Goodbye

I will not be making any further entries to this blog for a while. Pressure of time is the main culprit. Thanks to those of you who added comments and followed Jessicat's reading adventures.....who knows, one day I may find the time and the inclination to begin again. Farewell.

Another good website...

...this time devoted the the idea of dads spending more time reading books to their children.

http://www.readingdads.co.uk/site/

Very easy to navigate site, and it seems apt to feature this on Father's Day today. Jessicat had scribbled on some cards for Dave, and he had chosen a Porcupine tree CD, so we were well prepared here. Unfortunately, Dave had to spend the morning on cleaning and other household chores whilst I took Jess to Sunday school, but his day improved after a meal and relaxing afternoon at my mum's house.

Reading for June 2009

"Once upon a time" - John Prater. Lovely book featuring lots of characters from nursery rhymes and fairy stories.

"Melrose and Croc" - Emma Chichester-Clark. Would be ideal to read this again in December, as it's set at Christmas time. Nice story about friendship and beautiful illustrations.

"Jungle Jive" - Tony Mitton. Great book, rollicking rhyme. Jessicat can knows some of it off by heart. We're familiar with some of Tony Mitton's poems from our anthologies of children's poetry, and this doesn't disappoint.

"Noah Built An Ark One Day" - Colin Hawkins. This book has flaps and strong rhymes. Jessicat is particulary fascinated by the final double page spread showing the inside of the ark, and likes to spend time studying this and speculating where she would sleep.

"Horatio's Bed" - Camilla Ashforth.

Some of our favourite hangouts of this summer so far have been:

Tiny Tearawayz soft play at Broadwalk Centre - great to meet up here with friends. This summer is the first time I see Jess going off to play independently, leaving me to chat and flick through magazines (surely one of the best ways of passing time?)

Starbucks - cookies, marshmallows, muffins, chocolate coins etc. Nuff said.

Borders Bookshop - air conditioned paradise. What genius thought to put a sofa in the children's play area next to the colouring in table and train set? Give that man a pay rise!

The parks of St Annes, Arnos Vale and Keynsham - generally only bearable in short doses or the company of friends.

Broadmead and Cabot Circus - ELC! McDonalds! Water fountains! Waterstones! Pubs! We loves it!!!

Bath - no trip to Bath is complete without at least one of the following: a sojourn in the egg cafe, browsing in Bath library, cookie hunting in Ben's, reading and dog stroking in Mr B's. After years of a deeply rooted aversion, I've finally grown to love Bath and what it has to offer.

Not a Thomas fan

I have just seen that Jessicat has opted for "Thomas and the Jet Engine" as one of her reads tonight. Ugh! Whilst I would never openly want to condemn any enjoyment of books she has, these aren't great for reading aloud. I think it is signicant that I can find no mention of the author's name on this book. The Thomas books do have merit when it comes to teaching colours and numbers, but the stories always seem to be so leaden and the characterisation so wooden that these are one of the few books that I don't enjoy sharing with Jess.

We also have a quick pictue book to read called "Zzzzzz - A book of sleep" by Il Sung Na, featuring pictures of lots of animals going to - you've guessed it! - sleep. I am really looking forward to introducing Jess to Dr Seuss and "The Cat in the Hat". I've never read it myself, so it will be new to both of us.

Bit disappointed to see only limited coverage of Anthony Browne's success in the papers. Maybe once he gets going properly in his new post, we will see some more media coverage. Anything that makes a change from MPs's expenses and Gordon Brown's woes would make a refreshing change.....

New Children's Laureate

...is Anthony Browne! In celebration of today's announcement, Jessica and I are celebrating by reading one of his books as our bedtime read, "Gorilla". This is a poignant tale about a little girl whose Daddy is always too busy to play with her, but all comes right in the end. Our other read tonight is "Bear in a Chair" by Tim Healey.

We had a good weekend. Jessicat and I had our usual trip to Bath whilst Dave tackled the housework. Found a new shop selling the best cookies I have EVER tasted. At Jessicat's request, we paid our customary visit to the ELC and to the egg cafe. Hurrah for eateries with play areas; surely one of the most civilised developments in the history of eating out! And no trip to Bath feels complete without a visit to Mr B's Book Emporium, a wonderful and idiosyncratic bookshop. THeir children's area is fantastic. They have child sized chairs, a few cuddly toys, and a wonderful array of picture books, all displayed face out to tempt us in. Jess loves this pop up book called "Chick" by Ed Vere, and laughs out loud at the page where the chick poos!

In the afternoon, we went to the Festival of Nature at Bristol harbourside. I was really impressed by how much was laid on for children. Jessicat had a go at painting, colouring in, planting sunflower seeds and stroking a polecat. The day was slightly marred by Jess being in a grumpy mood. I just had the strongest yearning for wine and a session with the CJ Sansom novel that I'm into, so 7.30pm couldn't come round quick enough!

A motley collection...

...of books this week.

"Nobody Laughs at A Lion" - Paul Bright. Appealing story about a lion who needs to find his talent (message there for grown ups as well, I think).

"Oliver Finds His Way" - Phyllis Root. Beautifully illustrated, very short story about a little bear who wanders too far from home, but is quickly reunited with his mum and dad. A cosy read, and one that with its autumnal pictures, makes me yearn to be snuggled up with Jessicat listening to rain and wind howling outside.

"Big Red Bath" - Julia Jarman. Written in rollicking, jaunty rhyme, I love reading this aloud, and it seems that Jess knows parts of it off by heart, as she is able to supply the missing word or phrase if I stop! A truly splendid book.

"A Rumpus in the Night" - Nick Ward. A rumpus is a friendly little monster who just won't stay in a dream where he belongs. Jessicat enjoys this story of the monster and the young boy causing havoc and having fun in the middle of the night, but I'm not sure she really "gets" the twist in the tale at the end, so probably a book to re-visit in a few months.

"Rufus and the Blackberry Monster" - Lisa Stubbs. Stories that deal with children feeling frightened but overcoming their fear are very reassuring to toddlers I think, and this is no exception. Jess talks about monsters and ghosts, but hasn't yet reached a stage of worrying about them.

"This is the Bear and the Picnic Lunch" - Sarah Hayes. A short story written in rhyming couplets. Fast paced and simple, but very effective, and I will definitely be looking to read the whole series with Jessicat.

"Jumpy Jack and Googily" - Meg Rosoff. Recently published book that we have managed to order from the library, this tells the tale of a nervous snail who asks his monster friend to check everyone for scary monsters. I think the irony of asking a monster to look for a monster completely escaped Jess, but she was still gripped by the story, and we will be looking out for more books for Meg Rosoff.

Summer has hit with a vengeance, and brought with it all the usual paraphanalia: annoying hayfever, Jess looking cute in shorts and sandals, fans in the bedroom (like last year, she is still scared of them!), yearning for different weather and darker nights etc etc (guess who's not a fan of this season?) We still put Jessicat to bed at 7.30pm, but it seems that the heat and the light nights combine to keep her awake and chatting away to herself to nearly 9pm. Which wouldn't be so bad if she didn't insist on still waking up before 6am on the odd occasion...

At least the midday nap has made a temporary re-appearance, which is giving me the time to blog today. Later on, we are off down town, to share a drink and a cake in Starbucks, and to browse in Borders (air conditioned, just heavenly). Anyway, the forecast is for a cooler and wetter weekend, so we live in hope. We are planning to take Jessicat to the Festival of Nature at the Harbourside on Saturday, and maybe to the market at the Tobacco Factory on Sunday.

Books as work of art

Seem to be uncovering a few of these recently. Just been reading "Willy Dreams" by Anthony Browne, a magical book of few words but absolutely amazing pictures full of clever references and visual nods to the worlds of film, surrealist paintings and the art world in general. These references are completely wasted on a toddler, but make sharing the book a joint treat. Jessicat just enjoys trying to spot the bananas that are cleverly incorporated into the most unlikely of objects.

We've picked up another book today that takes major works of art as it's starting point. It's called "I Spy Colours In Art" by Lucy Micklethwaite, and features reproductions of many different - some famous, some less well known - works of art, and asks the toddler to identify various features e.g two blue eyes. Great way of exposing Jessicat to visual art, as whenever we try to go to a gallery or museum to look at paintings, she's invariably too excitable and distracted to look at the art work. Luckily, it seems that Lucy Micklethwaite has produced a whole series in this vain, so I have the prospect of a real visual feast in store!

Our other book for tonight is "How do dinosaurs eat their food?" by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague. Jess, like so many toddlers, is going through a stage of being fascinated by dinosaurs, so it's always good to read something that ties in with her interests. Already, I am dreaming of weekend breaks in London where we take her to the Natural History museum to see the dinosaur skeletons (haven't been myself since I was 10). Is 3 the right age to begin taking city breaks???

Inspiring video footage from Bookstart

Found this on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIyMBIAwvDU

I only hope the link works, as I'm not the most technically adept. If not, go into youtube and put "Maia reading" into the subject bar, and you should be directed to the appropriate clip. It shows parents sharing books with their little girl from babyhood into her toddler years. It's lovely footage that manages to encapsulate some of the closeness, fun and sheer joy that sharing books with children can involve.

Just about to embark on my usual bedtime reading with Jessicat. Today, we've got "One Day with Mum" by Helen Oxenbury (short, straightforward little stories that reflect everyday events in the life of an ordinary toddler), and a poetry compilation called "Along the Line With Bernard Cribbins". This anthology is full of short poems for children. It's strong on rhyme and contains a pleasing mix of favourites that can be found in almost any anthology for children and some more uncommonly chosen poems.

Not surprisingly, Jess is exhausted tonight. We met our friends, Zoe and Ian and their kids, to go to the @Bristol science museum this morning, and then after lunch, John and Sarah had invited us over for a BBQ. Jessicat always loves playing with Sean's trains and cars, and today they had their bouncy castle up - another winner. I'm always keen to encourage her to get exercise, for health reasons, and also because I belive in a link between a healthy body and a healthy mind. Doesn't seem to encourage me to do much sport mind.....

Well you asked me to post.

Dave here. Following Barbeque and copious amounts of white wine Val, Cherry, Alison and Jessica are just about to depart leaving me with a glass of white wine and a surfeit of solace...no James Bond comments please!
It's very pleasant to be sat here with clear bue skies knowing that later on I shall be retreating to my Joe Hill short story anthology '20th Century Ghosts'. For thise who are interested I would recommend Joe Hill. His novel 'Heart Shaped Box' while not treading new ground is well written and paced and the anthology I am currently reading explores greater depths. For those who may be interested he is the son of Stephen King but has a voice of his own. I for one think he may end up more down the Ray Bradbury/Neil Gaiman line than following the Father's furrow but that can't be a bad thing can it?
I understand that Joe Hill's next book is going to be a graphic novel. No bad thing. Greater distance from Dad and ploughing a rich genre. Talking of graphic novels,I have just read 'Watchmen' at the behest of my brother (who is now in his 6th decade) --- and I loved it! Big issues dealt with in knowing terms and full of intelligence. If only all novels I read had as much soul. I will certainly not dismiss graphic novels in future. They are not a sub-genre to novels! Might have to investigate some Neil Gaiman in the graphic field. He wrote one called 'Signal to Noise'. I wonder if there is any relation to the Peter Gabriel song of the same name?
Anyway, family are all well and great. We had a fantastic day with Jessica in Bristol centre yesterday where we mooched, had an ice cream (flake and sauce included) and took a ferry ride in the harbour. Jess loved it.
Jessica comes on in leaps and bounds. She is trying to assert her independance more and more but loves stories, cuddles and someone to play with as much as ever. She is a star with her own fully defined character and personality....even if she does mix up Ribena and ballerina!
On a more sober note, the MPs expenses row has cast a long shadow over the political life of this country recently. It is so frustrating to hear those who represent the people try and excuse their behaviour in terms which do not connect with the electorate. The political system is rotten to the core. Even if it isn't against the rules the level of claiming and the items claimed for are unjustifiable in moral terms...particularly by those who would advise the manner in which we should live our lives. Hypocrites.
It's difficult to think in those teerms when listening to a blackbird's song and children's laughter in the distance. I just hope that they can pull it together, live by conviction and sort out the difficulties that face us economically and possibly more importantly, environmentally in the forthcoming years.
Back to the wine. I have recently signed up to Twitter and will be testing the value of that forum over the forthcoming weeks. I like to keep in touch where I can. Reminiscence is great but does not solve problems and keep you up to date with reality. The sepia tinted world has left - taken by the Langoliers perhaps?

Summer reading and a BBQ

It doesn't get much more summery than this! I am sat out in our back garden, sipping from a glass of cool white wine, listening to my sister Alison reading a book to Jessicat (a Shirley Hughes, but I can't remember the exact title). Now, they are on to something by John Prater, with "Mister Magnolia" by Quentin Blake to follow. It's Sunday afternoon, the mood is mellow, there is a Bank Holiday tomorrow...great for us to be so relaxed.

Now we are the proud owners of a laptop, I'm hoping for more frequent updates, and to get Dave, Ali and others to comment or do guest posts.

PS - Hello NK, thanks for stopping by!

PS - Hello NK, thanks for stopping by!

Time still running away from me....

...so I haven't been making entries to Jessicat's blog as often as I wanted. Yesterday, she was 2 years old and 5 months, so time feels as if it's passing really quickly now. The potty training has been pretty successful, though we still have some work to do on Jess being able to pull her own pants/trousers up and down before she can manage completely independently.

Easter was nice. Too much chocolate for all of us (I think Jess had about 10 eggs this year) and I have probably been too slack in allowing Jessicat to eat so much. Dot and Brian came down for a few days, and they brought an old dolls' house nearly as big as Jess, with lots of old-fashioned furniture and some small dollies inside. Needless to say, Jess loves it. She likes to chat to herself as she moves the dolls from room to room; again, more evidence of her ability to construct a very basic narrative. And I would rather play with a dolls house than with cars or trains any day!

But talking of trains, we did take her to Ashton Court Miniature Railway on Easter Monday, and that was a big success. We met up with John, Sarah and Sean and had a meal in Chiquitos afterwards. Sean is now 4 years old, and a lovely, gentle boy. It is a pleasure to see them playing together so nicely.

Her favourite book this week would be Ian Whybrow's "Harry and His Bucket of Dinosaurs". She is still slightly obsessed with the Giles Andreae titles "Commotion in the Ocean" and "Farmyard Hullabaloo" and it always amuses Dave and me when she insists in reading the poems herself and attempts to recite them off by heart! Now, I must go and wake Jessicat from her nap as our weekly trip to the library beckons...

Busy, Busy, Busy

So busy, in fact, that I haven't updated my blog for a long time. We had a family holiday to Center Parcs in Longleat at the end of February. Jessicat loved feeding the ducks from our log cabin, catching the land train, and having her first ever paddle in a swimming pool! The whole campus was well organized for parents, and I enjoyed being able to eat out whilst Jess amused herself playing with available toys. She didn't enjoy the organized activities - the soft play, the dance class and the teddy bears' picnic - as much as the "free floating" time with us.

And now we have come back to potty training - day 3 of it as I type. Things are going well so far, touch wood. Jessicat asks for the potty and does her wee in it. We have yet to broach the more contentious areas of poos in the potty and actually doing your business on a proper big toilet! So with all of this going on, I've had less time to blog than usual.

But I still want to recommend a book of the week, and I'm making an unusual choice this week. The book in question is called "The Zoo" and it's illustrated and written by Alison Jay. It's an usual choice because it is a book without text in it, and usually I find those hard work to read. But Alison's beautiful artwork makes this book a joy to behold, and there is enough craziness and stories to be found within the pictures so it does what a book should always do: it makes you think and invites you to use your imagination.

the egg theatre, Bath

Yestereday, we took Jessicat to see her second ever performance at Bath's theatre for children, the egg. It was a show called The Gift, and it featured 30 minutes of songs, puppets and handling objects of different textures. Jess moved from being apprehensive about entering the auditorium to really enjoying the whole experience and wanting to go back again. She was also really excited about sharing a cheese and onion pasty with me afterwards!

I'm excited about taking Jessicat to the egg for several reasons. Firstly, it's storytelling at its finest. Even babies and toddlers can enjoy these very simple narratives brought to life with props, lighting and sound. Secondly, it's a good way of starting to share some of the things I love with Jess; to say nothing of the fact that's it's a guarenteed way for me to acutally see some theatre (as my chances of getting a break and a ticket for McKellen and Stewart in Waiting for Godot are pretty much non-existent! Such experiences should be open to every child. the egg is a magical place, and I wish there were more like it.

We managed to catch up with our good friends John and Sarah as well yesterday (their 4-year old son, Sean, is our godson). We enjoyed a pub meal whilst watching Jess and Sean run around the pub together, amusing themselves for ages by rolling trains around and attempting to play hide and seek. I'm enjoying seeing Jessicat beginning to play with other children, as opposed to simply alongside them. On Friday, for the first time ever, she actually asked me if her friend Sky could come back to our house to play!

So many good books on the go at the moment that it's hard to choose just one book of the week. So I'll go for two.

Man on the Moon by Simon Bartram. Bright, vivid pictures show Bob, the eponymous hero, going about his day job as the man on the moon. It's humourous: children would love spotting the aliens hidden on most pages, and a really unusual idea. Great for children aged 2 - 5 who have ever looked at the moon and wondered if anyone lives there.

Againby Ian Whybrow. A book that strikes a blow for the cause of reading aloud to children AND features a Dad as the reader! Lovely little story, written in rhyme, and a great book to share at bedtime.

hello

Hello - Dad here...

Valerie and Jessica are out at the moment so I thought I would take a rare opportunity to add something to the blog. Much of my time these days seems to be taken up with reading, making up stories or being 'the second best dancer in the world' (Jessica is the best!) so not much time to get on line. Note to self - must buy a laptop.
Jessica's enjoyment of books and stories is undiminshed. She gobbles them up like an 'incredible book-eating' girl. As Val has already mentioned she has moved on to wanting Mummy and Daddy to make up stories with various toys. She even makes a decent effort at inventing some herself when prompted. Her stories usually involve a car, or some such like, going to the local supermarket and observations made on the way (bridges, car parks,animals etc). In addition she includes her typically British fascination of the weather conditions! It's a lovely phase.
I am particularly enjoying the following books with Jessica at present:
'Again' by Ian Whybrow and Sebastien Braun. Lovely rhymes and pictures. It's lovely to see a male character reading to his cub and friends. The authors understand the magic of books.
'Wriggle and Roar' by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt. Jessica has lots of fun joining in with some of the poems and listening to others.
We also enjoy anything by Lynley Dodd. I love the character of Scarface Claw.

I thoroughly endorse the views of Val over the Michael Rosen programme. Why show it at 10.30pm on BBC4? If it had been about cooking/diet it would have been on a mainstream channel at 8pm. It was good to see Caitlin Moran make a similar point, albeit briefly, in The Times yesterday. The other point I would like to make about this topic is that cookery programmes are generally based on adding to consumers fear that they need to eat healthily or their (and their children's) arteries will clog and they will die. It's a horrible, draconian way of trying to get a message over. There's none of that with books - it's more of a try it and, after a while, I can almost guarantee you will like it! It won't hurt you particularly if you don't read but there is so much to be gained if you do. The only fear is in the content of certain books!

Talking of fear, I recently read 'Duma Key' by Stephen King. That is an excellent, page turning and often creepy story. I am enjoying Stephen King novels again after quite a few years off them. He is a master story teller and actually a very good writer as well as being hugely popular.
My next book is 'Only Forward' by Michael Marshall Smith - suggested by a friend. Looking forward to reading something by an author previously unknown to me. I'll let you know how it goes! As part of this exchange of authors I have got my friend into Neil Gaiman who, I believe, is one of the finest imaginative authors around. He is thoroughly enjoying 'Neverwhere' at present which is a fantastic fantasy based in and under London. Those who enjoyed the way Phillip Pulman creates a world that is alien yet familiar would love it.

Lastly, I can't believe my daughter is already 27 months old. Time is flying and I intend to savour every moment I can so I'd better be off. Games to play, books to read!

Book of the week...

...this week it has to be the stupendously brilliant Wriggle and Roar by the splendid Julia Donaldson. Jessicat loves the rhymes and the bright illustrations that accompany them. This book could appeal to a child from about 18 months to 5 years old; it really is that versatile, and can work on several levels. Well worth trying with children who think that they won't like poetry.

The Micheal Rosen programme was as inspiring as I expected it to be. His advice to parents - take your kids to the library and read to them a bit more - was hardly earth shatteringly novel, but one that's well worth repeating as a lot of people still haven't got the message. Disappointing to see so many spanking new computers in a school, and such an impoverished and uninspiring library. Wish the programme could have been shown on terrestrial channels, where it would surely have reached a wider audience.

Jess continues to plague us for stories. Every morning, she comes into bed with us for a cuddle, and demands "Make up a story, Mummy" (or Daddy). Not as easy as it sounds when you are bleary and tired at 7am. But she would listen to made up stories ALL DAY LONG. I find I can't keep manufacturing them at a rate to keep her satisfied, even though I can still get away with a simple narrative and few characters.

As of February 2009, these are some of Jessica's favourite things:

Books - really difficult to choose, but she seems keen on poetry at the moment. And any books involving Thomas the Tank Engine (ugh).
TV Programme - Higgeldy House, Nuzzle and Scratch, Peppa Pig
Meal - sausages with baked beans followed by jelly.

A book all parents should read

As I seem to be plugging things today, let me recommend the book Baby Talk by Dr Sally Ward. This comprehensive and approachable book gives detailed advice on how to help and support your baby's developing communication skills. Refreshingly, it has a lot of advice on how to encourage children to listen - what a neglected skill this is - as well as how to talk. It's a great book and one that should be given to all parents when they leave the maternity ward. One moan: a lot of the advice given seems rather obvious (eg. don't always have the TV on in the background; read to your child; talk to your child as you play together etc), and much of the advice should be things that come naturally to the vast majority of parents. But it's still a worthwhile read simply down to the amount of detail included for each age and stage, and it's certainly a book I find myself going back to again and again.

Programmes to watch on BBC4

Really excited about a new series of programmes starting on BBC4 tonight. The first one is called Just Read and it's presented by the inimitable Michael Rosen (his presence alone guarentees something of interest), and shows him trying to get a group of primary school children excited about reading. Apparently, some of these children have never visited a library before, and Michael has to persuade the education authorities that it's worth interrupting normal lessons to get his book loving message across. How depressing to think that isn't seen as something crucial to primary school education. It's part of a season of programmes called Why Reading Matters, and I am hoping to write more about this later on.

Blog coming back to life...

I've taken a lenghty break from blogging for a few reasons. Firstly, and mainly, I've been busy with work, with caring for Jessicat, and I have much less free time now her naps have become so much more erratic. Also, I was concerned that the blog was becoming just a list of books that Jessica and me were sharing, so of limited interest to anyone else. As the blog is about Jessica's reading adventures, I'm always going to want to reflect what books we have on the go, but now I'm planning to broaden our topics to include literacy related issues and parenting issues.

A lot has happened over the last 3 months. Jessica had her second birthday (and was very excited to receive a garage and a road mat), and of course, we have had Christmas celebrations as well. It was an utter joy this year to see her excitement about the lights, decorations, family visits and, of course, Father Christmas.

2009 will have a lot of challenges for us. First up looks to be potty training. Then there's the thorny issue of pre-school: both when to start it and where to go. I hope to do some more detailed entries in the future about Jessica's development, her social life, our family activities and provide some tips on how to promote a love of reading in children.