Four book reviews- all for children's books. [still reading Rob Biddulph's Peanut Jones, so cannot review that yet] Two were gifts from a friend, and two were Rosie's library books which we read together last week.
Instructions clear, good diagrams. Rosie could do these with minimal support. *****
LOLLY Lolly Stick Craft Book also from TT Publishing- 7 more projects. Good variety - butterflies, spotty dog, picture frame, boat, glitter star, snowmen, Xmas tree. Again good instructions, and hints and tips for further projects, *****
LOLLY Lolly Stick Craft Book also from TT Publishing- 7 more projects. Good variety - butterflies, spotty dog, picture frame, boat, glitter star, snowmen, Xmas tree. Again good instructions, and hints and tips for further projects, *****
Rosie reads by herself, but also has her "chapter" books - one of the adults will read a chapter or two with her at bedtime. This is a lovely experience. She had two with her when she was staying here last week. I will review the second one first
Finally GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY! Vetman by Irish TV Vet, Noel Fitzpatrick. This was the oddest book I have read with Rosie, by a long, long way. My first problem was actually saying "Vetman" - my brain wanted to say "Vatman" or more frequently "Vietnam". And as we read, I kept thinking Good Grief" this is ridiculous!
The book should come with trigger warnings I think - so much about the grief surrounding Dad's death, and the awful suffering of the animals. Some nights I had to read two chapters, so we didn't end on a scary cliffhanger, which might stop Rosie enjoying peaceful sleep. At one point, I actually wondered if NF was about to launch into a defence of assisted dying! In places the plot didn't hang together properly.
I found myself skipping bits, and moderating some of the descriptions. I didn't really like the writing style. "It is an awful book" said another family member after they had done their evening's chapter with Ro.
Julian was with us during Rosie's stay, and commented that he has noticed that many of the current crop of Junior Readers are written in such poor English "When I was at school, we would not have been allowed to write stories that were just a string of sentences beginning 'And then I did this/and then I did that' It was considered lazy writing"
NF may be a great TV personality [I have never watched him so cannot say] but I think he should stick to TV and his Veterinary work, I am not sure children's writing is his forte.
I know that many online reviews give Vetman 5* but I am only giving *
Giving Rosie and the family 5* for persevering to the end of this strange book though. And 5* to my kind friend for sending the craft books.
Which children's authors do you rate highly ? [past or present]
Vetman reminds me of reading a Malorie Blackman until late with my son, 7 or 8 years old... the book had him so scared that we had to finish it before he could sleep! I was simultaneously reading aloud and skimming ahead in order to skip scary bits and just tell the story. Books can be so powerful, at any age.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. And if you have a vivid imagination (like Rosie - or me) , your brain adds in even more gruesome detail.
DeleteEven now I often have to read the ending if the middle becomes too trepidatious for me!
DeleteOooh, doesn't that feel like cheating??
DeleteI think there are many celebrities (or slebs, as we call them) who think that writing children's literature is easy, and publishers who think (know?) that the sleb name will sell books. There are some good sleb writers but also many dire ones. Sadly, I think writers that I loved in my childhood aren't as exciting or gimmicky for today's youngsters. I read a Geoffrey Trease book that I loved when I was young to my class, and they were bored by it. If you could ever find "Brother Dustyfeet" by Rosemary Sutcliffe, Ro might enjoy that...possibly. Love FD xx
ReplyDeleteI have read other RS but not that one. And certainly read GT in my childhood. It is interesting to note which older books are 'boring' to this generation
DeleteIt's been a long time since I read any children's books with my daughter. The craft books sound like they have some fun projects in them.
ReplyDeleteThey do, You call them Popsicle Sticks in the USA - not so good for the title of the post!!
DeleteI've lost touch with children's books but these do sound rather unusual, especially the one by the TV vet.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
👍
DeleteI used to collect lolly sticks off the pavements around our home to use for craft making in my Dad's shed when I was young. There were no packs of craft lolly sticks to purchase back then.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite author as a child was Enid Blyton, I must have read most of her books. My eldest son was a huge Roald Dahl fan and my younger son loved Shirley Hughes books. I enjoyed reading all of them for our nightly bedtime stories.
It took AGES to collect enough sticks for a project! I read lots of Enid Blyton. My cousin gave me some American Cherry Ames nursing books, by Helen Dore Boylston and I remember getting the librarian to order them for me. But I've never found anyone else who read them.
Delete"Baby Aliens.." brought to mind a theory my friend and I had in Junior School, inspired by the comic "School Friend". We were convinced that the headmistress had a double, or twin sister, and that "something was going on". We found that she had a different pair of shoes on the mat outside her office one afternoon, from the ones there in the morning! I can't remember the other clues to our suspicions.....
ReplyDeleteOh that is SO intriguing! I remember rumours about our HM, and eccentric spinster. People said she never married because her fiancé died in the trenches in WW1. Then she reached retirement age, and we realised she must have been only 10 when WW1 ended. But women of her generation had to give up teaching if they married, so maybe she was "wedded to her job". She didn't seem to like men very much!!
DeleteLate to comment today as we have been out and then had a visitor. Looking forward to seeing what the girls make from the two books. My daughter was read to every night before sleep and sometimes in the day as well. She still reads as often as she can and likes murder mysteries especially ones involving forensics explanations! Catriona
ReplyDeleteI am sure that bedtime reading with children helps develop a love of reading in adulthood. I enjoyed the Patricia Cornwell/Kay Scarpetta books when they first came out, but now I find them a bit too gory!
DeleteI read MANY, MANY contemporary children's books. I ADORE the Katharine Woodfine Sinclair's mysteries books (some bits can be a bit scary...but exciting scary), 'The 1000 year old boy'author (is it Ross Montgomery's???) books are fab, The Last Chance Hotel series is great, the Onyeka series are brilliant and Jummy at the River School series is a LOVELY Nigerian series which reminds me of Malory towers. I could name many more!! Kezzie x
ReplyDeleteYou are a mine of information about children's authors Kezzie. Thank you 😊
ReplyDelete