Suffragette Centenary 2018

                                           

100 years ago marked an incredible change in British history. Groups of women were finally given the right to vote after years of campaigning and protesting. As the great-granddaughter of a prominent suffragette, equality is something close to my heart. Books featuring strong and fearless heroines are becoming more and more popular. But did you know that there was a time when women would publish under a male name for fear they wouldn’t be taken seriously? Thankfully, today some of our best loved authors are women and they write about bold and courageous heroines in a way that encourages girls to be proud of who they are. This month’s blog will showcase the best female writers of today that have written about strong girls                                                                

1.      Jacqueline Wilson- Opal Plumstead

Undoubtedly one of the most popular author’s today, Jacqueline Wilson is renowned for her female protagonists. Opal Plumstead tells the story of a clever, determined girl in the early 1900s who dreams of going to university. However, her father is sent to prison and she must work instead to support her family. It is whilst at work that she is introduced to Mrs Roberts, who shows her the world of the Suffragettes and the rights they fight for.

                                                                       

                                                                 

                                                                                                                            

2.       Louisa May Alcott- Little Women

Little Women is a classic. Meg, Beth, Jo and Amy live with their mother and father, but when their father is sent away to war, the women are forced to gain independence and take care of themselves. The girls journey from childhood, to adulthood experiencing their fair share of troubles and fun along the way. 

                                                                               

                                                                                             

3.       Malorie Blackman- The Noughts and Crosses Trilogy

Sephy is a Cross. Callum is a Nought. Crosses are the superior race and rule over the lowly Noughts who act as their servants. Sephy and Callum have been friends since birth, but in a world full of prejudice, violence and racism, their friendship struggles and the pair must overcome the rigid views of the adults to stay friends.

                                                                    

4.       Frances Hodgson Burnett- A Little Princess

Another classic, A Little Princess tells the story of Sara Crewe, who moves from India to London as a rich princess, laden in velvet and expensive clothes. But when her father dies, she is thrown into poverty. She becomes a beggar and has to do hard work just to survive. Only her imagination and the kindness from others gets her through.

                                                                          

5.       Cressida Cowell- The Emily Brown Stories

Aimed at young readers, these books follow Emily Brown, a gutsy and headstrong young girl who overcomes challenges and struggles thrown at her. My personal favourite is That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, where The Queen decides to take her favourite rabbit and replace him with a beautiful brown bear. Emily is livid. She marches straight to the Queen and demands to see her rabbit. Little does she know that her rabbit isn’t quite the same as it was… 

                                                 

6.       Beatrix Potter- The Tale of Kitty in Boots

Most famous for The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Kitty in Boots was only discovered a couple of years ago, over 100 years after it was written. Potter was a self-confessed feminist, and this story shows the strong nature of girls even though it was written at a time when women weren’t seen this way.  It tells the story of Miss Kitty who leads a daring double life defeating villains.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the Suffragettes or reading books with strong female leads, here are some suggestions of books you might find interesting: 

                                                          

https://www.booktrust.org.uk/whats-happening/blogs/2017/october/ten-of-the-best-feminist-books-for-children/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tabathaleggett/feminist-childrens-books-that-every-child-should-read?utm_term=.cvwZbYrWv#.tu112bxWq

The following collection of books are also perfect for younger readers. The little people, big dreams series tell the stories of famous women through history who have made a difference. You’ll even find one on Emmeline Pankhurst:

https://www.waterstones.com/booklist/377114/little-people-big-dreams-series

This post was written by Lucy Taylor, one of our IGCSE English tutors at Blackhen Education.

Blackhen Education's Top Easter Reads

During the school holidays, you deserve to be relaxing and putting your feet up, and what better way to do that than with a good book? Research suggests that children who read regularly are more imaginative, and it is said to improve your writing skills too. However, finding a book can be tricky; there’s millions out there. So we’ve compiled a list of some recommended reads to help you pick the perfect book for you.

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

(Ages 5-7)

Duncan wants to colour, but when he opens the box he finds that all his crayons have gone, and there is a note saying ‘we quit’. Will Duncan get them back?

                      

To Wee or Not to Wee by Pamela Butchart

(Ages 6-8)

Izzy is asked to tell her friends some SUPER hilarious and scary stories. Izzy knows how funny Shakespeare was, so exaggerates some of his best stories in this funny book.

The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside

Ages 6-8

Jenny has a lot of worries. So many worries in fact, that she has to carry them around in her big blue bag. The bag goes everywhere with her. Finally, Jenny decides they will have to go, but will anyone help her?

The Parent Agency by David Badiel

(Ages 9-11)

Barry hates his parents and wishes he had better ones. But far away, there’s a world where children get to choose who their parents are…

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

(Ages 9-11)

Daisy and Hazel set up their own secret detective agency at school. It’s all quite quiet, until they find their science teacher lying dead in the gym. Will they catch the culprit before they strike again?

Holes by Louis Sachar

(Ages 10-13)

Stanley is cursed. At least that’s how he feels when he’s accused of a crime and then sent to Camp Green Lake instead of prison. Camp Green Lake is not green and there’s no lake. Each day Stanley has to dig a hole, and it feels more like prison than he could have imagined. Then, one day he finds something that changes everything…

Once by Morris Gleitzman

(Ages 11-13)

This book tells the story of Felix, a little Jewish boy living in Poland during World War 2. Felix escapes from the orphanage where he lives to try and find his parents and save them from the Nazis. If you enjoy this book there are five more books in the series.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

(Ages 13+)

The first book in this trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go tells the tale of Todd, the only boy left in Prentisstown, and in one month he will become a man like the rest of the town. But this is no ordinary town, as here, no thoughts are private. Todd realises secrets are being kept from him, and he’s left with no choice but to run…

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

(Ages 13+)

Sephy is a Cross. Callum is a Nought. The dark-skinned crosses are the ruling race, whilst the white skinned Noughts are members of the underclass, who were once enslaved by the Crosses. The Noughts become increasingly frustrated with their social position, and war erupts. But amidst this a romance builds between Sephy and Callum.

Other Recommended Reads:

Rosie Revere, Engineer- Andrea Beaty (5-7)

The Thirteen Story Tree House- Andy Griffiths (6-8)

Oh The Places You’ll Go-  Dr Seuss (5-9)

Beetle Boy- M.G Leonard (8-11)

My Brother is a Superhero- David Solomans (8-11)

The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe- C.S. Lewis (8-11)

An Eagle in the Snow- Michael Morpurgo (9-12)

Tom Gates Series- Liz Pinchon (9-12)

Ketchup Clouds- Annabel Pitcher (11-14)

One- Sarah Crossman (14+)

Broken Beautiful Things- Sara Bernard (14+)

This post was written by Lucy Taylor (IGCSE English tutor at Blackhen Education).

Making Books - Everyone Can Be an Author

World Book Day is just around the corner; one of the highlights of the school calendar for teachers and students alike. Its magic is two-fold, because we all get to indulge in dressing up (I have been The Queen of Hearts, Winnie the Witch and Professor McGonagall to name but a few). We also get to share our favourite books from home and enjoy book related activities all day long.

Writing is always more enjoyable when it has a purpose, so what better purpose than creating your own book to share with friends and family? One of my students’ favourite activities on World Book Day was making a book of their own. This was always inspired by the writing of other’s, for example, a new adventure for Winnie the Witch or creating a new character in the world of Harry Potter. It culminated in the children sharing their own newly created books at the end of the day. Because the children knew this would happen, they took extra care with their presentation and writing, as well as planning an excellent story or new chapter.

Of course there is a long history of children creating their own stories and books, the most famous being the Brontës. Their fantastical stories of the lands of Angria and Gondal were written in miniscule handwriting in tiny handmade books.

Book making really gives children ownership of their work. They are author, editor (parents can be sub-editors if required), illustrator and of course, publisher. Many children even like to put a barcode and price on the back of their books. This is also a great space for a blurb. Summarising the plot without giving away the ending is a great skill to develop.

The books don’t have to be complicated to make. The simplest is a piece of folded card, with the required number of pages folded and either glued or stabled into place. For very young children, a great place to start making their own books, is writing about themselves. Writing about their family, pets and favourite food and places really engages them. 

For many years I treasured my first handmade book, “All about Me.” I made it at the age of four, with help from my teacher, lots of yellow wool hair and two blue buttons for eyes. Today, of course, you can use the computer to produce equally thrilling results and multiple copies for grandparents, for example.

Homemade books can come in many different materials and open and close in a variety of ways. Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, is an American teacher who is passionate about bookmaking for children. Her varied and interesting projects can be found on the link below:  

                                 

http://www.makingbooks.com/freeprojects.shtml

Homemade books can come in all shapes and sizes and be about anything! For children who prefer reading and writing non-fiction, these can fit very well with a favourite topic.  In the past, we’ve made books shaped like Viking boats, cats, Tudor houses and trains. The link below shows one example of how to create a book shaped like a house.

http://www.bookmakingwithkids.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/House-Book-Instructions.pdf

                                                             

Pop-up books are great fun to make too. Because they are not much more than a card, they are not daunting for younger children. The writing needs to happen before the pop-up is made, so can work as an incentive. Parents may to help with some of the more intricate designs on the link below.

http://wp.robertsabuda.com/make-your-own-pop-ups/

So whatever your child’s interests, there is a book in them just waiting to be written. For lots more advice and ideas on helping your children to create their own books, see the link below.

http://childrensbooks.lovetoknow.com/Helping_a_Young_Child_Write_Their_Own_Book

Happy World Book Day!

This post was written by Bernadette Whiteley, one of our Key Stage 2 tutors at Blackhen Education.

Writing Books for Children - Susan Keefe

                                                      

What’s so special about the Toby’s Tails series of children’s  books?

I am Susan Keefe, the author of the Toby’s Tails series of children’s books. I was born in Essex in the UK, had an idyllic childhood, lots of animals, and from an early age I had an affinity with animals and a passionate love of them. My parents and paternal grandparents encourage my love of everything living, and my fondest memories are of walking with my granddad round fields and lakes learning country lore from him.

So did I have a career in journalism before writing my books? No, just a passion for animals and a deep longing to share with others, the childhood I had been so lucky to have. I believe fervently that many children in this modern world miss out on the simple joys of nature because they are too plugged into their iPod from an early age, and parents, desperate to earn more money don’t have the time to spend with them. Gone are the days when we made do and gave our children time rather than possessions.

In 2006 my husband Michael and I moved to the Pays de la Loire region of France. Late 2008 lost Czar, one of my two Golden Retrievers. Then a few weeks later in January 2009 we had to take our lady goat to say hello to her boyfriend. As we stopped the car, there peering out from the gate were a family of Border Collies. Is there such a thing as love at first sight, yes there is! One look at those liquid hazel eyes and I knew I just had to have him. By the time the goats had said hello we had agreed to buy our Toby and pick him up in two weeks.

So, as Toby grew up our bond became inseparable, we spent 24/7 with each other. Then one day, whilst Michael took a nap I sat at the computer and quite out of the blue started my very first book, Toby’s Tails. Michael was right from the start very encouraging, and Toby is always wrapped around my chair, as near as possible to me. The words just flew and soon the book, which chronicles Toby’s first year, his training, the animals and wildlife he encounters and life experiences was compete. Of course every book takes lots of editing and there is a lot of work from the book being ‘finished’ until it is ready for publishing. All the photos in the books are taken by me and are in colour, something I feel is very important, and the animals are our own.

As I have become known as a writer locally my French friends asked me why the books are not available in French. I realised they had a point, and now there are eight books in the Toby’s Tails series, and many are available in French and a couple in Spanish as well.

The latest book is one of two of the books which have been especially produced to raise money for charities. Toby’s Tails – Toby Visits Chats du Quercy (Toby et Compagnie- Toby rend visite - Chats du Quercy).

All the books have morals very subtly added. They all teach children about not only understanding and caring for animals, but also about the wonders of the natural world which are around them, and can be seen and enjoyed every day. One book, Toby’s Tails – Saying Goodbye to Lucky tackles the sensitive subject of the loss of a pet, however, it too has an uplifting message.

The books are available from all Amazon sites in Paperback and Kindle format :

 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Susan-Keefe/e/B007DV5UX6/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1. 

Many of the reviews for them mention that the reader now looks on animals in a different way – music to my ears, as my message has been understood.

Toby and I are happy to attend events and I can be contacted for personalised copies either via the Toby’s Tails Children’s Books Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TobysTailsChildrensBooks/ or the contact form at the Toby’s Tails website http://www.tobys-tails.com/

                                 

                                                                          Susan Keefe