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  • Every Book Can Be a Conversation

    Posted Monday July 13th 2009
    by Natasha Worswick

    If you are particularly eagle-eyed or especially news-hungry, you may have spotted this story last week about some research on ways of improving little ones’ language skills.

    The point, says Dr Frederick Zimmerman from the UCLA School of Public Health in California, is that encouraging your child to speak is the best way to promote their language development.

    For us at Booktrust, it’s not, as some news headlines suggests, about choosing a bedtime chat over a bedtime read. We believe that the best way to enjoy a book at a very young age is to approach it as a conversation.

    A book is something you can actively share and enjoy together. You could recite the words together, talk about what you see or how the story makes you feel, for example. And I won’t bore you with it here, but there’s research to back it up, too.

    Dr Zimmerman calls the advice to read to your child “sound”, but wants to place “more emphasis on the importance of getting children to speak”. As books can make use of little ones’ emotions, imaginations and their relationship with you, they are the ideal way to do just that.

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  • A Really Nice Interview with the Children's Laureate

    Posted Friday July 10th 2009
    by Natasha Worswick

    We mentioned about a month ago that Anthony Browne, author of Gorilla and some other very beautiful picture books, has been chosen as the new Children’s Laureate.

    I found this really nice interview with him the other day. It points out something really interesting – that only one previous Laureate, Quentin Blake, has been an illustrator. And whilst many of the others who have held the post have also had established public profiles, Anthony spends most of his time 'sitting in a room on my own, painting pictures.'

    It’s a really interesting read, in which Anthony talks about his intention of making the picture book take a stronger place in society. I won’t say much more, because it really is worth a read with a cup of tea when you get a minute.


    But I’ll leave the final word to him: 'Force me to choose my best book, and I always come back to Gorilla. It was the first time I felt I understood what picture books could do.'

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