Do you remember the Usborne First Thousand Words books? They came in various languages, including English. I think they were one of those things that parents might buy in another language, and hope some of it would stick. What definitely stuck was the spot the duck bit. Hidden on every double spread is a duck, …
Continue reading “First Thousand Words…: spot the absurdity”
I’m not ignoring you. I’m ignoring the imminent return to school, the general routine, and the whole shebang. This means I have been ignoring other ought tos, shoulds and mean tos. And while I go about ignoring, Robert Louis Stevenson poems come to mind. Anticipating the return to early alarm clocks definitely sets this one …
Continue reading “A Child’s Garden of Verses: Life is illogical”
Once upon a time there was a little girl and she loved reading. She loved reading so much she read in the dark too often, and ended up having to wear glasses. But one particular time she had to wait: for a story whose arrival each evening was also the stuff of magic. Mr Friend …
Continue reading “My friend Mr Leakey: deferred gratification”
Once upon a time, my granny gave me a cookbook. It was my first cookbook. It came with the provocative, and encouraging, title: Cooking is a game you can eat. I was hooked. Before the days of needing colour illustrations for every dish, before the days of food porn, and elaborate food photography, there was …
Continue reading “Cooking is a game you can eat: discovering a manifesto for life”
I don’t remember how old I was when I read Harriet the Spy. It’s an unusual read. In a children’s book, a female character gets to be a spy for a change. She is spiky, not always likeable – and she notes down everything in her notebook. I’m sure there are various lessons in Harriet …
Continue reading “Harriet the Spy: it’s OK to eat the same sandwich every day”