The sessions went better than I could have hoped for and this term I’m been asked back but on slightly different terms – I’m now being given an hour every Friday afternoon to read and do book related play with the kids. Can you imagine how happy this makes me ?

Today I have my first session; 30 kids (a mixture of 5,6 and 7 year olds) and our theme is books and libraries.

I’ll be starting the session with Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson and Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and Kevin Hawkes and I shall round it off with Delilah Darling is in the Library by Jeanne Willis and Rosie Reeve and Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates.

In between the two reading sessions we’re going to make our own pocket libraries.

To do this the kids will first decorate some blank matchboxes with bits and pieces (we’ll be using regular matchboxes rather than craft ones as we didn’t have time to order them). Then the kids will be taking a few of the mini books I’ve prepared (folded card with a small piece of paper stapled inside) and choosing frontcovers for their books from a wide selection I’ve cut out from publishers catalogues. They’ll glue their covers to the front of their books and once they’ve got 3 or 4 they’ll put them inside their matchbox and have their very own pocket library.

A pocket library being read by some playmobil!

If there’s spare time, or the kids just want something else to do, they’ll be able to make their own mini versions of the bookshelf wallpaper M, J and I made here.

Click to view full size image ready for you to print if you wish to use yourself.

Kids will be offered a shelf of their own to paint and encouraged to come up with book titles for the books on their shelf. There will be plenty of book characters to colour in, cut out and eventually stick on to their shelves. To start with we’ll be using Gruffalo, Octonauts, Eric Carle and Charlie and Lola colouring-in sheets.

If you don’t know the books I’ll be reading here are some reviews to give you a flavour of them:

Before I read Library Lion I shall show the kids this photo of the New York Public Library:

Photo: WorldIslandInfo

And then ask them if they recognise this statue (which is near Birmingham Central Library ie the main library in our city):

Photo: Ell Brown

Hopefully it will be the start of making our own stories up about this Sphinx-like Guardian and the secrets she might be protecting!

I’ve probably planned far too much for the time allotted. I’m both nervous and very, very excited… Wish me luck with the session!

If you read Stacey’s interview with me yesterday, you’ll know now that I’m not a great reader when it comes to reading books for grown ups. I wish I did read more, but with 2 small children I’ve found it really hard to carve out time (and have energy spare) to read purely for my own pleasure. So when 2010 arrived I decided that this was to be the year I read more and I even had a plan to help me succeed in this!

I decided to ask 12 friends and family members to suggest one of their very favourite books for me to read. I wanted books that I might not otherwise have picked up, and books that would give me reasons to chat / argue / laugh (preferably lingering over coffee or wine) with people I care about. This plan hasn’t worked quite as well as I had hoped, in that I haven’t manage to read a book every month, but it has been a success in that much of what I’ve read I probably wouldn’t have read had it not been for the recommendations.

Two books in particular stand out: I didn’t do it for you by Michela Wrong and White Jazz by James Ellroy.

I didn’t do it for you tells the astonishing, shocking modern history of Eritrea. It’s a fascinating read, an eye opener, and has lead me to dream of visiting Asmara. If you can’t place Eritrea on a map you should definitely read this book – you’ll discover how it has played a major role in geopolitics, one that we all ought to know about. Definitely a book I’d recommend if someone asked for something a little unusual.

Photo: ctsnow

White Jazz was a crazy read – not at all my usual sort of thing, and probably not something I would have stuck with had it not been for my project to read more this year. It’s occasionally funny, often brutal, and a window on a seedy, violent world that didn’t leave me desperate to read more by Ellroy (although I then heard an amazing interview with him on Desert Island Disks where Ellroy came across as a fascinating, thoughtful, complex person, an interview that did make me want to try something else by Ellroy). Can any of you suggest what I should try next by Ellroy?

Photo: Ell Brown

As to kids’ books I normally avoid any picture book that revolves around dogs; it would be an understatement to say I’m not a dog person. I have tried to take myself out of my comfort zone, with reading Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates, which I discovered thanks to Ian at Tidy Books (here’s his review, and here’s a review from Library Mice, and another from Through The Looking Glass, which I later came across). I should have loved this book as it’s all about the joys of books and the adventures they can take you on but I couldn’t get passed the dog thing.

Just last week I read another dog book with the girls, Dogs Don’t Do Ballet by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie, because it was shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Awards. Again it was a book I that I simply didn’t click with (nor did my girls much to my relief!). The story is moderately funny, the illustrations nice enough, but it stars a dog and I couldn’t, however hard I tried, get passed that problem!

Now, I don’t like to think I’m stuck in my ways so maybe, just maybe, one of you can suggest a picture book featuring dogs that I could fall in love with…. I’m open to suggestions!

On a different topic altogether, today I’ve got another giveaway! One brand new copy of Wake Up! by Katie Cleminson, which I loved and reviewed here, is up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning, simply leave a comment on this post. Next Wednesday (22 September) I’ll randomly select one winner. The giveaway is open worldwide. Good luck! This giveaway is now closed.

Chowder by Peter Brown


Chowder is a bulldog whose owners carry him around in a backpack and let him use their computer. There’s no doubt that he’s an unusual dog. However, he is lonely and wants some animals friends. A visit to a grocery store with a petting zoo begins badly, but in the end, Chowder gets the friends he’s been longing for. You may not like the look of Chowder’s drooling mug, but you’ll still find yourself cheering him on.

Bark, George by Jules Feiffer


When George’s mother asks him to bark, he meows. Then quacks, oinks, and moos. Whatever will they do? George is off to see the vet, who will surely have the answer. After reading this we always play “Wouldn’t it be
funny if …?,” where we suggest other sounds George might make.

Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters From Obedience School by Mark Teague


Prison or a country club for dogs? You be the judge. In black and white (prison) and color (country club) illustrations, Teague takes readers on a rollicking good ride with Larue, the letter-writing canine. While LaRue may make his life sound like it’s full of hard knocks, he comes out on top in the end!

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham


When Harry runs away from home, he is transformed from “a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots.” He eventually returns home, but is not recognized by his family until he’s scrubbed clean. Originally published in 1956, we love this new version because Margaret Bloy Graham’s illustrations have been updated to include splashes of color.

Martha Speaks by Susan Meddaugh


Martha is a plain old lovable pooch until she is fed vegetable soup and the letters go up to her head instead of down to her belly. Now Martha talks, and talks, and talks. And really, who hasn’t dreamed of having a conversation with their dog?

Office Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann


In this Caldecott Medal winner, Officer Buckle gives safety lectures to school kids that are boring, boring, boring. Once Gloria the police dog comes along, safety lectures are never the same again! Don’t dogs always make their owners look better?

Doggy music that might bring a smile to your face includes:

As to activities, Tricia suggests this no-sew sock dog that she and her son William made over the summer, and also this origami pattern for a dog. Older kids (and parents) could try making this dog lead (leash) found via whipup.net

Tricia and William's dog, Syd

For more recommendations on kids’ books with a dog theme you could try this list from Donald Beck on Amazon, or for poetry and nonfiction as well as picture books you could try this extensive list from pbskids.org.

Thankyou Tricia and William for your great picks today!

And my other dear readers, if you don’t already know Tricia’s blog, The Miss Rumphius Effect you’ll be in for a treat if you head on over – do go and have a good root around and say hi! And then if you have the time and energy, we’d love to hear about your favourite dog books – do leave us a comment!