What’s your talent?

The other day I was called into the living room by my …. let’s describe him as ‘over exuberant’ four year old. He wanted to show me something that he could do. I expect you can all recall a moment when a child wants to show off something they have discovered or something that they can do. Precious moments aren’t  they? He solemnly informed me to “hurry up or I  will forget my performance!!”

I sat down to watch him do  this :

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152143669951099

 

I asked him afterwards if he liked dancing and he proudly proclaimed “Yes I do Mum, its my talent!” Now whether he is good at dancing or not is debatable, but the fact that he was proud and thought he was good at it was amazing. Isn’t our role as grownups to help kids have good self esteem and to discover their talents whatever they might be?

 

That night at bedtime I read him this wonderful book

This tells the story of a crocodile who for some strange reason doesn’t like water. He is the oddest crocodile ever. He is sad because he can’t join in with his brothers and sisters and  he tries really hard to fit in and force himself to do the things that they do. The twist at the end of the story is  truly delightful. I won’t spoil it for you by revealing what happens but serves as a brilliant reminder that we can’ be good at everything – but we are all good at something. When we find our role in life we shine….

 

It’s only the wind, Little Bear….

My youngest child is a boy who hears things that no one else in our house hears… the gurgle of the water in the radiators, the whisper of the slightest wind in the tree outside his bedroom window. To him the sound of the extractor fan in the bathroom is the roar of a ferocious lion. He’ll turn to me, his already big blue eyes wide with concern and ask me “What’s that noise?” He is never happy with a simple “I can’t hear anything George, or its nothing to worry about!” – this boy needs answers, before he can settle his overactive mind.

Lets’s Go Home Little Bear by Martin Waddell is book which deals with the theme of anxiety. The ever loveable Big Bear and Little Bear go for a walk in the snow covered woods. On their return journey, Little Bear is having a whole heap of fun, slipping and sliding, when suddenly his ears prick up and he tunes in to the myriad of sounds around him. Big Bear ever reliable, continues walking – plod, plod, plod  in front of him.

“I thought I heard something!” Little Bear said.

What did you hear?” said Big Bear.

“Plod, Plod, Plod,” said Little Bear.

“I think it’s a plodder!”

So the story continues with Little Bears imagination turning even the sounds of melting snow into something needing explanation. Every parent reading this book will remember the frustration of a journey that should be quick and easy seeming to take forever… but at the same time every step of the way creating memories. “Let’s go home Little Bear” is the constant refrain from eternally patient Big Bear.

Finally they reach the cosy warm Bear Cave with Big Bear carrying Little Bear on his shoulders. Barbara Firth’s illustrations are as joyous as the text. Big Bear and Little Bear settle down under a blanket as Big Bear tells the story of a simple walk, that created a whole new world in Little Bear’s mind.

I love this book because no matter how many times I read it and I have read it countless times both in school and to my own children it reminds me of to two things…. that imagination is a gift and that we all of us need to have that feeling of wanting to go home….. (oh and I sooo want to live in a Bear cave just like theirs!)

Are you afraid of the dark?

There are some books that no matter how many times I have read them to children I never grow tired of reading. One such book is Can’t You Sleep Little Bear by Martin Waddell and illustrated by Barbara Firth. Molly Keane from the Sunday Times rightly describes this book as “The most perfect children’s book ever written or illustrated. It evaporates and dispels all fear of the dark”

One of the things I have wanted most for my children, has been for them not to have a fear of the dark. I hold my hands up and admit that even as an adult, at times, that familiar childhood feeling of being afraid can creep up on me as I walk through the dark hallway in my new house. When I was a child my grandmother had a huge house with a long dark landing at the end of which was a full length mirror on the wall. I’d run past that mirror every time when I got up in the middle of the night. I was terrified I would look in the mirror and see something else other than me looking back at me!

Can’t You Sleep Little Bear tells the story of Big Bear and Little Bear. The Bear cave they live in looks to me to be the cosiest place on earth. Little Bear though is scared of the dark and Big Bear does his best to dispel his fears of the “dark all around us” by bringing him bigger and bigger lanterns. In the end Big Bear realises that the only way to stop Little Bear being afraid is by bringing him the biggest lantern of them all – the moon.

Don’t be scared of the dark and share Can’t You Sleep Little Bear with your little one to show them that there is nothing to be afraid of. In fact the darkness can be a magical place too.

Winner of children’s writer competition.

Finally I can announce today that the winner of our competition to find a new children’s writer has been chosen. We had so many entries which were of a very high standard but our winner stood out as original, entertaining and fun. I am really looking forward to working with Joe Riggens to bring his fab character Titchy and her witch friends to life. Joe and I  will be working together to publish his story to Kindle. We will also be getting his story out to schools and teachers along with a teaching resource pack that will be specially written.

Watch this space for updates about our progress – we look forward to bringing you all the latest news about this exciting new project. Congratulations Joe – lets hope this book is the first of many!

There is a skill to falling asleep…

My littlest boy has always found it difficult to fall asleep. It’s been an ongoing battle since the day he was born and I have felt like the most sleep deprived mother on this planet at times. But since we have moved into our new house he has started to fall asleep anywhere. He has finally learnt that he doesn’t actually have to “do” anything to go to sleep. He had got to the point where he was telling himself that he didn’t know how to do it. As is often my way when one of the younger kids has a problem with an issue I set off for the library to look for books about falling asleep and found a fantastic one. This book has been around a while but it is for sale second hand on Amazon and Ebay and available in most libraries.

Sleepy Places by Judy Hindley and illustrated by Tor Freeman starts off:

“When you’re nodding and flopping

and ready to fall in a heap,

where do you choose for a nap or a snooze

– where is your favourite place to sleep?”

It goes on to describe the huge range of different places that creatures sleep. George was fascinated by the idea of trying to sleep hanging upside down like a bat. It solved for him he problem he had, that he thought sleeping was too difficult, but as I said to him, “It’s better to sleep in a nice comfy bed than having to sleep upside down”. At the end of the story the three children all end up sharing the same bed, but George wasn’t keen on that idea at all. As he declared that night instead of the usual need for me to lay down next to him to help him get to sleep – “Get out Mum, this bed is mine!”

Give Sleepy Places space on your book shelf… the illustrations are gorgeous, the text is lyrical and you never know it might just help your little one to sleep!.

Back after the big move… announcement

After a long hiatus due to a  much needed house move the blog is back up and running this week. With a fantastic book deal in the bag, Russ will no longer be working with Bundles of Books but I am sure we will get to hear all about his new books as they are published. I have a brand new base to work from and lots of new ideas for resources and reviews so lets get this show  back on the road!

This week I will be declaring the  winner of the  competition we ran to find a new children’s writer. The range of entries was diverse and it was no easy task to decide which book to go with. There were lots of factors to consider including which age group the book was written for as impressively we got a variety of forms of entry including some longer children’s novels.

The announcement will be made on Wednesday so watch this space. I’ll have some new book reviews later this week and newsletters and downloadable resources will be back next week.

Thanks for your patience whilst I have got relocated and reorganised and I’m looking forward to bringing you some greta things in 2014.

These children’s books were banned in the USA

This will have you running for your toothbrush!!

Any parent will know that getting children to  brush their teeth can be a difficult task. Dentist Alex Rushworth has created  the Sugarbugs and written Open Wide….What’s Inside? which is beautifully illustrated by Helen Rushworth. Heartbroken at the amount of dental decay she has witnessed amongst children during her work in paediatric dentistry, Alex decided to write the book in the hope of spreading the message of good dental care and therefore reducing the amount of painful extractions necessary in young children. 30% of 5-14 have dental decay and tooth extraction is the most common reason for children to have general anesthesia.

I won’t beat about the bush – the book is designed to deliver a particularly gross and revolting message about what Sugarbugs (know as Streptococcus mutans in real life!) will do to your teeth if you don’t brush them properly. There were positive howls of disgust as I read the book to my youngest two children.  They are very good about brushing their teeth, but had they been reluctant brushers then this most certainly would have done the trick!

A lot of thought has gone into the design of the book. Its is available in two sizes – a storybook size and a smaller version which is perfect for schools to purchase to give away as part of a dental health topic. Like its author Alex I can see huge benefits to using this as a teaching resource and it would be brilliant to see it in dentists waiting rooms – the perfect story to keep your children occupied whilst they wait for their checkup!

We are donating a copy of  Open Wide…. What’s Inside? to a local nursery so they can learn about the Sugarbugs important message. It is available to purchase in our bookstore.

Want to be a children’s writer? Call for submissions

Tweet @mammapolitico or @russbrownauthor

Email us : readbundlesofbooks@gmail.com

The Reindeer Girl : Book Review

The Reindeer Girl by Holly Webb

This  book has a very Christmassy feel to it and so it was lovely to read at this time of year as Christmas is starting to be talked about by everyone.   The Reindeer Girl by Holly Webb tells the story of a girl who has Norwegian family including a very old great- grandmother whose family used to be reindeer herders. Lotta goes to visit her family as part of birthday celebrations for her great grandmother. The story gives a detailed sense of Norwegian Christmas culture  and then as the story switches into dream mode and Lotta goes back in time to join her family herding reindeer there is lots of information about the culture of the Sami Tribe. I  loved the way bond between Lotta  and  her Great Grandmother strengthens as the story progresses, proving family ties can surpass cultural and generational differences.

This book would be a great approach to work in the classroom with a Christmas element but the added bonus of learning about another culture. There are excellent sections at the back of the book – a comprehensive glossary, information about Reindeers and about the migration of the Sami Tribe. A complete min topic is possible from this book – it would be great for home educators and  highly recommend it.

We will be donating our copy of The Reindeer Girl to a school library – we have copies available to buy in our bookstore as well as lots more books from the brilliant Little Tiger Press who published The Reindeer Girl.