2015
Paddington by Michael Bond and R. W. Alley
Paddington is a childhood favourite of mine and I was delighted to hear that author Michael Bond has just received a CBE for his services to English Literature. I met Michael Bond as a child and one of my prized possessions is a signed copy of Paddington Goes to THE SALES.
International School Children Reviewing Books
Recently I spent an enjoyable session in my local International School looking at picture books and talking about writing book reviews. The Grade 3 and 4 children had brought favourite books with them and first I asked them what they thought should be included in a book review. After they had given me their ideas we read a review…
Silly Dizzy Dinosaur by Jack Tickle
Silly Dizzy Dinosaur is a fun story that introduces children to following instructions, the concept of the book reminds us of Herve Tullet’s Press Here.
Fictional Best Friends
What would we do without a best friend? June 8th is National Best Friends Day in the USA and we had great fun looking through our book collection to find some of our favourite fictional best friends.
Pirates Don’t Drive Diggers by Alex English & Duncan Beedie
Pirates Don’t Drive Diggers is the amusing, rhyming tale of a young pirate who is obsessed with diggers!
Ask an Author – Cerrie Burnell
Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to author and children’s television presenter, Cerrie Burnell about her writing, her favourite picture books and her own picture books, Snowflakes and Mermaid.
Happy 70th Birthday Pippi Longstocking!
The Pippi Longstocking stories are celebrating their 70th birthday this year, May 21st 1945 was the day that Astrid Lindgren first showed the manuscript to her daughter Karin. Originally written in Swedish the stories have been translated into many different languages as well as being made into films and television series’. Pippi Longstocking (Pippilotta Comestibles Windowshade…
Winnie Under the Sea by Valerie Thomas & Korky Paul
We are huge fans of Winnie the Witch and with our thoughts turning to holidays we’ve been reading Winnie Under the Sea and dreaming of days at the beach.
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
From Head to Toe is a great book to get children moving and it’s one of my favourite Eric Carle books to use in the classroom. Children love to join in with the actions and it’s an especially good book to use with non native English speaking children.
The Special Guest by Steve Smallman
We love the way that Steve Smallman’s beautifully illustrated title page introduces the characters and sets the scene for The Special Guest, a humorous story about vanity, ingenuity and friendship.
