26.02.07
The Rights of the Reader
(Comme un roman - Folio Gallimard)
author: Daniel Pennac
French bookworms will know Pennac - he is an institution in France, and yet his books have not been readily available in the UK. Thanks to translator Sarah Adams, this is at last being rectified with the translation of some of his children's titles (Eye of the Wolf and Dog for instance both published by Walker Books) and The Rights of the Reader (beautifully illustrated by the fantastic Quentin Blake).
Comme un roman, as it is known in France, has sold over a million copies there. Pennac drew from his experience as a teacher in challenging secondary schools in France to write this fascinating book on children's rights when it comes to reading: the right to read what you want, the right to read when you want, and sometimes even, the right not to read at all (you can have a closer look at the 10 rights of the readers here). Pennac's argument is that reading has been turned into a chore by many including parents and teachers, and this is what is making a lot of children give up on books.
It really is a fascinating, thought-provoking read.
In my opinion, any parent who is serious about helping their children to become life-long readers should read it.
Red House Children's Book Award
For the last couple of years, Oisín has been reading the books shortlisted for the younger children section of the Red House Children's Book Awards (with the help of his daddy). This award, owned and administered by the Federation of Children's Book Groups, is the only award solely voted for by children (this can be done on the website).
The shortlist this year is great and includes:
- Who's in the Loo? Jeanne Willis & Adrian Reynolds
- The Incredible Book Eating Boy Oliver Jeffers (one of our favourite books from last year)
- The Lamb Who Came For Dinner Steve Smallman & Joelle Dreidemy
- Silly Billy Anthony Browne
Have a look at the official website for more details.
An ideal library for little mice?
Ok, so you might think who am I to tell you what you should have on your child's bookshelf? Well I am not, not really anyway! I am no expert - all I have is a passion for children's books, a huge collection of books and review periodicals on the subject, and let's be honest, far too much free time on my hands to be writing this blog (what I am not telling you is that my children have been eating spaghetti hoops for 3 weeks ... you don't believe me, do you?). So basically I will include a few personal favourites, but mainly books that are unanimously acclaimed. Also, I am always open for suggestions so please post a comment if you have one, or several!
With Love
Wendy Cooling (editor)
Orchard Books
I could not have started this new feature without having this as my first choice. This, in my opinion, is the perfect birth/christening/first birthday present, and many a child has received it as a present from me!
Why should every child own one?
Firstly because because every time this book is purchased, £1 goes to Bookstart, and Bookstart is one initiative that this country can be proud of (I like it so much that it was the basis of the dissertation for my master's, back in its early days, in 1997).
Secondly because it is edited by Wendy Cooling, and she knows what she is talking about when it comes to children's books! She first came up with the idea of Bookstart, and she is an all-round children's book champion!
Thirdly and most importantly, where else can you find in one single book most of the succesful and inspirational authors and illustrators of the last 40 years? These include Shirley Hughes, David McKee, Jez Alborough, Lauren Child, Axel Scheffler, Debi Gliori, Nick Sharratt, Michael Morpurgo, Benjamin Zephaniah to name but a few!
25.02.07
Why we love Charlie and Lola ...
... and by we I don’t just mean Oisín and Rosalie, but me as well. I know, at 32, it is quite sad. But a long time ago, in 
2000, I went to an author talk in London and met Lauren Child who was starting to be quite famous then with Clarice Bean, That's Me. She was just so different. Her illustrations were nothing like I had ever seen before and she seemed such a nice person too ( and I loved her clothes too!). I was hooked from then on.
I particularly love Charlie and Lola because of the positive sibling relationship it portrays, especially as I have a boy and a girl! I think Oisín and Rosalie have learnt to love it because I made them watch the tv series!
Anyway, the main reason for all this waffling is that for this year’s Comic Relief, a new Charlie and Lola is focussing on another of my big passions in life: fair-trade chocolate! It is called But I Do Know All About Chocolate and if you buy it (£2.99), £2 will go to Comic Relief.
What a great way to:
- give money to charity,
- get a new Charlie and Lola book
- be able to explain how chocolate is made (until then Oisín looked at me very suspiciously when I would tell him that cocoa grew on trees!)
And if all that is not enough, check out the Red Nose Day website for more Charlie and Lola stuff, including a recipe for cupcakes made with one my favourite fair-trade choc bars: Dubble bars. Yum!
18.02.07
La Comtesse de Ségur (et la Bibliothèque Rose)
Il y a des trucs comme ça, qui sont tellement français, qu’on ne peut pas les expliquer aux Anglais. Le Petit Nicolas en fait partie ( bien que maintenant publié en Angleterre chez Phaïdon) , la Comtesse de Ségur aussi. Alors pourquoi écrire en anglais quand ils ne comprendraient pas de toute façon ?
Quand j’étais petite, j’adorais la Comtesse de Ségur (comme presque toutes les petites filles, d’ailleurs), et maintenant que Hachette a relooké la Bibliothèque Rose, les livres de la comtesse sont ressortis, avec des nouvelles couvertes, superbement illustrées par Iris de Moüy. Alors, petit à petit, je les rachète, d’abord pour moi, car c’est magique de les redécouvrir, et plus tard, peut-être, pour ma petite Rosalie. Il y a des choses comme ça qui vaillent la peine d’être transmises!
La Bibliothèque Rose a célébré ses 150 ans en 2006, et en cette occasion Armelle Leroy a publie deux bouquins qui valent le coup, si vous êtes un peu du genre nostalgique !
D’abord Le Club des cinq, Fantômette, Oui-Oui et les autres : Les grands succès des bibliothèques rose et verte, un livre plein d’illustrations, d’exemples de couvertures (plein de souvenirs) et de petites infos sur les séries principales.
Puis La Saga de la Bibliothèque Rose, qui entre beaucoup plus dans les détails de l’historique de sa naissance, des séries et des auteurs.
Du coup, moi, je suis rentrée chez mes parents, j’ai fouillé dans les placards et j’ai retrouvé mes bibliothèques vertes que je ramène petit a petit chez moi : les sœurs Parker, les jeunes filles en blanc, Alice … pas de la grande littérature, mais bon, comme je l’ai déjà dit, je suis une grande nostalgique !
15.02.07
Théo fait un gâteau
(Theo and the Special Visit - Macmillan Children's Books)
author/illustrator: Ingrid Godon
Did I mention that I love Ingrid Godon's illustrations? This was one of Rosalie's Christmas presents and she loves it. The text is simple enough for her to follow and try to repeat and she has quickly learnt the characters' names. I love the fact that Théo and Zoé bake a cake to cheer Max up, because that's exactly what we do in our house.
Book ideas for Mother’s Day (and Father’s Day as well)
I love Ingrid Godon and I love Carl Norac too, so it is fantastic to see them collaborate on a book!
A couple of years ago we bought Oisín My Daddy is a Giant (Mon papa est un géant - Bayard Jeunesse), which is a fantastic father/son book. Last year, this winning formula produced My Mummy is Magic (Une maman, c’est magique – Bayard Jeunesse) which is, this time, a celebration of mother/daughter relationships. If like me you have a little terror for a daughter, and you don’t always get on very well, any positive role model is most welcome! Godon’s wonderful illustrations will definitely make this a winner.
Another fantastic book for Mother’s Day is Anthony Browne’s My Mum (Ma maman – Kaléidoscope) and the daddy’s Version My Dad (Mon Papa – Kaléidoscope). Browne takes a funny approach to how a child might see his mother and father. As always, his amazing sense of detail gives a lot to talk and laugh about!
14.02.07
Scaredy Squirrel
(Frisson l'écureuil - Bayard Jeunesse)
author/illustrator: Melanie Watt
This is the nutty adventure of a squirrel who never leaves his tree because he is too scared of killing bees, sharks and aliens amongst other things!
We have the French version of this book and it is allows for lots of acting out and silly voices. A brilliant read, Oisín really loves it.