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
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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
Book ‘Review’: Scarlet and Ivy series, books 1-3, by Sophie Cleverly
The Lost Twin Whispers in the Walls The Dance in the Dark I’m ‘reviewing’ – honestly more a wholehearted recommendation than a review - the first half of this series together because my 8 year old daughter has been racing through them at such a pace that by the time I got organised to review … Continue reading Book ‘Review’: Scarlet and Ivy series, books 1-3, by Sophie Cleverly
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
Teaching my children to read (and my on-going love for Usborne books
Happy New Year to all! At the time of year when so many of us try to 're-set', have a fresh start, try again, I've decided to share some information that quite a few friends have asked me about over the years - what material did I use when I taught my kids to read? … Continue reading Teaching my children to read (and my on-going love for Usborne books
Introducing the kids to Shakespeare – Part 1 of ?
Yes, I know this blog is all about books for children, but for today’s post (and this mini-series – however long it ends up being) it’s about literature for children, and we’re expanding out to consider the theatre. I love the theatre. Almost any theatre. Big shows, small shows, fancy productions, school productions, serious, funny, … Continue reading Introducing the kids to Shakespeare – Part 1 of ?
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?
All the Fun of the… Book Festival!
Over the summer we were fortunate enough to attend some events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival held at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. There are always good reasons to visit Edinburgh, it’s a city I have a lot of affection for, but during the summer (typically August) it is home to the Edinburgh International Festival, … Continue reading All the Fun of the… Book Festival!
Stopping. Re-starting.
I last posted on this blog nearly 3 years ago, which is a long time by most considerations. Many things combined to make me stop, or prevent me from restarting in the last 3 years, but I’ve kept this blog at the back of my mind and wanted to come back to it. It was … Continue reading Stopping. Re-starting.
To Fairy Tale or Not to Fairy Tale?
We are a household divided when it comes to fairy tales. My husband really dislikes a number of the well-known ones. Disliked them as a child. Still dislikes them. I try to be the one to read them (though he bravely reads on). We’ve taken the view that whatever we think of an individual story, … Continue reading To Fairy Tale or Not to Fairy Tale?
Books for Our Children 
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