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Each year the Royal Society (a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence) celebrates the best books that communicate science to young people through their Young People’s Book Prize.
The Prize aims to inspire young people to read about science and promotes the writing of excellent, accessible books for under-14s. This year – to my utter delight and great excitement – I’m part of the panel of adult judges who will be choosing a shortlist of six books, to be announced in May, before the winner is chosen by groups of young people in judging panels across the UK.
It’s a huge honour to be joining Professor Dame Julia Higgins DBE FREng FRS, Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Investigator, Department Of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, Dr Robert Pal, Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Department of Chemistry, Durham University, author and Blue Peter Book Awards Winner 2015 Andy Seed and Head of Science at the Harris Academy Coleraine Park primary school Shirin Sheikh Bahai on the shortlisting panel.
Being invited to join the judging panel for this prestigious national award for science-themed books for children is really like a dream come true. Not only will it keep me out of trouble for the next few weeks as I read through all the eligible books which have been submitted, I’m sure what I’ll read will delight and inspire me.
The whole experience will be a treat for me, but what I really want is for lots of children to be amazed and excited by brilliant writing about science and so it’s truly wonderful that once the panel has chosen six books for the shortlist, we hand over the judging to kids up and down the UK. 125 school and youth groups will receive a free set of shortlisted books and then they vote for the winning book – it’s really a great opportunity to enthuse and excite children about science and books at the same time.
Perhaps your class would like to help choose the winning book? Maybe you facilitate a children’s book group that would like to try something different? Or perhaps you help run a club for young people (eg Scouts) and would like to spark their curiosity about science? If so, why not register now to become one of the judging panels for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize?
Judging panels can be in schools, libraries, science centres or youth groups: participation is open to any group able to read and discuss the shortlist and vote for what they think is the best book. Each judging panel (overseen by an adult) mirrors the short-listing panel, electing their own Chair, holding judging meetings, discussing the merits of each book and submitting their vote and comments. All participating groups have an equal say in deciding the winner. Each group receives a judging pack with all the information they need to take part. The results from all the groups are then collated by the Royal Society to determine the winner.
To become a judging panel for the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize you’ll need to complete this online registration form. Registration to become a judging panel will close on Monday 25 April 2016.
I wholeheartedly encourage you to get involved! Last year, over 70% of the children who voted said the process changed their attitude towards both reading and science in a positive way and 100% said the experience was ‘enjoyable’ or ‘very enjoyable’. Here’s to great books and getting children and young people excited about science!
3 Comments on Calling all children who’d like to join me in being a book judge, last added: 3/10/2016
As the earth spins past the final hours of 2015 and into the new year I’ve been thinking about bookish New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s what I hope will be part of making 2016 an exciting and stimulating story-filled year:
(1) Finally visiting The Ministry of Stories in London. The Ministry of Stories is a local writing and mentoring centre in east London, where anyone aged eight to 18 can come and discover their own gift for writing. It is hidden behind Hoxton Street Monster Supplies, London’s oldest supplier of goods for the Living, Dead and Undead.
(2) Learning more about the work of Grimm and Co – where children and young people are encouraged to let their imaginations run wild and engage in new and exciting ways of writing such as song-writing, film and fiction. Rotherham based Grimm and Co is disguised as an apothecary supplying sorcery services & unnatural products to magical beings, and is supported by The Ministry of Stories.
(3) Talking with the folk at Storybarn (caldiessb) to learn more about their plans to create an interactive story centre where children can explore, share and discover the pleasure & imagination that comes from books.
(4) Using some of the ideas from visiting these inspiring places to run a FUN PALACE in October… I was so happy that in 2015 I finally managed to meet Matt Finch in person and he’s been my inspiration behind dreaming of a fun palace. Unfortunately he’ll be in Australia in October but if any of YOU are in the West Midlands (or willing to visit!) and would like to do something a bit crazy with me and stories and kids in October…. get in touch!
Scarthin Books (right), interior picture from Astley Book Barn (left)
(6) Continuing to read books which will change my life. Of the 41 originally listed, I’ve so far read 8. My favourite so far has been The Phantom Tollbooth (I just love the playfulness of it) though The Miseducation of Cameron Post also took my breath away. Brilliantly written, and likely a book I wouldn’t have found without asking Letterbox Library for their suggestion.
What are your bookish resolutions for 2016?
4 Comments on 6 bookish New Year’s resolutions, last added: 12/31/2015
What a fabulous list of things to do. Just shows there is lots going on you just need to find it. Good luck and look forward to hearing all about these finds:-)
Anne said, on 12/31/2015 1:29:00 AM
Oh! Such a magical list!
So, my bookish resolutions of the year:
1- I want to put my career in a more bookish way (if this sentence is correct). As we don’t have any of these fabulous places devoted to reading and stories in France, one of my resolution will be to create one. Perhaps not the kind you talked about, I must find my way to do it.
2- Read as much books reviewed by the English bloggers is like as I can. I discovered so much thanks to all of you during this year.
I wish you a wonderful new year, Zoe, and hope 2016 will be the best bookish year you wished!
Zoe said, on 12/31/2015 1:53:00 AM
Thanks Jayne Yes, lots going on, and I want to complement all my reading with a bit of more active, community doing too – that’s been behind some of my choices above.
Zoe said, on 12/31/2015 1:54:00 AM
Ah, thank you Anne. Great to read your resolutions and good luck with them. I look forward to hearing how they develop. In case you don’t already know it this is perhaps my favourite children’s book blog http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/
Some of us might be just a few weeks away from giving a book or two to people we love.
In light of this I’ve been playing around with making some appropriate wrapping paper using images in the public domain available via the British Library Flickr stream.
I had more fun than I should probably admit to in public going through the children’s books which form part of this collection, gathering covers, title pages and frontispieces to use. I then manipulated these images in a vector graphics programme and created a composite file which I uploaded to a couple of different companies offering bespoke wrapping paper.
Here’s my roll of wrapping paper from Spoonflower:
The Spoonflower paper (a roll measuring 26″ x 72″) cost me $13.50 before postage.
Here’s my roll of wrapping paper from Zazzle (using the same images, just organised slightly differently):
The Zazzle paper (a roll measuring 30″ x 72″) cost me £6.66 excluding postage but including a discount as a first time customer.
Neither option was cheap but they are fun wrapping papers, and if I had a special occasion, I’d definitely consider doing this again. I have a slight preference for the Zazzle paper – a matte paper rather than the shiny Spoonflower one, but both are good quality – so much so they could easily be used as posters (or wall paper?!) because they are nice and thick. If I worked in a library or a bookshop I could see how these could be used to make great displays.
Now, if you’ve just a single paperback to wrap, you could print off a couple of sheets of my FREE mini version of the zazzle/spoonflower wrapping paper:
If you right-click and save the (A4) image, you can then print it to use as you wish. Obviously, printing at home means the paper will be thicker than the average wrapping paper, but I’ve found it works fine if you’re wrapping regularly shaped books.
If you’d rather go for some commercially available book-themed wrapping paper you could look out for:
British Library Gift Wrap – wrapping paper featuring manuscripts from Jane Austen, Leonardo da Vinci, William Wordsworth, Christina Rosetti, Samuel Coleridge, Lewis Carroll, John Donne, John Keats, Daniel Defoe, James Joyce, William Blake and the Magna Carta.
And if you’re after cards, maybe you’ll be inspired by these:
I haven’t sent cards at this time of year for a few years now, but what with all the horrible things going on out there in the world at the moment, this year I feel a bit differently and so am sending a few cards to say a special thank you to various folk who have brought brightness to my 2015. I made these cards out of publishers’ catalogues – dead simple (once you get a big hole puncher) and fun to make.
RIGHT. Now I need some books to wrap! Better get off down to the bookshop….
3 Comments on Wrapping paper and cards for book lovers, last added: 12/5/2015
What to say? I’ve been very fortunate this year, having read so many wonderful books, and because I like a challenge, I decided to try and pick the books which made my year. This is a very personal selection, based on books that really meant something to me, that softened my heart or emboldened my spirit.
I didn’t manage to review them all on the blog but where I did do so, I’ve linked to the original posts below. Please do explore all you can of these books – I’m sure you and your kids will find something you too really love amongst them!
I also asked my kids for their favourite new reads of 2015. They chose several of mine and also a few others:
Lockwood & Co: The Hollow Boy by Jonathan Stroud
Arsenic For Tea: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
First Class Murder: A Murder Most Unladylike Mystery
Samen ben je niet alleen (Lotte en Roos) by Marieke Smithuis with illustrations by Annet Schaap
The Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus Book 5) by Rick Riordan
The Secret Rescuers: The Sky Unicorn by Paula Harrison
Tom Gates 9: Top of the Class (Nearly)by Liz Pichon
Yes! No (Maybe…) by Liz Pichon
An Island of Our Own by Sally Nicholls
Space Hostages by Sophia McDougall
Kristy’s Great Idea: Full-Color Edition (the Baby-Sitters Club Graphix #1) by Ann M. Martin and Raina Telgemeier
The Pirates of Pangaea: Book 1 (The Phoenix Presents) by Dan Hartwell and Neill Cameron
The Dream Snatcher by Abi Elphinstone
The Last of the Sandwalkers by Jay Hosler That’s My Hat by Anouck Boisrobert and Louis Rigaud Pierre the Maze Detective: The Search for the Stolen Maze Stone by Hiro Kamigaki and IC4DESIGN
Of all the brilliant books published this year, which have been your (kids’) very favourite?
3 Comments on Our favourite books of 2015, last added: 12/4/2015
Ah Pippa, every year I try to keep track of everything we read, and every year I fail. So I’ve no idea how much we’ve read in total this year. Of course we’ve read lots of stuff which wasn’t published this year, and for our selections today we kept it only to stuff published (or made available in the UK) in 2015. What would make it on to your best books of the year list?
Jayne said, on 12/3/2015 1:34:00 PM
Great list will be searching some of those out! As promised here are my 6 favourite reads this year.
Still Falling Sheena Wilkinson
My name isn’t Friday by Jon Walters
The Clockwork Sparrow by Katherine Woodvine
Demolition Dad by Phil Earle
The Everest Files by Matt Dickinson
Princess Caraboo by Catherine Johnson
So many more I have loved
Zoe said, on 12/3/2015 11:10:00 PM
Thanks Jayne, I too enjoyed My Name isn’t Friday a lot – very cleverly written I thought. Pricess Caraboo has been on my TBR pile too long. I will redouble my efforts to read it over the holidays!
When you look at your bookshelves what do you see beyond the spines and the dust on the shelves?
For many of the books which matter most to me I see virtual maps leading out of them; Paths and journeys that have ended up or – more often – begun with the book in front of me.
Some books have come in to my life by chance but have then spun me round with such a force it feels like my route onwards has been changed for ever more. Others have have been handed to me with a story of their own and with much love, building ties, threads and colourful strands between me and the giver that can’t ever be broken, however much changes in my life, and even within my relationship with that person.
Picturing these adventures that have brought the books to my shelves, or that have introduced new horizons for my own journeying, I am also aware that there are many directions and destinations and starting points I haven’t tried, that I don’t even know about.
This makes me a very hopeful reader.
Every book has the possibility of becoming that bend in the road, the crest of a hill where a whole new vista suddenly opens out in front of you and takes your breath away.
And so when I read Jake Hayes’ article, 50 Children’s Books to Save My Life earlier this summer when adventuring was in the air, I decided it was time to go exploring.
However, rather than choosing the route myself, I decided to ask friends, family and book-loving colleagues I admire to suggest interesting paths to take.
By signposting their own journeys, not only would I make some amazing bookish discoveries, I’d also build ties and strengthen friendships; reading a book may be a solitary activity, but reading a book loved by someone else starts conversations, brings understanding and builds empathy.
So now I can present to you my forthcoming reading journey.
All of these are books – at the time of asking for suggestions – which I had not previously read (you’ll no doubt raise your eyebrows at some of the classics which appear below). It’s an eclectic and marvellous list, the result of asking for books which meant a lot to the person suggesting them, either a children’s book, or a book which they had read as a child or teenager (even if it was technically something which might be found on a publisher’s adult list).
I wonder what you will make of this list…
Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin [suggest by Library Mice]
Le Grand Meaulnes (sometimes translated as The Lost Domain) by Henri Alain-Fournier ideally translated by Alan Davidson (OUP & Penguin) [suggested by Ian Beck]
A Country Child by Alison Uttley [suggested by Nicola Davies]
The Complete Poems: 1904-1962 by E. E. Cummings [suggested by Dom Conlon]
The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston [suggested by Polly Faber]
(Un)arranged Marriage by Bali Rai [suggested by Damyanti Patel]
For Love of A Horse by Patricia Leitch [suggested by ChaletFan]
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster [suggested by Helen Dineen]
The Owl Service by Alan Garner [suggested by Mat Tobin]
Half Magic by Edward Eager [suggested by Betsy Bird]
Crusher is Coming by Bob Graham [suggested by The Book Chook]
A Bridge to the Stars by Henning Mankell [suggested by Nicky Potter]
The Mouse and his Child by Russell Hoban [suggested by Hannah Love]
The Pigman by Paul Zindel [suggested by Sarah Crossan]
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White [suggested by 32 Pages]
The sign on Rosie’s Door by Maurice Sendak [suggested by Abie Longstaff]
Rhymes Without Reason by Mervyn Peake [suggested by Colin West]
The Family from One End Street by Eve Garnett [suggested by Damian Kelleher]
Moominpappa at Sea by Tove Jansson [suggested by James Mayhew]
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster [suggested by Jonathan Emmett]
Hero on a Bicycle by Shirley Hughes [suggested by Julia Lee]
Martin Pebble by Jean-Jacques Sempé [suggested by Tim Hopgood]
The Factory Made Boy by Christine Nöstlinger [suggested by Viviane Schwarz]
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron [suggested by Lisa B]
The Big Green Book by Robert Graves and Maurice Sendak [suggested by Jake Hayes]
The Happy Day written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Marc Simont [suggested by Julie Danielson]
Swami and Friends by R.K.Narayan [suggested by Choxbox]
The Borribles by Michael di Larrabeiti [suggested by Ali B]
Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor [suggested by Matt Finch]
Warrior Cats: Into the Wilde by Erin Hunter [suggested by my youngest daughter, 7]
Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan [suggested by my eldest daughter, 10]
Ivanhoe by Walter Scott [suggested by my husband]
The Wonderful Farm written by Marcel Ayme, illustrated by Maurice Sendak [suggested by Sophie]
Mistress Masham’s Repose by T. H. White [suggested by Annie of Annie and Aunt]
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin [suggested by Anamaria]
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery [suggested by Jayne T]
The Guardians by John Christopher [suggested by ReadItDaddy]
The Chalet School in Exile by Elinor M Brent-Dyer [suggested by Jim]
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth [suggested by Letterbox Library]
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (suggested by Se7en+1)
In fact this list is only half the story; Several contributors couldn’t stop at just one recommendation, so I have a secondary list which is almost as long again!
I’ve begun gathering and reading my way through these books, inscribing books I buy (I’m trying to buy only from bricks and mortar shops, often second hand, so I have a copy of the list with me in my purse) with the name of the person who suggested it and a note on where I bought it (this was partly the reason behind my trip to Hay last month). I’m gradually building up a very special bookshelf.
Whilst I have enough to read to keep me out of trouble for many months, if you would like to recommend a book to me, please do so. I already know I would love to read it.
3 Comments on 41 (children’s) books to change my life, last added: 9/23/2015
What a Beautiful idea! I’m jealous of your adventures. My contribution is Moondial by Helen Cresswell which I absolutely adored as a child. Or, if you’ve read that one, then Just Nuffin by Colin Dann or The Runaway Summer by Nina Bawden. Both have fond childhood memories attached. Enjoy your journey! I’m looking forward to living it vicariously x
Zoe said, on 9/23/2015 3:11:00 AM
Carmen, I haven’t read any of these (in a way I feel lucky – I’m sure I’m going to enjoy reading them, and anticipation is such a delicious thing) – thank you so very much for suggestions. I’ve added them to my list in my purse now!
Victoria said, on 9/23/2015 4:41:00 AM
What a wonderful list. I too loved Conrad, the Factory Made Boy and The Phantom Tollbooth. I have thought long and hard about what I would recommend. There are so many. I love Pearl Buck’s The Big Wave and as a child Across the Barricades by Joan Lingard lingered with me for a long time and was the reason I needed to go to Belfast while I was in the UK recently.
You know how you can climb up the ladder at the top of the Magic Faraway Tree into magical lands, often those which match your wildest dreams? I’ve just spent 23 hours in my own magical treetop land, a place packed with more books than I think I’ve ever seen in such a short space of time and the good news is, I wasn’t imagining it; it was REAL!
Hay-on-Wye is a small town on the border of England and Wales and whilst its resident population is under 2000, it has over 20 bookshops, a library and one of the two biggest book festivals in the UK, bringing in over 80,000 visitors for a week in late May/early June each year.
Here are some of the wonderful bookshops we visited:
1. The Children’s Bookshop
The Children’s Bookshop
The Children’s Bookshop would be my first recommendation for anyone looking for children’s books which they actually want to read themselves or give to children. Whilst the stock is all second-hand (as is the case in most Hay bookshops), the books here are not primarily collectors items selling for £££. Rather they are simply older books in good condition, many for £1 / £2 / £3.
2. Rose’s Books
Stella and Rose’s bookshop is a specialist children’s bookshop, ideal for collectors
To survive in a town with so many others, most bookshops have carved out a specific niche for themselves. Rose’s specialises in collectible, rare and out of print children’s books and is full of very, very beautiful books. Whilst children are allowed in the bookshop, this is really a place for adult collectors with a bigger budget than most parents buying simply for their kids’ enjoyment.
3. Hay Cinema Bookshop
Hay Cinema Bookshop (a vast shop with books on almost every subject, and most definitely not just film!)
We nearly walked past this bookshop as I thought it might be dedicated only to film books, but how wrong I was. This place is VAST and has books on every conceivable subject. Remaindered books mingle alongside second-hand books, and there’s also a specialist section containing rare and collectible books.
4. Open air shelves in the Castle grounds
The open air Castle Bookshop
Hay is a very picturesque village, with narrow winding roads and a ruined castle at its heart. There are two sets of open air bookshelves in the castle ground which you can peruse as you picnic.
5. Only for the brave
You can guess what sort of books you might find in here…
6. Richard Booth’s Bookshop
Booths, said by some to be the best bookshop in Hay.
Richard Booth is credited with having started the book revolution in Hay, and he continues to play a significant role in the town running a cafe and a cinema alongside this beautiful bookshop. The children’s section isn’t enormous, though it does mix new books alongside second-hand books, so if you are looking for more recent publications this is a good place to head.
7. Addyman Books
Whilst of course the two specialist children’s bookshops were real delights for me, perhaps my favourite bookshop in Hay was Addyman Books. With a very wide ranging collection of books, including the best selection of children’s books I found outside the two dedicated children’s bookshops, Addyman’s is enormous fun to explore not least because of its themed rooms with interesting and unusual décor.
8. Broad Street Book Centre
Broad Street Book Centre had the best selection of children’s non-fiction I found anywhere in Hay.
9. Greenway’s Corner Bookshop
Tucked down a little alleyway Greenway’s has only a small children’s section but it will always have a special place in our hearts as it was actually the first bookshop we visited when we arrived in Hay. M was especially delighted as she found one of the books in the Dune series (her current passion).
10. The Poetry Bookshop
My only disappointment in Hay. But that’s only because it was on my “target list” but by the time we got there it was shut (5pm) so we didn’t manage to get inside.
Hay is lucky to have its own library as well as all these bookshops. I do wonder what it is like to be a librarian here!
Photo: Rosemary Firman. Click to go to the source.
Housing many medieval manuscripts (and next door to the incredible Mappa Mundi) this is a powerful space for reflecting on the value, beauty and longevity of books. It’s part of a great exhibition in the Cathedral and whilst it is about 20 miles from Hay (easily reached by public transport), it should be on any book lover’s itinerary.
Playing by the book is all about bringing books to life off the page and into our every day lives and so when I discovered that there was a board game call Play by the Book, my eyes opened wide and I went off to find out more. Billed as an “action-packed game that gets children talking and learning about literature!” it sounded like it might be right up my street – not just for home use, but also with my kids’ book group at the local public library.
It’s designed so that players can discuss any fiction book (or simply a given chapter if you want to keep things simpler), and it can also be used for films. Players travel around the game board (by rolling a die) with the simple aim of reaching “The End” first. Before each roll of the die, the player in question must answer a question about the chosen book. Questions are set at two levels; their content is basically the same, but written in a different way making it easier or more challenging to give an answer.
If a player lands on an illustrated square after having rolled a die and answered a question, they are given an additional task; they have to perform an action based on the book. This might involve singing, acting out a scene, drawing a character or speaking like someone from the book. It gets players up and active, and provides plenty of opportunity for laughter in my experience!
In addition to questions about the set book, there are “wild cards”, shuffled in amongst the pack. These are broader questions, with a focus more on different types of genre, linked to the illustrations to be found on the board game itself.
There are a few finer details you can add to the game to make it more complex, but this gives you the basic idea: it’s a game of luck when it comes to rolling the die, but along the way there are lots of opportunities for discussion, arguing, debating and (in various ways) playing out the book.
Having played it quite a few times now what I really like about this board game is that it works for different ages / different abilities, even when playing at the same time, thanks to the different question levels. It is also more active than some traditional board games because players at some point are likely to have to get out of the seats and sing/act or draw. I think this extra level of physical activity is great, though some players who are a little more reserved may take a bit more encouragement to take part in these activities; I’ve found it has worked quite well if the game is played in teams, with two people for each counter.
The instructions say that players should all be discussing the same book / chapter / film, and this certainly works well. I have, however, used the game where players have each chosen their own book to discuss and this too has worked well. It’s been an interesting way for players to try to persuade other children to try the book they are talking about. The game has also been a good way of pooling knowledge when we’ve played it where each player has had a different book by the same author.
Play by the book would be a great addition to any classroom, especially for the 8-12 year old crowd. It also offers something a little bit different for book groups to do, as well as working well as a family game (the dramatic elements have worked best for me at home, where everyone is more relaxed about being a bit silly and less concerned about ‘making a fool’ of themselves).
PRESS RELEASE: International Book Giving Day (February 14th)
International Book Giving Day is a day dedicated to getting new, used, and borrowed books in the hands of as many children as possible. Tomi Ungerer, Judy Bloom, Katrina Germein and several other great authors are participating. It would be great to have you participate too!
We hope that we can connect people from around the world via International Book Giving Day’s website, facebook page, flickr group, and work together to focus on a good cause: getting books to kids.
Three simple ways you can celebrate International Book Giving Day:
1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative.
Is there a child in your life who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14th? In lieu of or in addition to a card or box of chocolates, choose a good book from a bookstore or public library to give to your child, grandchild, friend, or neighbor.
2. Donate a Book.
Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or nonprofit organization working to ensure that all kids have access to books.
3. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.
Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.
It would be fantastic to have your help with encouraging others to participate – especially others outside of the U.S. and U.K. Please, consider inviting authors, friends, and family in countries around the world to take part in International Book Giving Day.Let’s see how many people we can get to commit to giving a book to a child by February 14th!
I already had a post earmarked to share with you from the wonderful Playing by the Book, and today she has another one – so here they both are:
Firstly, this great focus on children’s books from Norway, part of Zoe’s Read Around Europe – so we can look forward to more great country round-ups.
And today this wonderful post about last year’s New Horizons winner at the Bologna Book Fair, Do! by Ramesh Hengadi, Rasika Hengadi, Shantaram Dhadpe, and Kusam Dhadpe, with Gita Wolf (Tara Books, 2010). What makes this post extra special is that Zoe and her children have created a beautiful pillowcase using Warli techniques using the video of Do! from Tara Books, included in the post. Watch, read and be inspired – yes, Do!
0 Comments on Read and Do with Playing by the Book as of 1/1/1900
I’ve already posted about the Authors for Japan auction, which started yesterday and runs for the rest of this week: there are some very tempting lots on offer, so take a look. All money raised will be paid directly to the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal.
Through one of the donors, Rachel J. Fenton, who is offering a Hand-made artist’s pamphlet of poetry and art work, I discovered another initiative that’s being set up to raise money for Japan: booksthathelp.org is proposing to create New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan, “a collection of stories and poems and art honoring and celebrating Japan”.
Here’s what they need:
your stories, poems, and artwork (see their submission page)
your tweets and blogs and vlogs and facebooks (see their helping out page)
your eyeballs and discerning literary and artistic judgement (see their helping out page)
They would welcome any submissions that are “relevant to or evocative of Japan” – including manga and microfiction… They will then be donating 100% of the proceeds to a charity working with the relief effort in Japan. And “they”, by the way, are authors Sessha Batto, Frankie Sachs (who would love to be able to include a wood-cut), Elle, Susan May James, Solange Noir and Michelle Goode.
Then, thanks to Playing by the Book, I’m able to pass on two more initiatives which have both put the call out for illustrators:
Art for Japan, set up by sisters Meg and Alice Hunt, is calling on any “cartoonist, illustrator, designer, animator, crafter, fine artist, etc.” for donations of work to be auctioned on eBay in early April. Anyone who can help is asked to email artforjapan2011ATgmailDOTcom; for full details go here.
And Illustration Rally has launchedGanbare Nippon: Don’t Give Up Japan, calling out for both original artwork to auction and submissions to their Rally for Japan, from which they plan to produce merchandise to sell – “so please give us your best imag
0 Comments on More ways to help Japan through the world of books… as of 3/16/2011 2:23:00 AM
I love getting mail. I'm not kidding when I say one of the highlights of my day is checking the mail, even when it's Tuesday and I know it will only be the grocery store circulars. It's already been established that I love books (by the mere fact that I have a blog . . . about books . . . ). So when Zoe announced her international book swap over on Playing by the Book, I knew we would take part. Books in the mail? Sign me up!
Kidding aside, I knew it would be fun to take part in a book exchange and perhaps learn a little about another family's favorite books, or even--in the event that we were matched with an international family--their culture. When I was younger, beginning around the fifth grade, I had a penpal. We were actually matched up through an ad in the back of a book. A lot of times those youthful "virtual" (I guess that's what you'd call it now) friendships fizzle out but my penpal and I stayed in touch for many years, until sometime in high school when, sadly, we lost contact with each other (on the off chance that Kathlynn is reading this--drop me an email!). One of the things I most enjoyed about having a penpal was the anticipation that something might be waiting for me every time I opened the mail box. And so it was with the book exchange: every day I opened my mailbox I thought, This could be the day.
I was matched with Arthi, who blogs at About Time Now and is a contributor to Saffron Tree. Although I had specified when I signed up that I was open to a book exchange with anybody, I was thrilled that we were matched with a family in a different country. Arthi and her family live in India. We decided to send her and her children a copy of The Monster Who Ate Darkness (the subject of my first post on this blog, and an all-time favorite in this house). My kids were upset about this until I told them we were sending them their own copy, not the one that belongs to us, and that we would also be receiving a new book in the mail.
Arthi sent us Little Vinayak, by Shobha Viswanath and illustrated by Shilpa Ranade. As a special bonus, t
A Children’s Literature Tour of the UK got it’s start when Zoe decided to compile a list of the various museums and centres for children’s literature around the world. “The part of the world I know best is the UK and then I got excited with the idea of a tour around the UK for lovers of children’s literature and illustration,” she says. “There’s quite an industry dedicated to literary tours but apart from one or two focusing on Harry Potter, I couldn’t find one dedicated to children’s books and so this post was born. Join me as we tour some of the best museums, centres, galleries and bookshops in the UK for children’s literature by clicking here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.”
“Here’s the google map to the European tour I’m currently working on and then I will eventually move on to a US tour and a rest of the world tour (will have to come up with a better name). Any suggestions (museums, galleries, bookshops, activity parks etc) would be most appreciated.”
” This is all about sending and receiving wonderful, indeed brilliant children’s picture books.” says Zoe. ” It will be a way for you to spread the word about a picture book you are passionate about, and to discover another equally amazing book through a gift from someone else. Anyone can sign up (whether or not you have a blog, whether or not you have children) but when you sign up you’re agreeing to purchase and post a lovely picture book (something that in your mind is the ‘best of the best’) to your partner. You in return will receive a lovely gift of a book back.” Interested in signing up? Click here for the details.
0 Comments on “A Children’s Literature Tour of the UK” and “Perfect Picture Books by Post” as of 1/1/1900
With the FIFA World Cup underway in South Africa, I thought it would be a good time to highlight some of the children’s literature resources in that country. While surfing the internet for information on the subject I came across Zoe Toft’s delightful blog Playing by the Book. Zoe resides in the UK with her husband and two young, bi-lingual daughters and says her blog is “a review of kids’ books and the crazy, fun stuff they inspire us to do”.
In her recent post Catching South African Fever, Zoe and her girls read The Dove (Dianne Stewart, illustrated by Jude Daly) and then, based on the beaded trinkets and animals mentioned in the story, made their own beaded artwork. Zoe has allowed us to share her photos and her review of the book here but I encourage you to visit her blog to read the entire post as she has also compiled an excellent list of resources for South African children’s literature.
The Dove, set in the South African province of Natal, tells the story of Lindi and her Grandmother who are tying to make ends meet after a flood destroys crops and sweeps away many animals. They make beaded trinkets to sell in tourist shops in Durban but have little success until they decide instead of their usual keyrings to make a dove, inspired by the first animal on their land after the flood had subsided. Their beaded animals and people are a hit and now Lindi and her Grandmother need not worry about having enough money until the next harvest.
M loved the story because of the sewing/creating theme, J enjoyed the small details in the illustrations (which actually reminded me a little of Gauguin in their style), and I loved the story for its freshness and believability – it was a great introduction for my girls into (what seems to me) “real” South Africa, rather than a version you might find preserved in an open air museum (although it would be very interesting to hear what any South African readers have to say about the themes in this book). This story set in modern South Africa would be the perfect read before holidaying there – a great way to start thinking about the people behind the trinkets we might bring back from visiting there.
Inspired by this gentle book I ordered a selection of African beads and buttons and M used these beads to create two pieces of art. We used some embroidery hoops we’d picked up in a charity shop, a large needle and some embroidery thread and then M set about designing her African villages and se
0 Comments on Zoe Toft’s blog Playing by the Book and her review of The Dove as of 1/1/1900
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Each year the Royal Society (a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence) celebrates the best books that communicate science to young people through their Young People’s Book Prize. 
Yes, lots going on, and I want to complement all my reading with a bit of more active, community doing too – that’s been behind some of my choices above.
International Book Giving Day (February 14th)
I’ve already posted about the 
Through one of the donors, 
Art for Japan, set up by sisters 
Ganbare Nippon: Don’t Give Up Japan, calling out for both original artwork to auction and submissions to their Rally for Japan, from which they plan to produce merchandise to sell – “so please give us your best imag
, by Shobha Viswanath and illustrated by Shilpa Ranade. As a special bonus, t
A Children’s Literature Tour of the UK got it’s start when Zoe decided to compile a list of the various museums and centres for children’s literature around the world. “The part of the world I know best is the UK and then I got excited with the idea of a tour around the UK for lovers of children’s literature and illustration,” she says. “There’s quite an industry dedicated to literary tours but apart from one or two focusing on Harry Potter, I couldn’t find one dedicated to children’s books and so this post was born. Join me as we tour some of the best museums, centres, galleries and bookshops in the UK for children’s literature by clicking 
I’ve been involved with this in for the last few years; it’s a great way to get pupils talking about non-fiction books.
Great to hear you’ve been involved in the past Jane. I do hope you’ll take part again this year.
Love love love it! Now I’m in the states I wish I could still get involved and galvanize readers; it’s such a great programme.