January 2021 has already been so full of lovely things! I launched the second edition of my online reading programme, and I’m delighted that it came into being because parents of participants in my current programme wrote and asked if I would consider continuing the sessions.
It was also a month when I received so many reader reviews of my books – take a look!
What I’ve been reading
In the meantime, of course, I’ve been reading. When am I not reading?
But I haven’t written much about what I’ve been reading because I was busy blogging about my best reads from last year. January is a month when I step back and look at the year that went by. I like to take time out to think about all the wonderful stories I read in the previous year and all the experiences I had with my writing, my workshops and my my dance. So, here’s a post catching up with all that I’ve read and enjoyed so far!
I Wish is such a lovely, unusual book. Written by sixteen children from various parts of the country, it’s a compilation of wishes. What do children wish for? What do they dream of? The illustrations are stunning, bringing to life the variety of wishes, thoughts and ideas. It’s a book to keep revisiting.
And the second picture book I read, also on StoryWeaver, was My Street. I have a soft spot for wordless picture books, and this one made me light up from within and ‘read’ with round eyes until I reached the end. What more could I ask for from a children’s story?
The chapter book I read this month was yet another delightful hOle book, Timmi in Tangles. Structured almost like a collection of short stories rather than a chapter book, it made for a sweet, simple read.
Timmi is a lovely, imaginative character, and what I enjoyed most about the book is that we see the world through Timmi’s eyes. Made up friends aren’t made up friends as far as children are concerned; they’re as real as they get.
So when Idliamma eats Timmi’s idlis, we know that it’s Idliamma who ate them, not a pretend creature. Her giant friend opens the window to let the rain in, not Timmi. I love it!
Leave a Reply