The UK’s 2016 Little Rebels Award shortlist has been announced – and once again it sets a challenge for the judges… It presents a good mix of books for all ages. There are some big names among the books’ creators – and notable is Gill Lewis’s Gorilla Dawn, … Continue reading ...
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A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young Written by Michael Rosen Illustrated by Chris Riddell Candlewick Press 9/22/2015 978-0-7636-8116-6 74 pages Ages 3—7 “Mo’s in a muddle She slipped in a puddle Mommy gives Mo A great big cuddle.” “Michael Rosen’s joyful new collection of poems bounces right off the page …
By: Betsy Bird,
on 12/15/2015
A Great Big Cuddle: Poems for the Very Young
By Michael Rosen
Illustrated by Chris Riddell
Candlewick Press
$19.99
ISBN: 978076368116
Ages 0-4
On shelves now.
Did you know that, generally speaking, Europeans have absolutely no interest in the works of Dr. Seuss? It’s true. For years his works have been untranslatable (though great inroads have been made thanks to some recent Spanish editions) and those that remain in the original English have done very poorly in the United Kingdom. Americans by and large tend to be baffled by this. We look at the British lists of Best Picture Books and the like and find them Seuss-free zones. Abandon Seuss, all ye who enter here. I once asked an overseas friend if she’d ever heard of The Lorax. What she’d heard of was the abominable Danny DeVito movie. It doesn’t bear thinking about. Here in the States we rely heavily on Seuss because he was such a genius when it came to writing rhyming verse for the very youngest of readers. Now I hold in my hands a big, beautiful, thick collection of poetry for the very smallest of fry and I have to face an uncomfortable notion. If indeed the English are capable of producing books this good for kids this young, perhaps they don’t need any Seuss. With Rosen and Riddell pairing in this way, they seem perfectly capable of making remarkable, rhythmic, ridiculously catchy titles of their very own.
Thirty-five poems greet you. Thirty-five varying in complexity and content. Just to set the tone, the first rhyme is “Tippy-Tappy” and it contains such a catchy rhythm and happy beat that kids will be bouncing in tandem by the time it is done. Next is “The Button Bop”, limited in word count, high on bops. Accompanied by the vibrant watercolors of artist Chris Riddell, each poem aims to set itself apart from the pack. Some are short, and some slightly longer. Some are anxious or scared while others beat their chests and roar their loudest. It feels like there’s something for everyone in this collection, but the takeaway is how well it holds together. A treasure in a treasury.
Michael Rosen isn’t a household name in United States, but I’d say at least one of his books is. Anyone who has ever sought out or read We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury has read his words. We’re just nuts about that book, and we have him to thank for it. Despite that, he’s not an author to relegate himself to just one kind of story. Indeed, I haven’t seen him produce much of anything quite as young as “Bear Hunt” in years (or, at the very least, I haven’t seen works of his brought to U.S. shores this “young” in content). That’s why this book is such a surprise and a delight.
If you have a small child, you grow accustomed to the classic nursery rhymes. They have, after all, withstood the test of time. Still, roundabout the one hundred and fortieth time you’ve read “Bye, Baby Bunting” you long for something a little different. Imagine then the palpable sense of relief such a parent might feel when reading jaunty little poems like “What a Fandango!” starring (what else?) a mango. The thing about Rosen is that so many of his poems feel as if they’ve been in the canon of nursery rhymery for centuries. “Oh Dear” is very much in the same vein as “Hush, Little Baby” all thanks to its regular rhythm and repetition. “Party Time” counts down and brings to mind “This Old Man” in reverse. And should you be under the misbegotten understanding that writing poems of this sort is easy, go on. Write one yourself. Now fill a book with them. I’ll just wait right here and finish my sandwich.
It is also worth noting that without including any verbal instructions, even the dullest of parental readers will catch on pretty early that many of these poems are interactive. Consider “Finger Story” where your fingers are instructed to do everything from “wake up” and “stretch” to “climb” and “slide”. And just in case they’re still not getting it, Chris Riddell’s art is on hand, showing a pudgy youngster and an orangutan of uncommon sweetness walking their fingers together on the ground.
What is interesting to me here is that in terms of age of the reader, Rosen isn’t limiting himself solely to toddlers. There are a couple poems in here that preschoolers would probably appreciate more than their drooling, babbling brethren. “I Am Hungry”, for example, stars a hungry bear listing everything he could eat at this moment (both the usual fare and unusual selections like “A funny joke” or “The sound of yes”) ending with “Then I’ll eat me” which is just the right level of ridiculousness to amuse the canny four-year-old. And “Don’t Squash” is going to ramp up the silly levels pretty effectively when a splatter happy elephant is instructed not to squash her toes, nose, a bun, the sun, cars, stars, a fly, or the very sky.
Now just the slightest glance of a gander at the back bookflap of this book and you’ll get an eyeful of the sheer talent Rosen has been paired with over the years. His words have been brought to life by folks no less eminent than Helen Oxenbury, Quentin Blake, Bob Graham, and more. Truth be told, I don’t really know if this is his first book with Chris Riddell or not. I will say, though, that when I saw that Riddell was the artist on this title I was surprised. When last seen in the States, Riddell had illustrated that nobly intentioned but ultimately awful Russell Brand Pied Piper of Hamlin. Nothing against Riddell, of course, he did what he could with the material (Clockwork Orange Piper and all). So usually when I see his work I associate it with children’s books a bit more on the hardcore side of the equation. Neil Gaiman and Paul Stewart and the like. Could he do adorable? Could he dial back the disgusting? Yes, yes, and (for good measure) yes again. He has that thing we like to call in the business “talent”. Seems to suit him, it does.
Riddell also seems capable of occasionally re-interpreting Rosen’s rhymes with a particularly child-centric view. The poem “Are You Listening?” felt wildly familiar to me, for example. On the left-hand page sits a guilty dinosaur, slurping a piece of spaghetti, looking mildly nervous. On the right-hand page a toddler is berating a small dinosaur stuffed animal, and it will be very easy indeed for kids looking at the picture to extrapolate the relationship between the realistic dino on the left-hand page, and the one on the right. Sometimes I even got the impression that he was softening the content a tad. The poem “Winter” is one of splinters and blisters, but thanks to the gentle hand of Riddell it turns into a snuggly bear hug with mom. All this and he makes the book multicultural as well. Manifique.
Is it very British? With an author from London and an artist from Brighton it runs the risk of indulging in a bit of English chicanery. There wasn’t much that struck me as containing a particular sense of humor, though, with the possible exception of the poem “Once”. A thoroughly silly but darker little work, it will probably remind Yankee readers more of Shel Silverstein than the aforementioned Seuss. There is also “Lost”, the story of a small mouse all alone, without any particular happy resolution in sight. Had such a poem appeared in a collection for small children originally in the States, I don’t think it’s ridiculous to think that an American editor would have gently nudged the author away from ending the poem with the somewhat dire, “I don’t know, I don’t know, anything at all. / I’m going to sit still now and just look at the wall.”
The least respected form of children’s literature in existence is poetry. It hasn’t any American Library Association awards it can win. It typically is remembered by teachers in April and then never thought of again. But nursery rhymes fare a bit better. Not every parent remembers to read them to their children, but a fair number try. Getting those same parents to read original works of poetry to their little kids can be trickier, so it helps if you package your book as a big, beautiful, lush and gorgeous gift book. Delightful to read aloud again and again (a good thing since I’m afraid you will have to, if only to please your rabid pint-sized audience) and lovely to the eye, Rosen and Riddell aim for the earliest of ages and end up creating a contemporary classic in the process. It may not be Seuss but you won’t miss him while you read it. A necessary purchase for any new parent. A required selection for libraries and bookstores everywhere. Or, as the book puts it, “Tippy-tappy / Tippy-tappy / Tap, tap, tap.”
On shelves now.
Source: Final copy sent from publisher for review.
Like This? Then Try:
Interviews: Chris and Michael speak on the radio about the book. Many fine sketches are to be seen as well.
Videos:
The man himself. Repeatedly.
Pat Zietlow Miller, author of Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story, selected these five family favorites.
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By: Zoe,
on 5/18/2015
The Children’s Bookshow is an organisation that arranges an annual tour across England of children’s authors, poets and illustrators. It’s a fantastic opportunity to take entire classes to see an author, poet or illustrator live, with the added bonus that if you buy tickets to one of the Children’s Bookshow events, you will have the opportunity to book a free school workshop with an author/poet/illustrator. If you are successful in bidding for a free school workshop the Children’s Bookshow will gift the attending children a book to keep.
This year Bernardo Atxaga, Patrick Benson, Kevin Crossley-Holland, Benji Davies, Daniel Morden, Marie-Aude Murail, Catherine Rayner, Rachel Rooney, Michael Rosen, Jessica Souhami and Kit Wright are taking to the stage, everywhere from London to Leicester and Stafford to Snape Maltings. Events take place from September to November, but if you want to be sure of places for the kids you teach and in with a chance of winning a free author/poet/illustrator workshop, early booking is strongly advised.
Booking is now open and you can find full details at The Children’s Bookshow website: http://www.thechildrensbookshow.com/arts-award.html
One of this year’s participants in the The Children’s Bookshow is Rachel Rooney, shortlisted for the CLPE Poetry Award. In conjunction with The Children’s Bookshow Rachel is running a super poetry competition for kids (9 and under, and 9-11). You can find out full details here:
http://www.thechildrensbookshow.com/competition.html
To give the Chinese proverb in its entirety, ‘Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come’ – and to extend the metaphor (or revert it … Continue reading ...
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By: Zoe,
on 3/18/2015
I’m more than thrilled to bring you a very special interview today with both “the patron saint of poetry” (according to the current Poet Laureate) and a former Children’s Laureate in conversation. Yes, none other than Roger McGough and Michael Rosen have stopped by my blog today in celebration of a new edition of their classic collection of poetry, You Tell Me, re-issued earlier this year with the addition of some new poems and fabulous and sometimes anarchic illustrations by Korky Paul.
A hugely wide-ranging anthology, with poems about broccoli and bad habits, football and first days at school, toothpaste and tongue twisters, there’s something for everyone in You Tell Me. There are poems to make you laugh out loud, poems to make you think twice and poems which easily turn into earworms. Each poem can be enjoyed as a stand-alone experience, but this anthology really struck me for the way the poems are ordered, with poems by the two different authors placed following or facing each other in such a way as to help me (and no doubt many other readers) make new connections and see different things in each of the individual poems.
Here’s how my conversation with Roger and Michael unfolded:
Roger McGough (L) and Michael Rosen (R)
Playing by the book: Astonishingly it’s 35 years since You Tell Me was first published. How do you see the children’s poetry landscape (in the UK) having changed in the intervening years?
Roger McGough: When I look back I can see that You Tell Me came out at time when attitudes to poets and poetry were changing. Before the 80s few poets went into schools, but within a decade, as more poets visited schools (funded initially through the Poetry Society), publishers committed themselves to publishing single poet collections as well as anthologies, and this commitment snowballed into success, both commercially as well as educationally. Sadly, things have gone down hill since and publishers, in hard times, are reluctant to publish new work. Last year I was the Chair of the judging panel of the CLPE Poetry Award. The judges were really concerned about how few books were submitted and noted that many of the publishers previously associated with poetry – Puffin, Faber and OUP – had nothing to submit. Meanwhile Macmillan and Janetta Otter-Barry at Frances Lincoln Children’s Books do a good job. I gather that Puffin are back on board and look forward to judging the CLPE Poetry Award this year.
Michael Rosen: I think young poets are finding it pretty hard to get published at the moment. However, one aspect of the national curriculum is that it asks teachers to factor in poetry so I find that teachers are once again on the hunt for a wide range of poetry. I fully understand that publishers find it hard to keep up with the whims of central government in these matters but perhaps now is a good time to pull together some good collections of new poets – especially if those poets are the ones who are doing a lot of school visits.
Playing by the book: How do you see your own poetry having changed over the course of the past 35 years?
Roger McGough: I hope it gets better with the more I read – but I never know! I have the same views on life and interest in language.
Michael Rosen: Difficult to say. I keep trying to experiment, trying new rhythms, new themes. Sometimes I read back to myself, things I’ve written over the last few years, and I can see how similar they are to things I was writing 30 years ago, and others, I’m almost surprised I wrote them!
Playing by the book: When You Tell Me was first published how were the poems selected? Did you personally choose them? Did you consult each other? Or was there someone else facilitating? And how has this worked for the new edition which contains several new poems?
Roger McGough: It seems odd now but when the first book was published Michael and I didn’t meet to discuss which poems should be included. Some of mine had been published in books of poetry for adults so, on the whole, Michael’s poems appealed to younger children. The editor at Puffin did a good job making the selection. It’s been a different experience with the new edition. Michael, Janetta Otter-Barry and I have met together to discuss the poems in depth. I was worried about ‘The Lesson‘ – that people may not understand the irony and my references to guns and violence – but Michael and Janetta both felt the poem should go in. We’ve included some new poems too. I enjoyed the experience of discussing the book and I think it’s better for it.
Michael Rosen: Yes, I agree with Roger here.
Playing by the book: Now bear with me on this – I’m deliberately being a little provocative here.. part of me wants to ‘ban’ printed poetry books… at least as the way people, especially children are introduced to poetry. Why? In my experience, especially with children, poetry most truly comes to life when it is spoken and heard… and so I think audio books or podcasts (or especially real live people) should be the door to open poetry books. What do _you_ think?
Roger McGough: I understand what you saying but the reality is that audio books follow the published book. That’s the economics of it.
Michael Rosen: I don’t think we need to get either-or-ish about this. Child and adult readers vary a great deal. This means that some children ‘get’ poetry straight off the page, some don’t. Some like it performed and won’t ever come to look at the page version. Some like to relate the performed version to the printed version…and so on. So I think it’s the job of poets and those who teach poetry to remain open and flexible about all this. Part of this should be to give children plenty of opportunity to perform poems without necessary worrying about learning them off by heart. Meanwhile, children should have the experience of playing with words on the page…seeing what happens when you swap letters, words and phrases around, in ways that are quite difficult to do orally.
Playing by the book: I guess I’m getting at the idea that poetry – when it is heard – is full of rhythm and sounds and emotions that can be harder for younger children to internally hear when presented with black and white text on the page. How can we help children develop that (internal) ear for rhythm and the sounds of language, that will help them hear the poetry even when they are reading from the page?
Roger McGough: It’s good for children, and adults, to hear poetry. To hear it read at home and at school. It’s also good for them to see what it looks like on the written page and see the shape of the words. The more children have access to poetry – the more they will enjoy it.
Michael Rosen: I agree that hearing poets and teachers (and parents and carers) read poetry enables children to make it work for them on the page. Yes, it supports their private reading.
Playing by the book: So what top tips do you have for helping families fall in love with poetry? (There are quite a few resources aimed at bringing poetry to life in school, but what about in the home?)
Roger McGough: Don’t be afraid of poetry. Just have the books around. Ready to pick up and read.
Michael Rosen: I agree with Roger. Poetry works very well in an incidental way, supporting our lives – and that applies to both reading and writing it. If ever you’ve seen a parrot or a mynah bird listen, they put their heads on one side and sway to and fro. It’s as if they’ve been suddenly bewitched or tickled. Poetry works best if it causes that kind of effect.
Playing by the book: What’s the last poem you read?
Roger McGough:
Wayland by Tony Mitton, winner of the CLPE Poetry Award 2014 [illustrated by John Lawrence/zt], and (for adults) O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman.
Michael Rosen: The last poems I heard are by James Berry, as read by James himself, Grace Nichols and John Agard. My wife, Emma-Louise Williams has made a BBC Radio 4 programme about James called ‘A Story I am In‘ (you can hear the programme on 22 March 4.30pm, BBC Radio 4 and on iPlayer thereafter)
The poems included:
‘On an afternoon train from Purley to Victoria, 1955′
‘In-a Brixtan Markit’
‘Mek Drum Talk’
‘New World Colonial Child’
(from The Story I am in published by Bloodaxe)
Playing by the book: What’s the last poem you wrote?
Roger McGough: It’s not yet published – I have rewritten an adult poem ‘Crocodile in the City’ for children, retitled ‘Crocodile Tears’.
Michael Rosen: ‘Caesar Curb Immigrants, Year Zero’ – in a forthcoming collection called ‘Don’t Mention the Children’ to be published by Smokestack Books.
Playing by the book: What would your 8 (or 3 or 5…) desert island poems be?
Roger McGough:
Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
Sea Fever by John Masefield
A Smuggler’s Song by Rudyard Kipling
Who Killed Cock Robin? (Anon). This is the first poem that made me cry as a young child.
I am the Song by Charles Causley
Night Mail by W H Auden
La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats
Michael Rosen:
Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
First they came for the Communists by Pastor Martin Niemöller
The Windhover by Gerard Manley Hopkins
Poem known as My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
Le Corbeau et le Renard by La Fontaine
It’s raining, it’s pouring, the old man’s snoring (Anon)
‘Larger than life’ by Harold Rosen, my father, about my late son Eddie.
Playing by the book: Thank you, thank you Roger and Michael. Poetry by each of you made a huge impression on me as a child 30 odd years ago and so to be here today able to ask you questions and share your poetry – it’s a magical thing and much treasured experience.
A newspaper clipping from the first time I saw Michael Rosen live
By: Zoe,
on 8/3/2014
Wolfman is terrifying!
Wolfman is threatening!
Wolfman is unstoppably destructive!
And he’s coming your way!
But let me reassure you: Wolfman by Michael Rosen and Chris Mould is also so funny, you might just wet your pants 
On one level a moral about how those we demonise are human underneath, this wickedly enjoyable book about what can turn us into monsters is an enormously enjoyable book to read aloud. It’s thrilling and frightening, secretly appealing to many kids’ desires to wreck havoc and run wild, whilst (without revealing the brilliant final twist of the tale) drawing on a situation just about every child can identify with (one of Michael Rosen’s especially honed skills).
Chris Mould’s illustrations, with a limited and unusual palette, are sublime. Scary and scared eyes pop out everywhere and the scratchiness of the drawings befits Wolfman to a T.
Rosen’s story was first published 16 years ago and I haven’t been able to track down a copy to see if it was illustrated then, but Mould’s illustrations exude the vigour and excitement of the story in such a way as makes the text and these images seem inseparable. In fact, the penultimate page of this edition is one of my favourite illustrated spreads of the year; its drama and framing guarantees reader and listener will be holding their breath and scared to turn the page at that precise moment. (You’ll simply have to read the book yourself to see what I mean – it’s far to much fun to give the game away here!)
Attention to detail in the production of this book is another of its delights. From the name plate which encourages reading as a shared experience, to the die-cut “rips” in the front cover this is yet another great book (designed in such a way to support parents with dyslexia) from Red Squirrel.
Hair-raising and horribly fun, Wolfman is a riotously funny read, bound to be requested time and time again.
Once we’d stopped giggling and got our breath back J decided to make herself a Wolfman mask using a paper plate and some wool.
I cut out two small eye holes in the plate and drew the outline of large eyes. J then painted the plate with a mixture of poster paint and glue.
Having mixed in the glue with the paint, it was very easy for J to stick on lengths of wool all around the edge of the plate, as well as adding two ears cut from a brown paper bag.
J scrunched up the rest of the paper bag for the nose, added a few white paper squares as teeth and taped a bamboo pole on the back to hold the mask up to her face.
Then all that was left was to rush around the garden terrorising everyone 
Whilst J made her mask we listened to:
Other activities which would go well alongside reading Wolfman include:
What makes you grizzly? What naughty-but-nice picture books have you read recently?
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of Wolfman from the publisher.
By: Julie Fortenberry,
on 4/14/2014
It's been 25 years since the publication of We're Going On A Bear Hunt
By: Betsy Bird,
on 9/15/2013
I forget how many years ago it was, but in the not so distant past (I’m going to go out on a limb and say it was 2009) I had the pleasure of hosting children’s author and storyteller Carman Agra Deedy in my Children’s Center. Talk about a storyteller! She will hold you riveted from syllable one onwards. I had no idea that back in 2005 she did a TED talk. Had I known, I would have posted it long before now. Here goes:
Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link.
Clever move, author Sue Fleiss. One thing I would like to point out about this video before you watch it is that it involved picture book related hand jive. No easy task.
Catchy.
I’ve decided that the last great children’s literature world to delve into and learn more about has got to be the world of collecting. I don’t know much of any children’s book collectors and I think they’d be fascinating folks to mingle with. That in mind, when I heard that Travis Jonker had gotten this Antiques Roadshow clip from John Schumacher it all seemed to click. I wish I knew what made a children’s book valuable. I tremble when I think about the titles we handle on a regular basis in my office.
It’s probably no surprise to you to hear that a fair number of folks contact me about including videos of their authors or illustrators on this site. I don’t always say yes, but I always watch to see if the videos are honestly interesting. And brother, this brief interview with Fred Bowen is precisely that. I’ve always been a bit sports allergic myself, so to hear him pinpoint the value of the “culture” as he (rightly) puts it is good for me.
Don’t think I’ll actually embed anything from this site, but it’s worth knowing about in any case. Storyline Online is is odd little online streaming video program where you can watch various members of the Screen Actors Guild read old children’s books. As of right now the readers include Betty White, Melissa Gilbert, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Jason Alexander, Ernest Borgnine, James Earl Jones, Robert Guillaume, Tia & Tamara Mowry, etc. I have to assume they haven’t done many recently, if only because the books themselves are pretty old. At any rate, its an interesting smattering. Thanks to Aunt Judy for the link.
Well. This is . . . just the more frigging adorable thing. Check it.
Sort of combines all my favorite things. Cute kids speaking languages other than English and world-renowned cartoonists we’ve never heard of. Liniers. I’ll remember that name now.
In other book trailer news, it’s awful nice when your illustrator not only creates the art for your book but comes up with some catchy song tie-ins as well. Case in point:
And now some thoughts.
1. There is a Roald Dahl bio by Michael Rosen and it’s not available in the U.S.? This thing cannot be right.
2. The following video is 45 minutes long and rather worth it. This is a vid that was streamed live on Tuesday.
3. Rosen. He doesn’t flub. Not a word, not a syllable. This man is a practiced pro. I would rather like to be him when I grow up. I wonder if he’s ever done a TED talk . . .
4. If you would like to hear musical performances from shows like Matilda, you can see the Matilda song around 15:30. 19:44 is where you’ll find the backstage peek into the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical. No live performances there, sadly.
And for our off-topic video of the day, this would be the video that garnered the most alerts to my attention from family and friends this week. There are people that say it’s the Gangnam Style of 2013. Don’t know about that, but it is rather children’s literature friendly (so maybe it’s only 85% off-topic). Thanks in particular to Kate and Marci for the link.
By: David Elzey,
on 3/7/2013
by Michael Rosen illustrated by Richard Holland Candlewick 2013 Harry makes great soup, or so we are told. Harry is a Bear. He work's at a cafe that bears his name. Harry's friends are birds and cats and other animals. Harry's friends love his soup so much they come running before it runs out. But on this day Matt the cat does not like the soup. Because he hasn't tried it. Because he has no
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By: Emma Barnes,
on 9/27/2012
I have no teaching qualifications. I'm not an educational expert. But simply through being a children’s writer (and in addition, a parent) I’ve been drawn into taking an interest in the latest raft of proposals about our children’s education.
It started with a phone call from my local radio station, BBC Radio Leeds. What did I think about children learning poetry by heart, they asked. Huh? Was my highly articulate reply. The truth was I didn’t have a worked out opinion, but learning poetry by heart is one of the proposals in the new Gove paper on primary education, and so (the radio station reckoned, not unreasonably) as a children’s writer, and one who regularly goes into schools, I really ought to have a view.
So, I read the proposals. I went on air. And I’ve been stunned by the conviction – almost vitriol – that seems to characterise the debate. Learning poetry was an essential art, inducting children into the rhythm of the language, giving them discipline and the lasting gift of verse that their grandparents enjoyed, one side thundered. Drilling kids in poetry was a regressive step, designed to humiliate them, and destroy their love of learning, thundered the other. The trouble is, as with most educational debates, it never seems to me as cut and dried as the opposing camps suggest. It could be a good idea. But a lot depends on the way it’s done.
Around the same time, the Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen, was circulating a petition for children’s writers to sign, condemning the provisions on phonics in the same government document. (Read the petition here.) Once more, I felt uncomfortable. Rosen is one of the most articulate critics of Gove’s approach to education in general.
But...my own impression is that phonics can be helpful. I doubt that - as Rosen sometimes seems to imply – exposure to storytelling and being surrounded by books is enough to get kids reading. Not at first. I’ve watched my own child learn to read. I’ve talked to other parents. And I’ve talked to dyslexia tutors, who often advocate a structured approach.
Above all, as a writer, I’ve visited plenty of primary schools, and met the children who are struggling to read at a level appropriate to their age. That’s desperately sad.
It’s left me feeling that, as a children’s writer, I’m not confident to weigh in on reading methodologies. The important thing is not ideology, but what works. I’d like others to make that decision, based on the very best evidence out there. (Not an easy task I know.)
Where I DO have a strong conviction, and where I strongly agree with Michael Rosen’s petition, is on the importance of reading for pleasure. Once children have mastered the basics of reading – by whatever methodology – they need to enjoy it. Otherwise they won’t read. And they must, if they are to become truly literate, educated people, capable of understanding the world around them – the world that lies beyond their own narrow experience.
As many people, including Michael Rosen and the Society of Authors, have pointed out, it is scandalous that the government, which is so ready to impose targets and objectives generally, is prepared to give no more than lip-service to the idea of “reading for pleasure”. The government acknowledges the vast body of research supporting its importance. Every school should be encouraging it, they say. Yet none of the concrete measures needed to encourage it are in place.
What is needed? It’s simple really.
By: Susanne Gervay,
on 8/23/2012
Talk about an afternoon of stars!!!!!
Anthony Browne, Hans Christian Anderson Medal recipient, UK Children’s Laureate 2009-11
Michael Morpurgo OBE writer of WAR HORSE, children’s laureate 2003-2005
Michael Rosen, Eleanor Farjeo Award for services to children’s literature, UK Children’s Laureate 2007-2009 – spaeaking at another session
ulia Donaldson MBE, creator of the famous GRUFFALO, UK Children’s Laureate 2011 – 2013
They were brilliant, engrossing, inspiring and displayed the best in children’s writers as well as advocates for literacy and social justice.
Hilarious moment when delegates were asked to come up and perform with Julia Donaldson – Marjorie Couglan editor of Paper Tigers was a hilarious chicken!
Australian Children’s laureate Alison Lester’s words were read out at the IBBY Congress – very proud of that as I sat with her great friend and award winning picture book illustrator Frane Lessac.
THANKYOU to CAL for their support of my speaking at the IBBY Congress London.
By: John Dougherty,
on 7/16/2012
By: Zoe,
on 6/24/2012
This coming Saturday and Sunday sees a wonderful children’s literature festival “pop up” just behind Kings Cross in London. The Pop Up Festival is completely free and is all about celebrating books, stories and imagination for children, teenagers and families.
Authors and illustrators attending include Candy Gourlay, Nii Parkes, James Mayhew, Marcus Sedgwick, Laura Dockrill, Sarah McIntryre, Francesca Simon, Sita Brahmachari, Clara Vulliamy, Lynne Reid Banks, Nicky Singer, Sarwat Chadda, Rod Campbell, Alexander Gordon Smith, Caroline Bird as well as the Society for Storytelling and Barbar and the Moomins!
Having seen Candy Gourlay speak at the Federation of Children’s Book Groups annual conference, I personally would make a bee line for her contribution to the Pop Up Festival – an exuberant Filipino-style fiesta, complete with bamboo dancers, game shows and team quizzes, picture book performances and prizes, and a children’s brass band! It’s sure to be very exciting.
To see the full programme visit the festival’s website http://pop-up.org.uk/. Let me know if you go – I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.
If you’re near Manchester this coming weekend I’d like to point you to the illustration workshop being run on Saturday by Emma Reynolds as part of Manchester Children’s Book Festival. The same day as Emma you can see an old favourite of mine, Steve Cole (I love him as much now as I did then)
To find out more about Emma’s illustration workshop click here.
To find out more about entire programme for the Manchester Children’s Book Festival to to their website http://www.mcbf.org.uk/
A week today the sun comes out on Moon Lane. Even if it ends up actually pouring with rain (the UK has indeed had a very wet past few weeks), I can guarantee (metaphorical) sunshine at the multi-award winning independent children’s book shop in South London, Tales on Moon L
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By: Jenny Miller,
on 12/8/2011
By: michelle lovric,
on 10/8/2011
My Dad always said I should open a bookshop and although we disagreed a good deal about what I should do with my “education” he was absolutely right about me and books. I have been very lucky to have had a relationship with the Newham Bookshop since 1983 after we had set up home in East Ham. It was also around this time that I met Vivian Archer who then ran the Paperback Centre in nearby Green Street and who in 1987 moved over to the shop in the Barking Road where she has presided ever since. I initially worked part-time in the shop but when our second child came along I returned to social work.
It was Vivian who encouraged and supported me to return to bookselling when John and Jean, stalwarts of the children’s shop, began to plan for their retirements. I have never regretted the move for one moment and despite the almost ceaseless changes within the publishing industry I never ever wake up reluctant to go to work! I love living and working in a vibrant and diverse part of London where I spend most of my day enthusing and sharing information about books and reading. My mission has always been to try to bring the best books to the community and to endeavour to ensure children see themselves in the stories and pictures. I value the conversations I have with customers of all ages and the feedback I receive on what worked and what did not! We have been privileged to have been supported by our local community as we look ahead to our 34th year of trading in 2012.
There is a process which I have been involved in on countless occasions. It begins with the arrival of a manuscript or proof copy which I usually open with all the excitement of a child anticipating a long awaited birthday present. It can then lead to attending a launch event where it might be possible to congratulate the new author and wish them and their book well. An event might follow which wherever possible is carefully planned and executed in an effort to ensure everyone benefits from the experience. If all goes well there may be other events with a successive title or even a new series. The venue may need to change to accommodate a bigger audience. The quality and quantity of questions may then encompass matters relating to plot or characters rather then simply the usual round of probing for details of earnings accrued or how long it takes to write a book.
We have been supported by many authors over the years who have regularly returned for events and signings. One of our earliest and most important supporters was the writer and compiler of oral histories Gilda O’Neill who very sadly passed away last year. Gilda was always generous with her time and never missed an opportunity to point people in our direction. Benjamin Zephaniah and Michael Rosen have also been hugely supportive of what we do and our work with them was inspirational in giving us the confidence to develop the events work which is now integral to our business. It is a must for bookshops to cultivate relationships with authors and illustrators and develop mutually supportive ways of working together. It is also vital to have contact with sales reps and it is sad to witness them becoming a diminishing part of the trade. I always look forward to being shown new titles and love the fact that this will often spark off ideas for promotions and activities both within and outside the shop!
Some years ago now Bali Rai was being his usual entertaining self in an event at the central library here in Newham. A young and dedicated teacher had managed to persuade three teenagers who were not keen readers to come along to the after school session. As B
By: Kerry Aradhya,
on 9/29/2011
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By: Gina Perry,
on 8/18/2011
This big, beautiful book should not be missed. And how could you not pick up a book with such a bold cover? My first impression was, Wow! that's how you sell a book. The inside doesn't disappoint - there are big reveals and fun, simple text. Appealing to younger readers and tired parents alike.
The art, by Kevin Waldron is a combination of gouache, pencil, and digital. The medium marries the jungle setting wonderfully. Also, definitely check out this great post by The Illustrated Book Image Collective about the book design. I love seeing the big double-double spreads all laid out. You'll see what I mean.
By: Zoe,
on 8/2/2011
Today’s first lot of free activities from children’s book authors and illustrators come from the fantastically talented Viviane Schwarz, author of There are Cats in this Book, one of J’s all time favourite books.
On Viv’s blog you can download knitting patterns to create the cats in There are Cats in this Book. Not a beginners’ crafty activity, but my goodness, the end results look fantastic!
Viv has an enthusiastic tutorial for making a sock monkey – with tips on how to make the process especially child-friendly. Viv’s book Timothy and the Strong Pyjamas, and her upcoming graphic novel both include sock monkeys!
Images used with permission. Copyright: Viviane Schwarz
If you’ve a colour printer Viv has created a fab sheet of cats to cut out and hide in books – they’re eager to get up to adventures with you so what are you waiting for?
Several of Viviane’s books have been published by Walker Books, and the Walker Books website has a wealth of activity sheets from other authors and illustrators on their books. Some of my favourite include:
But there are many, many more over at Walker Books so do go over and find some that are just right for you and your kids.
If you’ve downloaded and used any of the activity sheets I’ve linked to so far this summer do let me know what you and your kids thought of them!
By: Aline Pereira,
on 7/25/2011
The inaugural Pop Up Festival of Stories took place on July 9th and 10th and has been declared “an astonishing success”! Visitor numbers exceeded expectations as over six thousand children, with their families and friends, flocked to London, UK, to revel in the fun of the first ever Pop Up Festival of Stories – a free two-day festival for kids, celebrating the fun of reading. The festival was the finale to the Pop Up Schools Programme which gave almost 3,000 children aged three to 14 from 8 schools 
the chance to explore books and meet authors and illustrators at exciting host venues in the London area.
Dylan Calder, Pop Up’s Director, said: “Pop Up exceeded all our expectations. We set out to create a free literature event that was both accessible and extraordinary, that children from all kinds of backgrounds could enjoy and be part of…We’re already starting to plan for 2012 and beyond…and we’ll soon be announcing an extension of our programme.”
Author Philip Ardagh on the ceiling in his House of Illusions
Sara Montgomery, Acting Head of Guardian Books which ran a hugely successful pop-up children’s bookshop at the festival, said: “The Guardian is delighted to have been associated with the Pop Up Festival of Stories. It featured a great line-up of authors, which resulted in queues around the corner for signings at the Guardian Bookshop on several occasions. The Guardian Book Doctor, featuring the Guardian’s children’s books editor Julia Eccleshare, was a hit, with no shortage of ‘patients’ requesting their book recommendation diagnoses over the two hours she was in session. Sales were robust, and being part of the festival was valuable exposure for the Guardian Bookshop and the recently-launched children’s books website.”
Former UK Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen described the festival as “A fantastic time for fun, creativity and pure pleasure for children and adults alike.”
Former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen and author/illustrator Hervé Tullet
Nicky Potter was kind enough to send us these lovely photos from the event taken by Danny B. To see more photos check the Pop Up Festival website and the Pop Up Festival Facebook page. Enjoy!
By: Betsy Bird,
on 1/29/2011
I was pleased as punch when author/illustrator Stephen Savage told me that he’d like to film part of his book trailer for Where’s Walrus? in my children’s room at the main branch of New York Public Library. If you’ve ever wondered what the interior of my children’s room looks like, this is a pretty good shot of it. Thanks for coming out, Stephen!
There’s a new blog out there. A blog that I should have seen the minute it appeared on the scene, but I’m pleased as punch to only be discovering it now since it has ample content for your greedy eyes. Someone, somewhere, unknown to all of us, as created the site Rat Chat Reviews. I don’t know how much work goes into a single episode, but what I can tell you is that these reviews wipe the floor with mine. Do I ever feature tough guy rat reviewers who are just as happy to discuss Elise Primavera’s Thumb Love as they are Tea Time by Karen Rostoker-Gruber and the new Caldecott Award and Honor winners? I do not. The review I’ll direct you to today will be Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters, illustrated by Larry Day.
One thing I do know, the summary of cheeses found at the S&S, Egmont, and Little Brown librarian previews is entirely accurate. Whoever is behind this is local to me! Thanks to Aaron Zenz for the link.
Greenwillow trailers have a way of pairing their books with just the right editing and tone. They’re classy. Well put together. You can see that in this trailer for Kevin Henkes’ latest, Little White Rabbit:
Not that I’m biased or anything. Thanks to Watch. Connect. Read. for the link.
Marcellus Hall is one of the bright up-and-coming illustrators in children’s books right now (titles he’s worked on include City I Love and The Cow Loves Cookies, amongst others). Not content to do just one thing, the man also fronts the band The Hostages. This is a series of his New York City sketches along with his music. Gorgeous stuff.
By: Julie Fortenberry,
on 1/24/2011
By: Tracy,
on 12/3/2010
THE FOLLOWING POST IS TAKEN FROM CANDY GOURLAY'S AND TERI TERRY'S BLOG - NOTES FROM THE SLUSHPILE.
THEY HAVE KINDLY ALLOWED ME TO SHARE THEIR POST WITH MY READERS.
Bye Bye Libraries. Bye Bye Civilization.
That's the gist of Catherine Bennett's piece for the Guardian, listing all the closures expected in the coming government cost-cutting exercise.
'Of course, for the almost 250 libraries already earmarked for closure, their role in the happiness supply chain is probably irrelevant. By the time experts have established that, where the alleviation of ignorance, illiteracy, isolation, helplessness, unemployment, infirmity, boredom, neglect and poverty are concerned, libraries do, after all, offer something culturally irreplaceable, they will be gone. It is becoming clear that Mr Cameron's government will do nothing to protect them.'
By: Celia Rees,
on 9/24/2010
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Michael Rosen seems to be sort of like Jacqueline Wilson in the US. Both are huge names in the UK and never seem to get traction here. I’ve seen him speak (nay perform) in person and he is fabulous. I’m partial to “The Field Trip” (available here in The Best of Michael Rosen) ever since I first heard it performed — can’t remember who did it –at a CLNE summer institute.
Chris Riddell likewise. He is currently the UK’s Children’s Laureate (http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/chris-riddell/)
Betsy, I want you to know that I read your blog every day and greatly appreciate what you have to share.
Thanks for sharing this review. I really liked this when I first saw it. The verses are funny and relatable while being enjoyable for adults to read and the illustrations are perfectly suited to the poems. One of my faves of the year!
We seem to get more of the British imports here in Canada. Rosen’s 2015 picture book “The Bus is for Us” made my 2015 Favourite Storytime Picture Books list (http://jbrary.com/2015-favourite-storytime/). He’s got another one – Tiny Little Fly – that is a storytime gem too.
Aw. Thanks for that.
Oh, this makes me happy to see. I devoted a Kirkus column to this book back in October, I think it was. It’s so great for the wee ones, yet it didn’t get written about very much. And I’m with Lindsey: I think THE BUS IS FOR US is another great one from this year. It works on so many levels. (I also love TINY LITTLE FLY, Lindsey.) Rosen is a treasure.
I thought I was done with my Christmas shopping, but I have to have this to share this with my granddaughters!