2 Lovely New Kiddies' Books

As you may already have gathered, I’ve been thinking a lot about children’s literature lately... 

What’s good, what’s interesting but bad for sensitive kids, what’s local and how it compares with the international stuff… 

And just in time I received two lovely new books:

-       A Scarlet Tail (An Original African Tale) – Susan Long & Claire Norden
-       Pig and Small – Alex Latimer

We’ve read both at bedtime and had requests for repeats, so that’s a good sign. 

You'll find my reviews of these books on the JoziKids blog, www.zaparents.com. Enjoy!

Good Books are Out There (And Other Stories) - Part II

In the first part of this two-part series, I looked at common, oft-repeated stories based on scary, freaky and downright depressing rhymes and tales from way back when. 

This follow-up intends to give you some alternatives, both local and international.

To begin with, remember that there are no fixed rules to choosing a good book for your child. 

Any book your child likes could be the right one. (I used to love to ‘yead’ birthday cake cookbooks as a toddler!) 

But books do fall into three basic levels:

1.     those the child can read alone,

2.     those the child can read with an adult, and

3.     those an adult must read to the child. 

Here are some basic things to look for as you help kids to choose ‘good books’:

Infants & Toddlers (birth to 2)

·       Books with big, colourful pictures of familiar day-to-day objects

·       Durable books made of cardboard, plastic or washable cloth

·       Books that appeal to the senses, with fabric, textures or scents

·       Stories told in short, simple sentences with pictures that explain

·       Poems and rhymes that are enjoyable for parents to read aloud

Note: This last one is a biggie for me. That’s why I love Doctor Seuss (the shorter ones, not the 80-page epics). Having said that, even a non-rhyming story can be fun to read, like Julia Donaldson’s The Gruffalo, Monkey Puzzle or Tyrannosaurus Drip.

Pre-Schoolers (aged 3 to 5)

·       Main characters who are your child’s age or even slightly older

·       Illustrations and photos that are clear, colourful and engaging

·       Simple, fun plots that move quickly so the book can be read in one sitting

·       Lively rhymes and repetition that children can repeat/remember

·       Stories, about everyday life and events, that encourage questions

·       Stories that review basic concepts: letters, numbers, shapes, colours

·       Playful animals, real and imaginary, that hold a child’s attention

Note: Aged 3, my daughter is now returning to favourite books from when she was a ‘baby’, because she’s seeing things in them she never noticed before: details, jokes, aspects of her own life. They also seem to feel to her like old, familiar friends.

Young Readers (aged 6 to 11)

·       Clear text that is easy to read

·       Colourful, attractive illustrations and photos that bring the text to life

·       Pictures that give clues to the meaning of unfamiliar words

·       How-to, craft and recipe books with simple instructions and illustrations

·       Books by authors/illustrators who are already your child’s favourites

·       Books featuring your child's favorite characters – from movies or TV

·       Chapter books that can be read over a few days, not in only one sitting

Note: Yes, you should opt for books that appeal to your child’s interests. But an interesting tip I picked up is to choose books that aren’t obvious choices for your child. My little girl loves ballet, animals and birthday parties, but she likes reading about diggers, cranes and dinosaurs. She also enjoys ‘reading’ non-fiction, like the Guinness Book of World Records. And the Mr Price Home winter catalogue.

And, just in case you’d like specifics, below are some recommended book lists:

Award-winning SA books:

1.     Ashraf of Africa – Ingrid Mennen & Niki Daly / Nicolaas Maritz

2.     Fly, Eagle, Fly! – Christopher Gregorowski / Niki Daly

3.     Fynbos Faeries – Antjie Krog (& Gus Ferguson) / Fiona Moodie

4.     Just Sisi – Wendy Hartmann / Joan Rankin

5.     Makwelane and the Crocodile – Maria Hendriks / Piet Grobler

6.     Nina and Little Duck – Wendy Hartmann / Marjorie van Heerden

7.     Not So Fast, Songololo – Niki Daly

8.     Siyolo’s Jersey – Mari Grobler / Elizabeth Pulles

9.     The Best Meal Ever – Sindiwe Magona / Paddy Bouma

10.  The Day Gogo Went To Vote – Elinor Batezat Sisulu / Sharon Wilson

Source: http://www.gorrybowestaylor.co.za/reviews/135/award-winning-children-s-books-

Proudly local children’s books:

Source: http://www.childmag.co.za/content/proudly-south-african-childrens-books#.U1av9OaSwwQ

NY Times top sellers, April ‘14:

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/picture-books/list.html

53 of the great children’s books:

Source: http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/home-living/homebase/age-by-age-52-recommended-children-s-books Some of these are my old favourites!

What have I left out? What’s your child’s favourite book? Do you have a book you loved as a child that you’ve read to your child? I’d love to hear from you.

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za

[This article originally appeared on the JoziKids blog, www.zaparents.com.]

Nursery Rhymes are Scary (And Other Stories) - Part I

Goosey goosey gander,
Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs
And in my lady's chamber.
There I met an old man
Who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg
And threw him down the stairs.

It’s been one of my daughter’s favourite nursery rhymes since she started talking – (‘gooth’ was one of her first words). But my husband and I have always found it slightly macabre that there’s a song about a large bird flinging a geriatric down the stairs, in retaliation for religious apathy.

And this is one of the tame ones. 

Think about three blind mice and their chopped-off tails, Rock-A-Bye Baby and his/her terrifying tumble from the treetop, poor cursed Humpty Dumpty, and Jack and Jill’s cracked skulls. Not to mention that freak Peter, who confined his wife to a pumpkin shell.

I looked into it and it turns out that most traditional nursery rhymes weren’t really meant for children – they began as political or religious statements, couched in enough nonsense to protect the singer from prosecution for treason and set to a catchy melody that was easy to remember. 

Take, for instance, Baa Baa Black Sheep. It’s not about black sheep or little boys. It’s about taxes. 

In the 13th century, King Edward I realised he could make some moolla by taxing sheep farmers. One-third of the price of a sack of wool went to the king, one-third to the church and the last third to the farmer. Nothing was left for the little shepherd, crying down the lane. (The original final line was ‘And none for the little boy, crying down the lane.’)

(Even the Hundred Acre Wood isn’t exempt. It turns out that Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends demonstrate a staggering number of personality disorders. I can’t say, however, whether AA Milne created the characters with this in mind. I sincerely hope not.) 

If you think nursery rhymes might be a little bit dodgy, don’t – I beg you! – google the origins of popular fairytales (like Beauty & the Beast, which is about bestiality and sororicide; The Little Mermaid, a story of agonising pain, loss and betrayal; The Pied Piper, in which an enraged madman systematically murders a town’s children; and Sleeping Beauty (a.k.a Sun, Moon and Talia, which is perhaps the worst of them all.) 

I’m more than a little convinced that the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen were a bunch of bloodthirsty and misanthropic literary lunatics. 

So, what to do? 

Do we forbid our children from exposure to old-fashioned rhymes and legendary stories? Do we impose a Disney-version-only culture? (G-d forbid.) Do we audit our books, films and music, discarding anything that isn’t safe to read by virtue of an upbeat storyline, positive messaging and a happy ending?

Nope.

My advice is this: 

• We take nursery rhymes with a pinch of salt and a sense of humour, 
• alter the words/outlines/endings of stories that don’t support our cultural, social or other comfort zones, 
• avoid the stuff that offends us, and 
• ensure that our kiddies are adequately compensated with ‘good’ children’s stories to keep them entertained.

How? What stories are ‘good’ for kids, and at what age?

Well, you’ll have to look out for Part II of this series: GOOD BOOKS ARE OUT THERE (AND OTHER STORIES). No-one said parenting was easy ;) See you soon.

[This article originally appeared on the JoziKids blog: www.zaparents.com.]

Oh, What a Tangle! (Anita Pouroulis)

This review was originally published on zaparents.com.

I’ve said this before: book reviewers get jaded. We’re lucky enough to receive new books often; to regularly get to open cardboard boxes filled with the smell of freshly published paper. 

So there’s usually little to make us squeal with delight – until we get into the book itself, that is.

Hoo-boy. The universe was just waiting to see what I would do when it sent me all four of Anita Pouroulis’s debut titles, packaged in a gorgeous re-usable purple satchel. I squealed. No jokes. But, let’s get to the details, shall we?

What’s it about?

I selected Oh, What a Tangle! that very night, for my littlie’s bedtime story. Moms, if your kid has curly hair or hates having his/her hair brushed, buy this book. Because little Kiki’s ‘crowning glory’, horribly neglected in favour of activities that are more fun, soon turns into an actual birds’ nest.

How does it look?

The illustrations are spectacular; the work, I’m told, of student illustrator Monika Filipina Trzpil, who is completing the Master of Arts (MA, Children's Book Illustration) programme at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.

How does it read?

The words are lovely. It all rhymes and the general flow is melodic. I may be alone in this, but a bedtime story that rhymes (even when it’s a long-ish one) is easier and more pleasant to read.

Aside: For me, as a writer, the cadence of the writing and rhyme does feel a little erratic in parts (my husband, also a writer, has moaned that it doesn’t scan perfectly) – but my kidlet and I still love the book, and its unusual vocab, so who cares?

What else?

And then, there's the app! Oh, What a Tangle! is available in the iBookstore, the App Store and for Google Play. We've 'played' it once or twice, and it's cool. Having apps to complement the bedtime experience is great, especially since my toddler ikes to see her favourite characters everywhere.

Just one more thing

Anita Pouroulis is an ex-South African living in Spain. The pluses for us, as SA readers, are that her stories use the more UK/SA ‘mum’ and other lingo and that her apps feature delightful British-accented narration. What a lovely change!

www.tiffanymarkman

My Friend Is Sad (Mo Willems)

Elephant and Piggie is a book series by Mo Willems. It has a fantastic comic book style, and features two friends: an elephant, Gerald, and a pig, Piggie.

Issues of friendship are addressed: My Friend Is Sad, Should I Share My Ice Cream? Can I Play Too? I Will Surprise My Friend! And my favourite, We Are In A Book!

My Friend Is Sad begins with Gerald, the ellie, who has a very sad face.

Piggie tries all sorts of things to cheer him up: dressing up as a cowboy, a clown and a robot. But Gerald remains sad

Eventually we discover that Gerald is sad because Piggie isn’t there, and because he can’t share the cool cowboy, clown and robot with Piggie – whom he is unable to recognise beyond the disguise. Happily, it all works out in the end, with a clever twist (that I subsequently spotted in all of the Elephant and Piggie books).

Mo Willems’s books are not only gorgeous to look at and easy to read, with very clean, well-designed pages and simple text – they’re also widely recognised: Two books in the series have been listed on Time magazine's ‘Top 10 Children's Books of the Year’: Today I Will Fly in 2007 and Elephants Cannot Dance! in 2009.

In terms of target reader, I’d say parents could read these books to toddlers from age 1, but – as the pages are paper rather than board – solo reading would probably be best from ages 2 to 4. And the range of books would be good to keep, to come back to in primary school, when it comes to navigating friendships and conflicts.

(This review will soon appear on the JoziKids blog.)

www.tiffanymarkman.co.za