
Introducing the kids to Shakespeare – Part 2 of ? – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, take 1, London 2023
As I said in my previous post about kids and Shakespeare, the first real play I took my son to was A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe in London in the summer of 2023 when he was 9½. So here's the story, and some further thoughts on how I've been trying to introduce my … Continue reading Introducing the kids to Shakespeare – Part 2 of ? – A Midsummer Night’s Dream, take 1, London 2023
Happy Book-ish Holidays!
I had intended to send out another planned post - organised, thought out. Instead, today I choose to send my very warmest, most book-ish good wishes for the holidays wishing a peaceful New Year to you and yours, with a small dose of book-thoughts and news. I love the community we have around us; people … Continue reading Happy Book-ish Holidays!
Anyone for a Book Date?
The ‘book date’ or 'reading date' has become a feature of our family life and really just gives a name to the simplest of things – sitting and reading together. This is not reading aloud, although book daters sometimes like to ask a question, or share a passage, or check a word. It’s the act … Continue reading Anyone for a Book Date?
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