• Meet the team - part 2

    Posted Saturday November 21st 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    The second post in our little series introducing you to the good people behind Booktime. First up was Andy, this time it is Emma's turn.


    Who are you and what is your role within Booktime?

    My name's Emma, and I'm currently working as the Booktime Programme Coordinator. I've been with Booktime for almost 5 months, previously as the Programme Officer.

    Can you explain what your role means and what you do day-to-day for Booktime?

    One of my main tasks coming up is to work with our lovely suppliers and partners on the design and production side of things. So although this year's book packs have arrived in schools this month, we're thinking already about materials and resources for next year. This year we made lots of resources available online - reading certificates and posters as well as activity sheets.

    It would be great to know what people think about them as we start planning next year's resources - please feel free to post a comment to let me know!

    What do you think of this year's chosen book?

    I think the Mr Big story book has worked brilliantly for this…

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  • Celebrities have their say about the books they love

    Posted Saturday November 21st 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    Earlier this year, as part of the campaign to promote the launch of Booktime and Booked Up, we spoke to lots of famous people. They told us about the books they loved as children, the stories they share with their own little ones and why they think reading matters.


    And I think it says a lot about how books can bring us together, no matter who we are. Who could have guessed, for example, that Ian Hislop from Have I Got News For You and Kirsty Gallacher would both have a love for the Wind in the Willows? Or that property expert Sarah Beeny and former Olympic rower Matthew Pinsent share a fondness for the Hairy Maclary series?


    It also shows how reading tastes can sometimes defy the expectations you have of people. Who could have guessed that a children's author would have preferred characters from the Beano to any of those from children's books?


    Take a look at what all of our celebrity readers had to say here.

     

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  • Autumn baking fun

    Posted Saturday November 21st 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    This post is a little bit of a treat for the tummy. I was reading Mr Big with my one year old the other day and thinking about bananas (as you would when reading about a gorilla!).


    Milo LOVES bananas, as do most little monkeys, so we decided it would be a good idea to make some banana cakes.

    Booktime Milo banana face


    I got the recipe from my cousin Jo who gave Milo these yummy little cakes at his first birthday party. A huge success - all the babies loved them! Jo got the recipe from Finger Foods for Babies and Toddlers by Jenny Maizels which is now on my wish list for Christmas!


    The cakes are suitable for any age, but particularly great for little ones as they have no sugar in them, just honey. They're very easy to make and for these wintery days that we seem to be having at the moment, cooking is the perfect indoor activity, as is snuggling and munching on banana cakes while reading a good book together!


    Ingredients

    90g butter, softened

    2 ripe bananas, mashed

    …
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  • Booktime from a parent's view - part two

    Posted Wednesday November 18th 2009 by Dorothy

    Part two: Guest blogger and mum-of-two Dorothy remembers her favourite stories and tells us why you can never spend too much time reading books.
    > Read part one of Dorothy's post here

    Reading was such a joy and escape for me and their dad when we were kids that it's been natural for us to encourage our two to enjoy books.

    As a child, I had my head stuck in a book from the time I learnt to read (being into books helped me learn English as a second language when I first started school – until then I'd spoken only Polish, my parents' native tongue).

    I can remember loving Enid Blyton books when I was very young, and being told at school that we shouldn't read them as they were rubbish. But my quality-control and pc radar were not yet developed so I worked my way steadily through the Noddys, the Faraway Tree, the Mallory Towers and lashings of Famous Fives. I loved Roald Dahl and also an author called Noel Streatfeild who wrote Ballet Shoes and a book called The Painted Garden – two of my all time faves.

    Others I read and reread were Laura Ingalls…

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  • Fantastic Mr Fox!

    Posted Thursday November 12th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    Seeing as I mentioned Roald Dahl in my last post, I thought it would be worth saying we recently went to see the film of Fantastic Mr Fox. We loved it!

    It really feels like it's been made in the 1970s, when it was first published. If that sounds like it might feel dated, yes, it does, but only in a really good way.

    It has been made using animated figures, rather than cartoons, and you almost want to reach out into the screen in order to pick them up and play with them. If you're a fan of the Dahl book, it's true to say you'll notice there are a few big differences between it and the film, but there's nothing that feels like Hollywood people spoiling a classic.

    Go and watch it if you can!



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  • The funniest books around

    Posted Thursday November 12th 2009 by Natasha Worswick

    Earlier this week we announced the winners of the Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2009!

    For the under-sevens, the winning book was Mr Pusskins Best In Show by Sam Lloyd. It's the tale of a grumpy but loveable cat who covets the best in show trophy at his local pet beauty pageant. You should try it, it's hilarious! As outgoing children's laureate Michael Rosen said, "it's a ridiculously funny book."

    Michael's fellow judge, the comedian Bill Bailey said, "The cover of Mr Pusskins shows a cat blow drying himself with a hairdryer - that's hilarious!"

    And, judging by Nikesh's post over on the Booktrust blog, it sounds like the ceremony itself was a hoot too.

    So which are the funniest books you like to read together?

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  • Booktime from a parent's view

    Posted Friday November 6th 2009 by Dorothy, Booktime parent

    Part one: This week, mum-of-two Dorothy got in touch with Booktime to give her thoughts on the programme. In part one of this guest blog post, Dorothy tells us about the books her children like to read and what her daughter made of Mr Big.


    I'm Dorothy, mum of two girls aged four-and-a-half and nearly nine. The youngest, Evie, has learnt to write her name and likes to autograph anything that doesn't move, including the flyleaf of any passing book, to display her newly acquired skill (she just mastered how to write the v the right way up). Evie was 'very happy' with her Bookstart Treasure Chest of books first of all and her blue Booktime bag of books this term in Reception. I am hugely impressed with these schemes, which bring wonderful books to so many young children in such an imaginative way. Daisy was miffed that she'd missed out on these fab gifts this year, but consoled by the fact that she's a member of the good old Puffin Club, thanks to a generous auntie last Christmas.


    Both girls like books and read, or are read to every day, though there's a lot of competition for…

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  • Perform a Poem website is launched

    Posted Wednesday November 4th 2009 by Nikesh Shukla

    Perform-a-Poem is a brand new website for sharing children’s poetry performances

    Launched this week at a reception at the National Theatre, this unique poetry performance website for primary school children encourages children to write, choose, perform, film and edit poems. It's a secure site for teachers and pupils who enjoy performing and watching performance poetry, developed in line with national standards on e-safety and child protection.

    Perform-a-Poem, initially piloting for London schools, is a joint project between Michael Rosen, Booktrust and the London Grid for Learning (LGfL). It developed from an idea by Michael Rosen during his highly successful term as Children’s Laureate (2007-9): 'I’m hoping that Perform-a-Poem will give an opportunity for children and teachers to experiment and play with poetry in an exciting way. All poems have a voice; sometimes this voice is best heard silently, but most poems enjoy being spoken and performed, because this is how we get to feel a poem.'

    As well as the video upload and browse features, Perform-a-Poem contains comprehensive resources for teachers to help their pupils write, choose, perform, film, edit and upload their poems.

    Click here to visit Perform-a-Poem

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