• Elmer is 20

    Posted Friday July 31st 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    Elmer the patchwork elephant is 20 years old this year!

    Created by David McKee (the genius who was also behind Mr Benn), he is a character who symbolises the fact that difference is a good thing. In a world of grey elephants, he stands out in red, blue, pink, green, yellow and many more colours. And to celebrate, the latest Elmer book, called Elmer's Special Day, even has a special parade in his honour.

    I won't say any more, because what's the point, when you could be checking Elmer out for yourself? Take a peek the next time you're passing the library or book shop. And if you're an Elmer fan, I'd love to know which book is your favourite.

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  • Schools: help us judge the funniest children's book this year!

    Posted Friday July 31st 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    If you're a teacher, or if one of your children is at school, why not register to attend the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2009? You could win the chance to attend the awards ceremony, and even meet the judges and authors involved.

    All schools and pupils under 14 can register to judge one of the two categories - the funniest book for the under-sixes, and the funniest for seven-to-14s. Ten classes will be chosen to help choose the books and attend the awards in November.

    The prize is the idea of former Children's Laureate, Michael Rosen. He said: 'People always want to know of funny books for children. There's always a birthday or a Christmas present to be thinking about, there's always a long journey, there are always wet days on holiday. But where are the funny books? They're here! At the Roald Dahl Funny Prize!'

    Find out all you need to know about the judges, the books and the prizes. I wish I could enter!

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  • Signed Stories

    Posted Friday July 31st 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    Over the weekend I came across a great story site for deaf children - Signed Stories from ITV.

    It's great! There are lots of categories to explore for different ages and tastes, from baby and toddler stories to folk tales to slimy scary, signed or in subtitles. There are some great books on there, with characters that lots of children will recognise, like Elmer. Little ones and their mums and dads or carers will love to share them, I'm sure. And for hearing adults like me, it's a great way to practise my sign language.

    But it's not just fun, it's really important too. After all, every child should be able to discover a love of books and reading, whoever they are, whatever their abilities, wherever they are from. The fun of enjoying stories is a right that Booktime takes very seriously.

    That's why we provide things like Books For All, which gives you a list of books children can enjoy according to their interests or needs. They include books to suit a variety of cultures, and that portray positive images of disability. There are also lists of books which have no or very few words, or that…

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  • Animals aren't rubbish!

    Posted Thursday July 16th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    OK, this isn't directly to do with children's books. But I've seen it in a couple of places in the press, and it's simply too good not to post!

    Children's publisher Orion Books, in conjunction with Waterstones and the Born Free Foundation recently ran a competition called Animals are Not Rubbish to encourage children to understand the importance of animals and conservation. Using only recycled materials, children were asked to create models of endangered animals.

    I think this is a great idea - after all, animal characters are a staple part of children's books, especially picture books. The winners were announced on Monday, so why not take a look at the top entries on the Animals are Not Rubbish website? Some ingenious ideas, I hope you'll agree!

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  • Making stories

    Posted Thursday July 16th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    There’s a really nice new website from Puffin, called We Make Stories, that has launched recently.

    For a one-off fee of a few pounds, We Make Stories aims to encourage children’s creativity and storytelling skills by giving you the option of making comics, audiobooks or treasure maps. Once you’ve paid you can use it as many times as you like.

    So if you fancy a change from a book one summer’s day, why not spend an hour or so on We Make Stories creating your own exciting tale? I can’t wait to get stuck in and make some of my own!

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  • Every Book Can Be a Conversation

    Posted Monday July 13th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    If you are particularly eagle-eyed or especially news-hungry, you may have spotted this story last week about some research on ways of improving little ones’ language skills.

    The point, says Dr Frederick Zimmerman from the UCLA School of Public Health in California, is that encouraging your child to speak is the best way to promote their language development.

    For us at Booktrust, it’s not, as some news headlines suggests, about choosing a bedtime chat over a bedtime read. We believe that the best way to enjoy a book at a very young age is to approach it as a conversation.

    A book is something you can actively share and enjoy together. You could recite the words together, talk about what you see or how the story makes you feel, for example. And I won’t bore you with it here, but there’s research to back it up, too.

    Dr Zimmerman calls the advice to read to your child “sound”, but wants to place “more emphasis on the importance of getting children to speak”. As books can make use of little ones’ emotions, imaginations and their relationship with you, they are the ideal way to do just that.

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  • Discover how Harris Finds His Feet

    Posted Thursday July 9th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    The 2009 winner of the very prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal was announced a couple of weeks ago. It went to a book called Harris Finds His Feet, a story about how a hare with enormous feet learns to be independent. I’ve just picked up my copy this week – and it’s great!

    I love the way the illustrator, Catherine Rayner, has captured all the textures and colours on Harris’s body and the scenery around him. And his relationship with his Grandad is charming too. I thoroughly recommend it!

    Big Picture logo


    I might also check out some of Catherine Rayner’s other books, as she was chosen by the Big Picture Campaign as one of their Best New Illustrators. That’s a lovely endorsement to have! Do you know her books at all? Any recommendations for where to start?

    If you’re looking for a good read for an older child, or yourself even, I’ve another tip. In the same week, Siobhan Dowd won the Carnegie Medal for her novel, Bog Child.

    Bog Child
    Sadly Siobhan died two…

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  • It's not just what you read, it's where you read

    Posted Thursday July 9th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    After my last post about holiday reads, I couldn't help thinking about the fact that we're not going away this year. For one reason or another, it's just proved to be too expensive.

    But that doesn't mean we're not in for a fantastic summer, and we're determined to make the most of it. I was especially inspired by this article who writes about what she calls about "book nooks".

    So I've decided that it's not just about what you're reading or who you're reading it with - it's also about where you're reading it. Milo and I are going to be spending a lot more time in a shady spot in our little garden devouring our small but growing book collection. But there are other spots, like my office, which might provide a nice snug spot for a read - it's just that I'm not used to thinking about it as a likely location.

    You know what they say about a change being as good as a holiday. So why not try shaking things up with a few new "book nooks" of your own this summer?

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  • Now's the time to stock up on summer reads

    Posted Friday July 3rd 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    With summer well and truly here, many of us will be planning to take a holiday somewhere, or at least looking forward to spending a little more precious time together as a family.

    And, after reading a few hilarious newspaper articles recently about the potential stresses and strains of summer time, what a godsend a couple of good books really are.

    After all, they keep your little one occupied and focused on enjoying themselves. They help them learn about the world they live in, teaching language skills and exercising their imaginations. And if all that sounds a little bit worthy, never forget that a good book is just plain good fun.

    What's more, it takes very little effort to spin a riveting read into an extra activity that gives you both some enjoyment. When your little one has finished reading, why not ask them to draw a picture about the story? Or ask them what they found most interesting?

    So get yourself down to your local library, book shop or charity shop in the next couple of days to pick up a new book or two. With many shops offering summer special deals too, it needn't be a pain in…

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