Many things to celebrate again today. Firstly Patricia MacLachlan. Years ago while teaching Year 5 I was smitten by her novels. I couldn't read enough of her books. I especially loved Baby and Journey but now that I teach younger children I have discovered her picture books. Two that are in my library are Painting the Wind and Who Loves Me? They are very different and for different audiences. The first, illustrated with oils by Katy Schneider is a the story of a young boy who loves painting. Each summer he goes to an island and observes four painters who also go to the island each summer and this summer is revelatory for him. The second is a gentle bedtime book about love and as a cat owner the reassurance of the cat resonates with me. It is the only book illustrated by Amanda Shepherd that I know. I need to track down some more.
While there are many children's books with a maths focus I am not going to 'do' maths today.
Today is the first World Read Aloud Day. It is a day initiated by LitWorld. Visit their website http://www.litworld.org/ and watch the videos, read the articles and decide what you might do next year.
I read aloud nearly everyday and not just because it is my job. I love to be read to too. My second class teacher read The Adventures of the Faraway Tree and I was hooked. Unfortunately she followed it up with The Hobbit and I haven't read any Tolkien since. My elderly Year 7 English teacher serialised The Wind in the Willows and I was transported to the riverbank. I have had great success reading serials to classes. I love to read Jill Tomlinson books, especially The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark and Penguin's Progress, Morris Lurie's The 27th Annual African Hippopotamus Race and Pearl S. Buck's The Big Wave.
Still need convincing? See Caroline Grant's Four Reasons We Need to Read to Our Kids; Mem Fox's Ten commandments for reading aloud; Jim Trelease's Read Aloud Handbook; Daniel Pennac's Right Number 9 from The Rights of the Reader .
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