13th August International Left-handed Day

Left-handers Day is held on this day worldwide. It is a day to think of everyone you know who is left-handed. Time to think of all the famous lefthanders. I was surprised to read how many of the champions I have been finding biographies for are left-handed.

Here is just some:

• Artists: Michaelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, henri de Toulouse Lautrec,

Paul Klee and Escher

• Musicians: Mozart, Bach and Schumann

• Author: Lewis Carroll

• Scientist: Albert Einstein

• Saint: Joan of Arc

• Politician: Winston Churchill

• Astronaut: Buzz Aldrin

All of these have books that can be used for inspiration! This book The Cat and the Bird, a story inspired by the life of Klee is new this year.

Paul Klee (1879 - 1940) Timothy Knapman

Paul Klee was a Swiss born German artist whose paintings appear simple but provide children with plenty to examine and talk about. His birthday is the ideal time to read Dreaming Pictures: Paul Klee, one of the wonderful Adventures in Art titles from Prestel. This book is suitable for children as young as five but a good read for adults too. You never know when you may end up at Zentrum, a museum in Bern, Switzerland dedicated to Klee!

Timothy Knapman is a British author who likes to write about friendship and adventure. He has said, " I try to make my books as exciting as possible because I know how much I enjoyed the books I read when I was small. I am very conscious that it's now my turn to introduce children to the joys of reading, and to create a book habit that will last a lifetime. That doesn't mean I want to make things easy, because I think easy is boring - especially for kids. I want my young readers to be thrilled and entertained - but also challenged and stretched."

Tim's books often take motifs from fairytales and play with them to make very satisfying stories. See Little Ogre's Surprise Supper; Guess What I Found in In Dragon Wood; and The Mermaid, the Prince and the Happy Ever After. His series about Mungo, a small boy who finds adventures and comedy when he opens a book has been a hit with my under 8s. These three books are illustrated by Adam Stower. When will the next adventure be published?