A Birthday Weekend

Every year my birthday seems to sneak up on me and take me by surprise so this year I was ready in advance and with my husband off on a Duke of Edinburgh camping trip and my parents helping out my youngest sister with her two day old little girl I thought I would take advantage of the great weather and two lovely invitations and head into London for a day out.

Not only was I lucky enough to meet Lauren Child at the launch of an exhibition celebrating her latest project My Life Is A Story, but I was also able to indulge in some great past times such as hopscotch, skipping and a tug of war up in Coram Fields - a wonderful fun-filled park that was packed to the brim in the April sun with people having an afternoon out.

The excuse for such the afternoon outing was the launch of the Adventure Walks books and a traditional British afternoon tea complete with cucumber sandwiches and jelly and cream! As if this wasn't enough I managed to fit in a spot of shopping and of course the obligatory sorbet from Selfridges! Enough of this birthday indulgence however and back to the books....

The Adventure Walks books are fun, family pocket sized books that encourage the whole family to get outdoor and explore, London and the surrounding area. themed walks take in history as well as geography and even a spot of nature. There is great fun to be had for all ages and lots to be learned. Becky and Clare told me how much fun it had been to go out and do the walks themselves and how fit they had become as a result. It was certainly proving to be a big hit, they were busy signing the copies being bough by eager parents and children were delightedly joining in the old fashioned games as featured in the books.

The contrast with Lauren Child's morning event could not have been more marked yet both were showing how books and their stories are shared experiences. Lauren may have been launching her My Life Is A Story exhibition and the stories of children from Mexico and other parts of the world that she has been involved with through her work as a UNESCO ambassador but she was also sharing with the children who were shy and yet eager to speak to her, the joy and pleasure as well as importance of stories - particularly That Pesky Rat recovered and with all proceeds going to UNESCO. Children loved being made to feel a part of the whole process, finding out about others around the world and working out how they too could be involved.

I had a truly lovely and inspiring day out and now I will be encouraging the children at school to share their own stories and find out more about other children around the world.

Animal Shinanigans!

Animals are the theme for the Blog this week. As the winter nights draw in and the weather gets worse I have been thinking about my chickens and rabbit, making sure

that they are warm enough and of course well fed! I know that in their won way they would quickly let me know if anything was not quite right! For we all know that animals have their own unique way of communicating with us even if itnot always an immediate success! This state of affairs is accurately depicted with great humour and clarity in Lauren Child's 'Who Wants to be a Poodle'. For years I have been thinking that poodles loved their pampered lifestyle bu

t this opinion was dramatically and comically altered after I read this wonderful story. With Lauren Child's traditional and trademark collage illustration this is a fun filled and hilarious story with vintage style and a modern

story. Trixie Twinkle Toes doesn't want to be the pampered poodle she is, she just wants to be a dog. Can she get her message across and help others understand the importance of just being yourself?

This leads me nicely to Thomas Docherty's 'Big Scary Monster' featuring a rather big and scary monster who loves nothing more than frightening all the little animals with a game of Boo. When the tables are turned and he is on the recieveing end of his own games he quickly realises how unpleasent it can be to pick on those smaller than yourslef. This lovely story gently encourges the reader to realise that being yourslef is as important as not bullying those who just smaller than you are. A bold and exciting story with wonderful illustration this is a very energetic book with an important message.

Picture books are not just about finding yourself and learning to get along with others they are also about learning some interesting facts in an exciting and unusual way. They are about the importance of words and pictures working in harmony with one another. 'Say Hello to the Dinosaurs' from Ian Whybrow is a tactile intorduction to these giant animals that have an enduring fascination to all young children. Through the pages of the book with its gentle rhymes children can learn some rather tounge-twisiting dinosaur names, feel their scaly skin and then take the fun test to see how much they have learnt. Great fun for asults and children alike!

These books will all, in their own way, no doubt find their way onto the booksheleves of many chidlren's bedrooms, make sure they don't just stay there but that they are enjoyed for themselves as much as for the messages they contain and have a week of happy reading!

Clarice Bean is 10!

On Tuesday evening we celebrated the 10^th birthday of the utterly fabulous Clarice Bean.  Author Lauren Child joined friends, family, booksellers, librarians and others in a small and hidden gem in the heart of London - The House of Barnabas once a women’s refuge now conference and meeting venue.  We were lucky enough that the rain held off allowing us to enjoy a relaxed evening in the garden.  Everyone there was given a personalised Clarice Bean badge and the excitement buzzing in the air was palpable.

A number of well-loved children’s books and their characters are celebrating birthday’s and other anniversaries this year and in order to help this one stand out a limited edition linen-bound copy of Clarice Bean is being published.  Lauren will find herself busy personally signing each copy and she was thrilled to be able to talk to some of her young fans during the evening.

Lauren explained how she was thrilled to have made it to 10 years old with Clarice, a character very close to her heart, because she tried for a long time to find anyone to accept the story, constantly being told the picture books in the first person would not work.  Luckily she has proved the publishers wrong and gone from strength to strength.

It was a very special birthday and party and a real pleasure to be able to celebrate with Lauren, Orchard Books, her publishers, and the assembled guests.