Listening

I've just been listening to G reading bedtime stories to Leo. We're trying to introduce a new book to Leo's repertoire, which is always a slow process, as, with literature at least, he is very much a creature of habit. Cue much laughter from G who hid Leo's favourite book under the chair in an attempt to get him to listen to the new story (Honk by Mick Inkpen, if you were wondering), only to have his normally still, attentive, thumb-sucking reader turn into a wriggling, squirming, multi-limbed monkey as he brushed aside Honk and tried to reach Peepo Baby (by Georgie Birkett, a favourite now and the first book he ever really engaged with.)

As well as it making me smile inside and out to hear the two people I love most having such a good time together, I learn a lot from listening to G (and others) read with Leo. The pacing is often very different to mine and their intonation and emphasis varies radically which can really change the focus of story and give me ideas for next time I read the same book with Leo. My favourite bit about listening surreptitiously at the door though is the little asides: where's the cat?; can you point to the apple?; I've already read that three times!; quack quack; I really think it's time for bed now; oh okay then just once more...

The Laureates' Selection

Listening to the radio while driving to work on Tuesday, I heard Anne Fine talking about a selection of favourite children's books created by all 5 of the children's laureates. The story in the media seemed largely focused on the fact that only five of the 35 books chosen were written in the last 20 years. The implication seemed to be that, as with many things, modern is bad and old is good. Fine's view was that their choice wasn't surprising but nor did it imply that modern children's literature is bad: she and the other laureates were asked to select their favourite children's books and this was obviously going to bias them towards books which had made the biggest impressions on their childhood.

I enjoyed reading their list, not because I think it is a list of the best 35 books ever written for children but because I invariably choose my next book to read based on recommendations from other people, and they seem like suitably well qualified recommenders! There will be plenty of opportunities for Leo to read modern literature, but I do hope he also reads and enjoys many of the books on their list.

For what it's worth, the list included some of my childhood favourites: The Box of Delights by John Masefield, Five Go to Smuggler's Top by Enid Blyton, and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's prompted me to go and reread Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild and to seek out Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner because I loved Lotte & Lisa by him. I'm off to Amazon right now...

That's not my book.

That's not my book. Its adjectives are too banal.
That's not my book. Its story is no different to the previous one in the series.
That's not my book. Its publishers are making money for old rope.
That's my book. It's not an annoying touchy-feely one by Usborne.

(But Leo does really love the puppy one.)