Jiddy Vardy
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
A pacy tale of high secrecy, first love and agonising betrayal there’s much to enjoy in Ruth Estevez‘s début novel, Jiddy Vardy. Dramatic, intense settings (from the North Yorkshire moors and coastline to high society life in London at the time of Haydn) and vibrant characters, (including an independent and brave heroine) enrich a plot packed with momentum. Ruth Estevez’s fine ear for language and dialect, and her nuanced exploration of belonging, family and how judging right or wrong isn’t always black or white provide food for thought as well as comfort reading to curl up with. Having enjoye ..read more
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Celebrating CLiPPA shortlistee Karl Nova
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
Today I’m excited to bring you an interview with Karl Nova (@KarlNova), whose début collection Rhythm and Poetry is shortlisted for this year’s CLiPPA (Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award), the only award in the UK for published poetry for children. Karl Nova is a Hip Hop artist, author and poet. Born and raised in London as well as Lagos, Karl is a social commentator, creative writing workshop facilitator, broadcaster and cultural critic who creates platforms for other artists as he seeks to uplift, inform and inspire through this artistic expression. Apart from being a wordsmit ..read more
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A Reader’s Journey to Becoming a Writer
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
Today I’m very pleased to be able to bring you a guest post by Victoria Williamson (@strangelymagic), début author of The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle, a moving and vibrant story about a young refugee from Syria starting a new life in Scotland. Victoria’s day job is as a primary school teacher in Glasgow but when we got chatting I wanted to know how she ended up becoming an author (as well!) and what books had influenced her on her journey to publishing her first novel. Here’s what she had to say: “Nearly every writer starts out as an avid reader, often at a young age, and I was no exception ..read more
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Cutting, colouring and creating layered landscapes
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
Colouring books are slowly taking over the world, and with their ubiquity it’s interesting to find ones which take an innovative, unusual approach to the pastime. Cut and Colour Playbook: Seasons by Anouck Boisrobert is just such an eye-opener. In fact, this book turns people into little magicians, for with just a few pencils or crayons and a pair of scissors, it allows you and your kids to conjure into being 3-D landscapes across the seasons. The process is simple but hugely effective – as this short video shows: The explanation and design is very clear and the illustrations are clean and ..read more
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The Lion and The Bird
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
Intensely tender and bold, The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc, translated by Sarah Ardizzone is the tale of a blossoming friendship between a lion and the injured bird he discovers in his garden one autumn day. It’s a tale across the divide, about setting free that which you hold most dear, about being content and grateful, about kindness, sorrow, loneliness and love. The injured bird is one of a flock migrating to warmer climes. Left behind because of a damaged wing, the bird is nursed back to health by Lion and they become firm friends as autumn turns to winter. One spring day brings t ..read more
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By: Rachel
Playing By The Book
by Rachel
5y ago
Just showed this to Miss 8. Looks fantastic. She is very keen to make one. I too have a toast rack in the cupboard so love your idea to put books in it. The only problem is we have had to ban Miss 8 from reading at breakfast time (on school days) as she takes one bite of toast every five pages and we are always running late for school ..read more
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By: danielle @ this picture book life
Playing By The Book
by danielle @ this picture book life
5y ago
Super idea ..read more
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Storm Horse and reading with emotional investment
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
A finely woven novel exploring grief, hope and friendship, Storm Horse by Nick Garlick moved me to tears, even though I started reading it with a great sense of wariness, my inner cynic poised to be proved right with the slightest hiccup in plot, writing or characterization. Having recently lost his parents, a young boy can’t believe he’ll ever feel at ease with the relatives who have agreed to take responsibility for him. But all that changes when he makes friends with a horse. A growing sense of trust and (self) belief enables him to find a place where he’s happy to belong, even though in th ..read more
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Eddie’s Tent and How to Go Camping
Playing By The Book
by Zoe
5y ago
Last week I wrote about books where there have been many years between sequels, and today’s post is also about sequels in a way, but this time about sequels creating a series of books which have grown up apace with their readers. Perhaps the most famous example of this for a certain generation are the Harry Potter novels; many a child (and a fair few adults) grew up in parallel with the Harry Potter books as they each came out over a 10 year period. Other series which I know have done something similar for kids more recently are the Clarice Bean (and Ruby Redfort) stories by Lauren Child, the ..read more
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