Book news
15th July 2008
The latest news from the world of children’s publishing
Get hooked!
Bookstart today announced details for National Bookstart Day which will this year be held on Friday 10 October 2008.
Bookstart, run by the independent national charity Booktrust, encourages a love of reading for reading’s sake; helping children in the earliest stages of their development to associate books with pleasure.
The theme of this year’s National Bookstart Day is Pirates Ahoy!
Posters, bookmarks and stickers have all been illustrated by Debbie Harter. Over 500,000 free copies of Pirates A-Hoy’ by Debbie Harter and Oscar Seaworthy will be distributed across the country.
There will be a special launch party taking place at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, featuring pirates, stories and games, and an appearance by the Bookstart Bear Pirate.
Guests will be treated to a rare viewing of an early edition of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Dating from 1886, this copy was bequeathed to the museum in 1952 by Major Merlin Lubbock, as part of a collection of books of Captain Basil Lubbock and Major Merlin Lubbock.
This year, National Bookstart Day supports the National Year of Reading, who shares their aims of encouraging a love of reading in all its forms, from a young age.
Rosemary Clarke, Head of Bookstart, said: ‘National Bookstart Day is about reminding every family to make book sharing a regular part of their daily routine. Enjoying stories songs and rhymes is a wonderful way to encourage children to be confident communicators and eager learners and children who enjoy books every day do far better when they start school. All the family can join in, including dads, and share the fun that books can bring.’
Van Gogh and the Sunflower Boy
The cast of Van Gogh and the Sunflower Boy take a bow
Catherine and Laurence Anholt have just returned from Korea where they were launching a lavish stage show as guests of COA Productions, a theatre group who have created the world’s first musical about Vincent Van Gogh.
Van Gogh and the Sunflower Boy is faithfully adapted from Laurence’s book, Camille and the Sunflowers , published by Frances Lincoln, which has been selling in Korean and numerous other languages for many years. The book tells the poignant true story of the encounter between the artist and a young postman’s son, Camille Roulin.
‘It was amazing to see my little characters come alive,’ says Laurence, ‘I must admit that I turned up to the theatre with some apprehension – if I hated the show, I would have to spend the rest of our visit smiling and pretending I liked it! But there was no need for pretence; the production is stunning. The sheer quality of the stage sets and the beautiful songs was overwhelming.’
The songs in the show, which range from haunting melodies to foot-stomping funk, are by one of Korea’s leading musicians, Kim Chang Wan, known as the ‘Elton John of Korea’ who also stars in a weekly soap opera.
Van Gogh and the Sunflower Boy will run in Seoul for three months before touring Korea, Japan and China.
Click here to read an article by Laurence Anholt on taking children on gallery visits.
One in five parents do not see the point of reading to their children
A study commissioned by a leading online provider of educational and fiction books has revealed that one in five parents with children under five years of age do not think there is any benefit of reading to children before they can walk or talk. In addition, almost one in four parents either do not enjoy reading, or struggle with reading and so put no time aside for reading with their child.
www.alltopbooks.com surveyed over 640 UK parents with children under five years of age, revealing the amount of time they spend reading with their children per week. The following results were found:
- 34.4% spent no time reading to their children at all
- 50.5% of parents spent 30 minutes to one hour reading to their children each week
- 11.2% spent two to three hours reading to their children each week
- 3.9% spent three and a half hours or more reading to their children each week.
The results highlight the factors preventing parents from spending more time reading to their children. Almost half (49.7%) are too busy with work and family commitments to read to their children any more than they already do. However, all of the 49.7% of respondents wished they could spend more time reading to their children.
Despite proven statistics showing that parental involvement with reading from a very young age could stimulate and develop a baby’s brain, 19.6% of parents do not see the point of reading to a small child. And 24.8% of parents do not like reading; 9.9% of which admitted to have difficulty reading, and so did not read to their children at all.
Only about 1 in 17 parents felt satisfied with the amount of time they spent reading with their children, all of which spent at least two hours per week (approximately 17 minutes per day).
Booklist encourages dads and sons to read together
Dads are being encouraged to read at least one book from the 200 featured on the ‘Primary Boys into Books’ list with their sons this summer.
The booklist ignores classic authors, such as Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, in favour of books by modern authors including Anthony Horowitz and Charlie Higson which have been published in the past two years. It features titles on subjects including ghosts, aliens and spying which are likely to appeal to boys aged five to 11 years.
The Government hopes that the £5 million scheme, to provide libraries with free books from the list which can be loaned to schools in their area, will help to close the gender gap between boys and girls in Key Stage 2 English.
Schools Minister, Jim Knight, said: “It’s vital that we get children, especially boys, into reading and the earlier the better. Over a third of ten-year-olds are playing computer games for over three hours a day. I am in no doubt that this choice of gaming over reading has a knock-on effect on how well they do in school.”
Chris Brown, author of the Boys into Books list said: “The titles in the list have been chosen as books published within the last couple of years which are good reads and which have particular elements of appeal for boys in the five to 11 age range.
“Generally, boys tend to choose books with action that seldom flags, humour in large dollops and with characters slightly larger than life.” Brown added: “Like all readers, boys’ individual preferences can also be wide and varied and so the list offers a broad and balanced selection too, including information books, poetry, graphic styles and long and involving stories.”
Further information on the Boys into Books scheme can be found on the School Library Association website
Two million free books!
Booktrust today (9 June) announces that over two million free books will be given to every reception-aged pupil and Year 7 pupil in England by Christmas 2008.
The Booktime programme for reception-aged pupils (four- to five-years old) and Booked Up programme for Year 7 pupils (aged 11 to 12), are both run by the independent national charity Booktrust, with the aim of encouraging reading for pleasure. The programmes are supported by the DCSF with an allocation of over £4m, making both programmes free to all participating schools.
The Booktime programme, which is run in association with education and publishing company Pearson, will this year give a copy of Harry and the Dinosaurs go to School by Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. The packs will also contain a guidance booklet for parents and carers to encourage sharing books with children.
For the first time, free poetry anthologies will be given to both age groups in England. Reception-aged pupils will get a special abridged edition of The Puffin Book of Fantastic First Poems, while Year 7 pupils will be able to choose a copy of Read Me and Laugh: A Funny Poem for Every Day of the Year (Macmillan).
The Booked Up programme allows each child to make their own choice of book from a selection of 12 titles. The programme encourages Year 7 pupils to read independently and aims to maintain the development of reading levels between Years 6 and 7 as children make the difficult transition from primary to secondary education.
The new Booked Up book list:
- Arctic Hero by Catherine Johnson (Barrington Stoke)
- Heartbeat by Sharon Creech (Bloomsbury)
- H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden (Bloomsbury)
- Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
- The Garbage King by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan Children’s Books)
- The Black Book of Secrets by FE Higgins (Macmillan Children’s Books)
- Scarlett by Cathy Cassidy (Puffin)
- Football Detective: Foul Play by Tom Palmer (Puffin)
- The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (David Fickling Books)
- Kiss Of Death by Malcolm Rose (Usborne Publishing)
- Why Eating Bogeys Is Good for You by Mitchell Symons (Doubleday)
- Read Me and Laugh: A Funny Poem for Every Day of the Year by Gaby Morgan (Macmillan)
- The Adventures of Robin Hood by Marcia Williams (Walker Books)
Other options will also be made available with the aim of catering for the widest range of needs. These will include further picture book selections and two audio book options.
A Booktrust panel – including children’s book expert professionals from the library sector, booksellers, teachers, journalists, and children’s book reviewers – selected the books, which are ideal for reading for pleasure, represent a suitable degree of diversity, use language well and reflect various styles.
Public libraries and school library services are also being offered the opportunity to receive free sets of the books and supporting resources to enhance the Booktime and Booked Up programmes.
All information about Booktime and Booked Up can be found on their revamped websites at www.booktime.org.uk and www.bookedup.org.uk
Potter is addictive, claims psychologist
Harry Potter is as addictive as drugs, claims a medical expert.
According to research by US psychology professor, Dr Rudski, one in ten of the wizard’s fans are suffering withdrawal symptoms after J K Rowling’s final instalment. The symptoms include depression and loss of appetite.
Out of the 4,000 fans polled, some admitted to spending up to four hours a day on Potter-related activities. Dr Ruski described another 20 per cent as ‘near addicts’.
Most children still like a good read
New research from NFER shows that at least two thirds of primary school children enjoy reading and about the same proportion read at home most days. This figure has held steady since the last survey in 2003, by contrast to a worrying decline over the preceding five years.
Attitudes to reading at ages 9 and 11 was completed last summer by 4500 children in 61 schools and repeated a survey that was conducted in 2003.
The survey shows that overall girls enjoy reading more than boys and reading enjoyment declines as children get older. Comics are the most popular read, just edging ahead of story books for the first time with the younger age-group. Poetry has become less popular, but the proportion of children who prefer watching TV to reading has dropped slightly.
NFER’s Dr Marian Sainsbury said: ‘This is good news, as our previous survey revealed a sharp drop in enjoyment which has now halted. On World Book Day, this is a reminder to everyone in society, not just parents and teachers, to do everything they can to foster children’s enjoyment of reading. Let’s get those figures moving upwards again!’
Changes since 2003
Overall, children’s enjoyment of reading and their confidence and independence as readers have remained much the same between 2003 and 2007. Nearly 70% of nine-year-olds and over 60% of 11-year-olds still enjoy reading stories.
Since 2003, boys’ and girls’ enjoyment of reading poetry at school has greatly declined in both year groups. In 2003 60% of pupils in Year 4 and 45% of pupils in Year 6 liked reading poems, compared to 47% of Year 4 pupils and 36% of Year 6 pupils in the 2007 survey.
Comics are the most popular reading material. While they were popular in 2003, they are now the favourite with both age groups, since the nine-year-olds’ enjoyment of reading stories and information books has fallen slightly by comparison. While 62% of 11-year-olds preferred to watch television rather than reading in 2003, only 55% do so now.
The June 2007 survey involved 2278 Year 4 pupils and 2199 Year 6 pupils in a sample of 61 schools in England which was nationally representative in terms of school size, attainment band, and region.
What’s hot?
According to a new survey by the National Literacy Trust, reading for pleasure should come top of the literacy agenda in 2008.
The National Literacy Trust surveyed experts from research, policy, practice and the media about a range of literacy issues ranging from phonics to family reading. The first report of its kind to take place in the UK, ‘What’s hot, what’s not 2008’ demonstrated that reading for pleasure should be one of the most important topics in 2008.
Other topics that the respondents believe should be the ‘hot’ topics this year were comprehension, assessment and initial teacher training while policy and political influences are seen as the least important issues in 2008. Phonics is also currently rated as one of the hottest issues by far. However, one in three respondents believed that it should not continue to be a focus of attention in 2008.
Key statistics include:
- Although 97% of respondents thought reading for pleasure should be a high profile issue, over half (54%) felt that currently, it was not (although 65% felt that the National Year of Reading would be a hot topic)
- 89% felt that initial teacher training was not hot, but 80% of respondents felt that it should be
- 77% of respondents felt that political influences and policy were hot but almost 65% felt that they should be less important in 2008.
Jonathan Douglas, Director of the National Literacy Trust, said: ‘With World Book Day 2008 fast approaching, it is encouraging to see that reading for pleasure has been highlighted as one of the key literacy issues for the year ahead. Promoting enjoyment of reading is an important part of literacy strategy, alongside assessment and teacher training. A national debate about these issues should change not only how we think about literacy but also shift practice and policy which will raise literacy standards.’
Booktrust reveals the Best Children’s Book of all Time
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis is the best children’s book of all time, according to a new survey.
The fantasy novel which was written back in 1950 has beaten modern day classics such as Harry Potter and The Gruffalo to the top spot.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle took second place in the poll. The picture book is said to have sold one copy every minute since it’s publication in 1969.
Third place went to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five Series, which was first written in 1942.
Winnie the Pooh by A A Milne came in fourth place. The character was first created back in 1926 and has gone onto become one of the world’s best known after being adapted by The Walt Disney Company.
Viv Bird, director of Booktrust said: ‘It’s wonderful to see the enduring popularity of these books which are loved by generation after generation’.
The poll of 4,000 people was conducted by independent charity Booktrust, to support its government backed initiative Bookstart, which provides children with free books up and down the UK.
The survey also revealed that:
- 45% of parents surveyed read their children a bedtime story
- 18% of expectant parents start reading to their children pre-birth
- Ireland has the best bedtime readers, with over 60% of parents reading their children a bedtime story
For a full listing of the survey results, log onto www.booktrust.org.uk
Debut author wins Waterstone’s prize
Ways To Live Forever by 24-year-old debut author Sally Nicholls has won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize.
Powerful and inspiring, the book is written in the voice of 11-year-old Sam McQueen who is terminally ill with leukaemia. His curiosity, humour and unsentimental view of dying is extremely moving, as he creates a scrapbook of lists, stories facts and questions that interest him.
Waterstone’s Children’s Buyer, Sarah Clarke, said: “Sally has written a book that is not only affecting, affirming and entertaining, but also important. … This book deserves to become a children’s classic – its themes and messages will inspire generations.”
Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen presented Nicholls with the £5,000 cash prize. Nicholls said: “I am so excited to have won the Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize. The experience has all felt very surreal, not just having my first novel published, but hearing how much my book has affected and moved the judges. There were some amazing novels on the shortlist, so it’s a real honour to have won.
Click here to visit the Ways to Live Forever minisite.
Writers have responsibility to write well, says Pullman
Philip Pullman, author of the award-winning His Dark Materials, has urged writers to take more responsibility for their work.
His comments came amid statistics that a quarter of the population have not read a book in the past year, while children read less than they did before.
Speaking to the Western Mail, Pullman said writers need to produce well-written stories to make reading as appealing to children as playing computer games and watching TV.
‘Writers have a responsibility to write as well as they can and to keep our readers with us to the end of the book,’ said Pullman.
We forget that it’s only for the past 140 years that reading has been universal in Britain. The Education Act of 1870 required every child to go to school and learn to read. Before that, many people were illiterate.
‘We won’t go back to that peak of reading because there are now so many more things to complete with it. We have to find other ways of bringing people to books. You can tell stories through television and film scripts. If a story is strongly constructed it will survive the transformation from one medium to another.’
Ladybird fly back to their roots
The well-known publishers Ladybird is giving its traditional mini hardbacks a major facelift and dropping their price by 20 per cent.
The radical change follows a decline in sales for the series over the past three years. Ladybird has now decided to reduce the price of their books from £2.50 to £1.99. The look of the books will also change.
Sixteen new minis are due out in March, with an additional 56 to be published in June and September. Some of the books have new text, and all have new illustrations and fresh covers.
Speaking of the change, Stephanie Barton, MD of Penguin’s brands and licensing division, said: ‘This is much more than a rebrand. We felt it was the right time to revisit the little hardback format, for which Ladybird is know and loved.’
Ladybird books for aimed at two- to seven-year-olds.
