Robbie Cheadle's Blog, page 60
February 9, 2017
Low Tide - an extract from Silly Willy goes to Knysna
This extract has been published for Sue Vincent’s Thursday photo prompt. You can take part by clicking on this link https://scvincent.com/2017/02/02/thur....
Our little holiday house was a very short distance from the sea. Nana and Granddad were staying in their own little holiday house which was higher up the hill. They had a better view of the ocean than we did but they had to walk down the road to get to the beach. The beach was narrow with thick bushes and short, stubby trees growing on either side of it. The previous morning, the water had only been about 30 metres from our front door; that is how close we were to the sea. Today, the water was far, far away. From the doorway, I could see miles and miles of wet sand. It was still really early, the sun was just peeping over the horizon and making the sky all pink and gold. There was nobody around at this time of the day to make footprints so the sand was perfectly smooth. Dad said that it was low tide. This meant that the water had pulled back from the beach and left lots of open space for us to play in. Willy and I wanted to go for a walk across that lovely, flat sand. Mom and Dad said that they would take us walking but we had to get dressed first. I have never seen Willy get dressed that fast before. He was such a good boy, he lifted up his legs when Mom helped him to put on his underpants and shorts and he put his head through the correct hole of his T-shirt. I wonder if Mom noticed? In a very short space of time we were on the beach, slapping across the soggy sand towards the distant sea. The wind was a bit cold so I was glad I was wearing my jacket. I wasn’t wearing any shoes and the cold watery sand squeezed up between my toes. Every now and then a little hole would open in the sand and a tiny sea creature would pop up and then vanish again. Willy was completely thrilled at the appearance of these little crabs and was determined to catch one. He raced from hole to hole, digging into the wet sand with his little hands and shouting with disappointment when he didn’t manage to catch anything. I didn’t join in. I didn’t know what those funny little crab creatures were and I wasn’t going to risk my fingers being nipped. Willy’s antics slowed us down and so it took us quite a while to cross the section of the beach that was surrounded on two sides by bushes and trees. We stepped out from behind the shelter of the trees and onto the open beach. We walked straight into the icy wind. It pulled on my hair and clothes and stung my face and bare legs. Willy screamed with fright and leaped into Mom’s arms. She wrapped him up in her jacket and stopped walking. The wind was strong and cold but I wanted to walk on a bit further towards the grey sea. The sand on the beach was rippled in pretty patterns from the strong wind and the sea had lots of white, frothy sea horses. Mom and Dad spoke to each other and Dad said that he would walk on with me for a bit longer. Mom had to carry Willy back to the cottage. Willy is quite a fat little boy and I watched Mom stagger off with him still cuddled up inside her jacket. Walking back the way we had come.
Extracted from Silly Willy goes to Knysna
Find Robbie Cheadle:
https://www.amazon.com/author/robbiec...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
Our little holiday house was a very short distance from the sea. Nana and Granddad were staying in their own little holiday house which was higher up the hill. They had a better view of the ocean than we did but they had to walk down the road to get to the beach. The beach was narrow with thick bushes and short, stubby trees growing on either side of it. The previous morning, the water had only been about 30 metres from our front door; that is how close we were to the sea. Today, the water was far, far away. From the doorway, I could see miles and miles of wet sand. It was still really early, the sun was just peeping over the horizon and making the sky all pink and gold. There was nobody around at this time of the day to make footprints so the sand was perfectly smooth. Dad said that it was low tide. This meant that the water had pulled back from the beach and left lots of open space for us to play in. Willy and I wanted to go for a walk across that lovely, flat sand. Mom and Dad said that they would take us walking but we had to get dressed first. I have never seen Willy get dressed that fast before. He was such a good boy, he lifted up his legs when Mom helped him to put on his underpants and shorts and he put his head through the correct hole of his T-shirt. I wonder if Mom noticed? In a very short space of time we were on the beach, slapping across the soggy sand towards the distant sea. The wind was a bit cold so I was glad I was wearing my jacket. I wasn’t wearing any shoes and the cold watery sand squeezed up between my toes. Every now and then a little hole would open in the sand and a tiny sea creature would pop up and then vanish again. Willy was completely thrilled at the appearance of these little crabs and was determined to catch one. He raced from hole to hole, digging into the wet sand with his little hands and shouting with disappointment when he didn’t manage to catch anything. I didn’t join in. I didn’t know what those funny little crab creatures were and I wasn’t going to risk my fingers being nipped. Willy’s antics slowed us down and so it took us quite a while to cross the section of the beach that was surrounded on two sides by bushes and trees. We stepped out from behind the shelter of the trees and onto the open beach. We walked straight into the icy wind. It pulled on my hair and clothes and stung my face and bare legs. Willy screamed with fright and leaped into Mom’s arms. She wrapped him up in her jacket and stopped walking. The wind was strong and cold but I wanted to walk on a bit further towards the grey sea. The sand on the beach was rippled in pretty patterns from the strong wind and the sea had lots of white, frothy sea horses. Mom and Dad spoke to each other and Dad said that he would walk on with me for a bit longer. Mom had to carry Willy back to the cottage. Willy is quite a fat little boy and I watched Mom stagger off with him still cuddled up inside her jacket. Walking back the way we had come.
Extracted from Silly Willy goes to Knysna
Find Robbie Cheadle:
https://www.amazon.com/author/robbiec...
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
January 18, 2017
The origin of elves - not the cute little Christmas elves we know today
Christmas has passed, the feasting has ended and the decorations have been packed away for another year. Christmas, however, is notable, amongst other things, for its queue of children waiting to have photographs taken with shopping mall Santa Clauses and his elven helpers. My boys have outgrown this type of event but my nieces and nephews still love it and want their photographs taken with Santa every year. Looking at the lovely photograph of my nephews with this year’s fat and cheerful Santa and his elf, led me wondering about the origins of elves and so I did a bit of research with some interesting results.
The original concept of elves originates from Norse mythology and our modern knowledge of these early elves has been pieced together from Old Norse poetry. Norse mythology describes two types of elves, the one group lives beneath the earth and are not as attractive and the other group live in Elf Land and are “fairer than the sun”. This concept of “light” and “dark” elves appears in an Old Norse work of literature entitled Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the late Old Norse poem Hrafnagaldr Odins. It is interesting to note that while the “light” elves are difficult to distinguish in Norse mythology from the Vanir gods and goddesses and are described as being extremely beautiful, they also had very mixed relationships with humans. On the one hand they had the power to cause human illness and on the other hand they could heal humans, generally if the humans involved were willing to make sacrifices to them. Humans could turn into elves after death and there was an overlap between worship of ancestors and worship of elves. I am not an expert on Norse mythology by any manner of means and the purpose of this description was to introduce the idea that the original concept of elves was very different from the cute elves we see assisting Santa Clause at Christmas time.
The Danish poet and author, Hans Christian Anderson, wrote about elves in his story The Elvin Hill (The Elf Mound) which was published in 1845. This tale is about a feast held at the elf mound for the Goblin Chief of Norway and his two sons. The two sons are both expected to choose elf brides. In this tale elves are clearly aligned with goblins, merfolk, the grave pig, the death-horse and the church horse, all of which are associated with dark superstitions and myths. In the Elf Mound, the elven housekeeper is described as follows:
“…the elven hill opened and an old elfin girl, hollow at the back, came tripping out; she was the housekeeper of the old elfin king, and being distantly connected to the family; she an amber heart on her forehead. Her feet moved so nimbly -trip, trip. Good gracious! how she could trip…”
Another famous source of information on elves are the Middle-earth books written by J.R.R. Tolkien, the most well-know being The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien wrote his books between 1937 and 1949. As the title The Lord of the Rings indicates, this trilogy is mainly about the One Ring, created by the Dark Lord Sauron in a bygone age as a weapon in his campaign to defeat and rule all of Middle-earth.
Tolkien describes the elves as being very fair creatures and also as being resistant to illness, disease and other natural ailments. Tolkien’s depiction of elves also describes them as being great lovers of all beauty in nature and being very curious with an great love of learning and creating. The elves despised evil and their creations harmed evil, however, they are susceptible to greed, pride and jealousy.
The Christmas elf is a tiny creature that features in American folklore and lives with Santa Claus at the North Pole and acts as his helper. Christmas elves generally wear green or red and have large pointy ears and pointy hats. They are kind and help Santa Claus by making the Christmas toys in his workshop and looking after the reindeer. Christmas elves were apparently first introduced in literature by Louise May Alcott in her unpublished book entitled Christmas Elves.
In different countries, Santa Claus’ helpers have different names such as the Yule Lads of Iceland, Zwarte Piet from Belgium and the Netherlands, Knecht Ruprecht in Germany and Hoesecker in Luxembourg. Interestingly enough, in Nordic countries Christmas elves are considered nisse and not elves. Nisse have their origins in Scandinavian folklore and look more like garden gnomes with a long white beard, a knitted cap and usually wear red.
So next year when the decorations go up and the Christmas stories, movies and festivities begin, you can spare a thought to the origin of that cute little elf in a hat with bells and wonder if he originates from Norway or America.
Sources of information:
Norse mythology for smart people
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Treasury of Hans Christian Anderson
Tolkien Gateway; and
Wikipedia
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blogs: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SirChocolate...
The original concept of elves originates from Norse mythology and our modern knowledge of these early elves has been pieced together from Old Norse poetry. Norse mythology describes two types of elves, the one group lives beneath the earth and are not as attractive and the other group live in Elf Land and are “fairer than the sun”. This concept of “light” and “dark” elves appears in an Old Norse work of literature entitled Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson, and in the late Old Norse poem Hrafnagaldr Odins. It is interesting to note that while the “light” elves are difficult to distinguish in Norse mythology from the Vanir gods and goddesses and are described as being extremely beautiful, they also had very mixed relationships with humans. On the one hand they had the power to cause human illness and on the other hand they could heal humans, generally if the humans involved were willing to make sacrifices to them. Humans could turn into elves after death and there was an overlap between worship of ancestors and worship of elves. I am not an expert on Norse mythology by any manner of means and the purpose of this description was to introduce the idea that the original concept of elves was very different from the cute elves we see assisting Santa Clause at Christmas time.
The Danish poet and author, Hans Christian Anderson, wrote about elves in his story The Elvin Hill (The Elf Mound) which was published in 1845. This tale is about a feast held at the elf mound for the Goblin Chief of Norway and his two sons. The two sons are both expected to choose elf brides. In this tale elves are clearly aligned with goblins, merfolk, the grave pig, the death-horse and the church horse, all of which are associated with dark superstitions and myths. In the Elf Mound, the elven housekeeper is described as follows:
“…the elven hill opened and an old elfin girl, hollow at the back, came tripping out; she was the housekeeper of the old elfin king, and being distantly connected to the family; she an amber heart on her forehead. Her feet moved so nimbly -trip, trip. Good gracious! how she could trip…”
Another famous source of information on elves are the Middle-earth books written by J.R.R. Tolkien, the most well-know being The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Tolkien wrote his books between 1937 and 1949. As the title The Lord of the Rings indicates, this trilogy is mainly about the One Ring, created by the Dark Lord Sauron in a bygone age as a weapon in his campaign to defeat and rule all of Middle-earth.
Tolkien describes the elves as being very fair creatures and also as being resistant to illness, disease and other natural ailments. Tolkien’s depiction of elves also describes them as being great lovers of all beauty in nature and being very curious with an great love of learning and creating. The elves despised evil and their creations harmed evil, however, they are susceptible to greed, pride and jealousy.
The Christmas elf is a tiny creature that features in American folklore and lives with Santa Claus at the North Pole and acts as his helper. Christmas elves generally wear green or red and have large pointy ears and pointy hats. They are kind and help Santa Claus by making the Christmas toys in his workshop and looking after the reindeer. Christmas elves were apparently first introduced in literature by Louise May Alcott in her unpublished book entitled Christmas Elves.
In different countries, Santa Claus’ helpers have different names such as the Yule Lads of Iceland, Zwarte Piet from Belgium and the Netherlands, Knecht Ruprecht in Germany and Hoesecker in Luxembourg. Interestingly enough, in Nordic countries Christmas elves are considered nisse and not elves. Nisse have their origins in Scandinavian folklore and look more like garden gnomes with a long white beard, a knitted cap and usually wear red.
So next year when the decorations go up and the Christmas stories, movies and festivities begin, you can spare a thought to the origin of that cute little elf in a hat with bells and wonder if he originates from Norway or America.
Sources of information:
Norse mythology for smart people
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Treasury of Hans Christian Anderson
Tolkien Gateway; and
Wikipedia
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blogs: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bakeandwrite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SirChocolate...
January 9, 2017
Why should we appreciate Chaucer?
We have a lot to be grateful to Geoffrey Chaucer for. If it wasn’t for his amazing works we might all still be reading in French and Latin. While I love French, I really do enjoy my home language of English and love all the wonderful literature heritage that hails from England. I really can’t comment on Latin as my only slight brushings with this language occurred during the Catholic Church Services I attended while I was at school.
Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?
Chaucer was born in approximately 1343 in London. In 1357 he became a public servant to Countess Elizabeth of Ulster and continued in that capacity with the British court for the rest of his life. Chaucer died on 25 October 1400 in London, England and was the first person to be buried in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.
Why is he relevant to us, 600 years later?
Chaucer was the first great writer and poet to write using the medium of English. By choosing to write in English, Chaucer showed the world that his vernacular English, which had survived 300 years of Norman rule, could be used in literature just as well as either French or Latin. His language choice also made his poetry accessible to all. The huge popularity of Chaucer’s works, written in Middle English, is said to have given rise to this dialect becoming increasingly widespread and its eventual status as modern English’s predecessor.
Chaucer also translated many important Continental works, for example Boccacio’s The Decameron and Boethius’s Consolidation of Philosophy into English.
Chaucer is best know in our modern world for his unfinished poem, the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s work took him on many journeys and introduced him to many people from all sorts of professions and walks of life and he drew on these experiences in his writing. In the 24 tales which constitute The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer introduced characters from all sectors of humanity including the learned, the religious, the romantic, the practical, the idealist and the irreverent from the middle classes as well as royalty. This was very unusual at that time when all stories dealt with heroes, kings and queens. His characterisation was ground-breaking and lead the way for future writers including Shakespeare. It is a testament to his abilities and talent that the art of story telling has remained virtually unchanged for all these years.
About The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is one of my favourite books. It tells a story of a group of people, form a wide variety of backgrounds and with a number of different professions and skills, who set off on a religious pilgrimage from London to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas in Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims agree to entertain themselves along the journey by telling each other stories. Chaucer died before he could finish the tales but they are considered to be “outrageous, comic and thought-provoking”. The tales provide a lot of entertaining insight into life, love and bantering in medieval England.
The Canterbury Tales for children
Our children are very fortunate as they live in a society where all sorts of amazing classic books are available to them as either an abridged story or are retold in modern English. The Canterbury Tales is available as a “Usborne Classics Retold” version and the original verse in which it was written has been changed to modern prose with limited verse to make it easier for young modern readers. I would recommend introducing your children to this wonderful book so that they can enjoy and appreciate the works of “The Father of Modern English?”
Happy reading!
Acknowledgements:
University of Oxford - Great Writers Inspire
Braugh, C.B., and Cable, T. (2002) A History of the English Language. 5th edn. London: Routledge
Cummings Study Guide: The Canterbury Tales Usborne Classics Retold The Canterbury Tales
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blog: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Facebook: @SirChocolateBooks
Twitter: @bakeandwrite
Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?
Chaucer was born in approximately 1343 in London. In 1357 he became a public servant to Countess Elizabeth of Ulster and continued in that capacity with the British court for the rest of his life. Chaucer died on 25 October 1400 in London, England and was the first person to be buried in Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.
Why is he relevant to us, 600 years later?
Chaucer was the first great writer and poet to write using the medium of English. By choosing to write in English, Chaucer showed the world that his vernacular English, which had survived 300 years of Norman rule, could be used in literature just as well as either French or Latin. His language choice also made his poetry accessible to all. The huge popularity of Chaucer’s works, written in Middle English, is said to have given rise to this dialect becoming increasingly widespread and its eventual status as modern English’s predecessor.
Chaucer also translated many important Continental works, for example Boccacio’s The Decameron and Boethius’s Consolidation of Philosophy into English.
Chaucer is best know in our modern world for his unfinished poem, the Canterbury Tales. Chaucer’s work took him on many journeys and introduced him to many people from all sorts of professions and walks of life and he drew on these experiences in his writing. In the 24 tales which constitute The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer introduced characters from all sectors of humanity including the learned, the religious, the romantic, the practical, the idealist and the irreverent from the middle classes as well as royalty. This was very unusual at that time when all stories dealt with heroes, kings and queens. His characterisation was ground-breaking and lead the way for future writers including Shakespeare. It is a testament to his abilities and talent that the art of story telling has remained virtually unchanged for all these years.
About The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales is one of my favourite books. It tells a story of a group of people, form a wide variety of backgrounds and with a number of different professions and skills, who set off on a religious pilgrimage from London to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas in Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims agree to entertain themselves along the journey by telling each other stories. Chaucer died before he could finish the tales but they are considered to be “outrageous, comic and thought-provoking”. The tales provide a lot of entertaining insight into life, love and bantering in medieval England.
The Canterbury Tales for children
Our children are very fortunate as they live in a society where all sorts of amazing classic books are available to them as either an abridged story or are retold in modern English. The Canterbury Tales is available as a “Usborne Classics Retold” version and the original verse in which it was written has been changed to modern prose with limited verse to make it easier for young modern readers. I would recommend introducing your children to this wonderful book so that they can enjoy and appreciate the works of “The Father of Modern English?”
Happy reading!
Acknowledgements:
University of Oxford - Great Writers Inspire
Braugh, C.B., and Cable, T. (2002) A History of the English Language. 5th edn. London: Routledge
Cummings Study Guide: The Canterbury Tales Usborne Classics Retold The Canterbury Tales
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blog: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com
Facebook: @SirChocolateBooks
Twitter: @bakeandwrite
January 3, 2017
Why you should read to your children
I have always believed that reading to your children can only be a good thing but I never really sat down and quantified the benefits. I thought it would be interesting to see what the general view of people is on this question and so I did a bit of research on the benefits of reading to your children. Some of the benefits that emerged are fairly obvious, in particular the following five benefits:
1. Better long-term academic performance by the child;
2. Faster development of basic speech skills;
3. Greater long-term mastery of language;
4. Better communication skills; and
5. Physical ability to handle a book and turn the pages.
There were some other benefits, however, that interested me and which I wouldn't have thought of immediately, such as:
1. Improved logical thinking skills;
2. Enhanced concentration and discipline; and
3. Increased ability to adapt to new circumstances.
The last two benefits, that I thought were very worthwhile but which are soft skills benefits, are an appreciation of reading and an improved relationship with your child.
All of the benefits listed above are very worthy but the one that interests me the most is the point on increased discipline. I am a chartered accountant with a limited knowledge of psychology but, in my humble opinion, it is a lack of discipline that causes many of the issues that arise with young people. It takes discipline to sit down and study, turning your back on the allure of iphones, ipads and Youtube. In our modern world, studying is necessary if you want to achieve, even if you are very bright and learning comes easily to you - you have to have at least read something in order to have a knowledge of it. It also takes discipline to stand tall in the face of peer pressure and turn away from experimenting with drugs and excessive intake of alcohol. Discipline is even required to read a book instead of resorting to the easier way of enjoying a story in the form of the movie - the gratification with a movie is much quicker and less effort even if a lot of the detail is left out of the story. I feel very strongly about the lack of discipline that has infiltrated our modern society and, therefore, it is very gratifying to me that I can work on instilling discipline in my own children, my nieces and nephews and other children I am in contact with just by reading them a good book.
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blogs: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com and goodreads.com
Facebook: @SirChocolateBooks
Twitter: @bakeandwrite
1. Better long-term academic performance by the child;
2. Faster development of basic speech skills;
3. Greater long-term mastery of language;
4. Better communication skills; and
5. Physical ability to handle a book and turn the pages.
There were some other benefits, however, that interested me and which I wouldn't have thought of immediately, such as:
1. Improved logical thinking skills;
2. Enhanced concentration and discipline; and
3. Increased ability to adapt to new circumstances.
The last two benefits, that I thought were very worthwhile but which are soft skills benefits, are an appreciation of reading and an improved relationship with your child.
All of the benefits listed above are very worthy but the one that interests me the most is the point on increased discipline. I am a chartered accountant with a limited knowledge of psychology but, in my humble opinion, it is a lack of discipline that causes many of the issues that arise with young people. It takes discipline to sit down and study, turning your back on the allure of iphones, ipads and Youtube. In our modern world, studying is necessary if you want to achieve, even if you are very bright and learning comes easily to you - you have to have at least read something in order to have a knowledge of it. It also takes discipline to stand tall in the face of peer pressure and turn away from experimenting with drugs and excessive intake of alcohol. Discipline is even required to read a book instead of resorting to the easier way of enjoying a story in the form of the movie - the gratification with a movie is much quicker and less effort even if a lot of the detail is left out of the story. I feel very strongly about the lack of discipline that has infiltrated our modern society and, therefore, it is very gratifying to me that I can work on instilling discipline in my own children, my nieces and nephews and other children I am in contact with just by reading them a good book.
Follow Robbie Cheadle on:
Blogs: robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com and goodreads.com
Facebook: @SirChocolateBooks
Twitter: @bakeandwrite
December 12, 2016
Abridged classics - Yes or No
There seem to be some very strong views out there in the "bookish" community about not allowing children to read abridged classics. I am afraid that I do not agree with this sentiment. I am a great lover of books and, particularly of classics, and I have always harboured a secret hope that my boys will also love the classics.
My oldest son loves to read. I always read extensively to both my boys and, as the classics are my thing, I did tend to read children's classics to them from a young age. They were introduced to the joys of The Secret Garden, Heidi, The adventures of Dr Dolittle and many others. At the end of Grade 1, Gregory's reading suddenly took off. He spent a significant part of his December holiday at the end of that year reading the entire Horrid Henry series from beginning to end. He then quickly progressed to other books, the ones that were the most notable to me being my beloved Roald Dahl series. During his grade 2 year, Gregory was quite ill again and had to take some time off school. I thought the time was right to start introducing him to the classics. I had bought the entire Classic Starts book series and started giving these to Greg, one book at a time. It was a great joy to me to see how Greg devoured these books. He read every one except for Dracula and Frankenstein, both of which he has not read to this day.
What has happened subsequently? Greg has just completed his final year of primary school. Over the past two calendar years, Greg has progressed to reading many of the original classics, the abridged versions of which he loved as a younger boy. He loved The Secret Garden and said that it was full of mystery and magic. He has also read some that I have never read as they are fairly masculine in nature such as The red badge of courage, Don Quixote, Treasure Island and many others. Greg was one of a team of four boys from his Prep School that represented South Africa in the finals of the Kids Literature Quiz that took place in Auckland, New Zealand during August this year. So my dream has come to fruition.
My firm belief is that original classics written in complex and unfamiliar English can be frustrating for young readers. The become so bogged down in trying to understand the unfamiliar English and long descriptive passages that they lose the storyline entirely. Abridged classics have the following three benefits:
1. They introduce young readers to the joys of the classic stories in a simple way so that they can appreciate the story. Most people only remember the general story line of a book down the line in any event so this is perfect. A knowledge of the story line will help young readers when they go on to tackle the original versions. They are then able to spend more time appreciating the prose and language as they are already familiar with the story;
2. They are many children out there who struggle to read for various reasons. Abridged classics allow them to also enjoy and appreciate these wonderful stories without becoming frustrated and losing interest; and
3. Children introduced to abridged classics at a young age frequently go on to read the originals at a later stage when their reading abilities are more developed.
I wonder what other readers think about abridged classics? Do you agree or have a strongly opposing view? Let me know.
My oldest son loves to read. I always read extensively to both my boys and, as the classics are my thing, I did tend to read children's classics to them from a young age. They were introduced to the joys of The Secret Garden, Heidi, The adventures of Dr Dolittle and many others. At the end of Grade 1, Gregory's reading suddenly took off. He spent a significant part of his December holiday at the end of that year reading the entire Horrid Henry series from beginning to end. He then quickly progressed to other books, the ones that were the most notable to me being my beloved Roald Dahl series. During his grade 2 year, Gregory was quite ill again and had to take some time off school. I thought the time was right to start introducing him to the classics. I had bought the entire Classic Starts book series and started giving these to Greg, one book at a time. It was a great joy to me to see how Greg devoured these books. He read every one except for Dracula and Frankenstein, both of which he has not read to this day.
What has happened subsequently? Greg has just completed his final year of primary school. Over the past two calendar years, Greg has progressed to reading many of the original classics, the abridged versions of which he loved as a younger boy. He loved The Secret Garden and said that it was full of mystery and magic. He has also read some that I have never read as they are fairly masculine in nature such as The red badge of courage, Don Quixote, Treasure Island and many others. Greg was one of a team of four boys from his Prep School that represented South Africa in the finals of the Kids Literature Quiz that took place in Auckland, New Zealand during August this year. So my dream has come to fruition.
My firm belief is that original classics written in complex and unfamiliar English can be frustrating for young readers. The become so bogged down in trying to understand the unfamiliar English and long descriptive passages that they lose the storyline entirely. Abridged classics have the following three benefits:
1. They introduce young readers to the joys of the classic stories in a simple way so that they can appreciate the story. Most people only remember the general story line of a book down the line in any event so this is perfect. A knowledge of the story line will help young readers when they go on to tackle the original versions. They are then able to spend more time appreciating the prose and language as they are already familiar with the story;
2. They are many children out there who struggle to read for various reasons. Abridged classics allow them to also enjoy and appreciate these wonderful stories without becoming frustrated and losing interest; and
3. Children introduced to abridged classics at a young age frequently go on to read the originals at a later stage when their reading abilities are more developed.
I wonder what other readers think about abridged classics? Do you agree or have a strongly opposing view? Let me know.
December 9, 2016
Hype or like Fridays - Overhyped books that let you down
Hype or Like Fridays is a theme created by Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. This week the subject is "Overhyped books that let you down".
As I am very particular about my own "adult" reading due to the limited time I have to read for myself, I don't continue with any book that I don't like. I have, however, had some let downs with books Michael and I have read together.
The book that I felt most let down by this year is The 78-story treehouse. I had heard such great things about this series of books and felt it was a must read. We bought the book whilst on holiday in New Zealand in August this year and we started reading it a couple of weeks ago. The ideas and the pictures were fun and very appealing to children aged 9 to 11, but I didn't think the book flowed very well. It seemed to jump randomly from one idea to the next. I also felt the text was very skimpy and the ideas could have been fleshed out a lot more.
The other book that I felt let me down was Will Solvit and the T-Rex Terror. The story itself was enjoyable; there was lots of action and plenty of interesting facts about dinosaurs' throughout the book. What I didn't like about the book was Will's attitude to school and his teacher. Children are very influenced by characters in books and on television and I don't like any promotion of the idea that school is not "cool" and that it is acceptable to be cheeky to authority figures. My older son once blew pepper into Michael's face after watching an episode of Scooby Doo on television where Shaggy does that very thing. Michael is a chronic asthmatic so this did not result in a happy weekend for our family.
What books have you read this year that you felt let you down? Do you have a different view on the two books I have discussed above? I would love to hear your view.
As I am very particular about my own "adult" reading due to the limited time I have to read for myself, I don't continue with any book that I don't like. I have, however, had some let downs with books Michael and I have read together.
The book that I felt most let down by this year is The 78-story treehouse. I had heard such great things about this series of books and felt it was a must read. We bought the book whilst on holiday in New Zealand in August this year and we started reading it a couple of weeks ago. The ideas and the pictures were fun and very appealing to children aged 9 to 11, but I didn't think the book flowed very well. It seemed to jump randomly from one idea to the next. I also felt the text was very skimpy and the ideas could have been fleshed out a lot more.
The other book that I felt let me down was Will Solvit and the T-Rex Terror. The story itself was enjoyable; there was lots of action and plenty of interesting facts about dinosaurs' throughout the book. What I didn't like about the book was Will's attitude to school and his teacher. Children are very influenced by characters in books and on television and I don't like any promotion of the idea that school is not "cool" and that it is acceptable to be cheeky to authority figures. My older son once blew pepper into Michael's face after watching an episode of Scooby Doo on television where Shaggy does that very thing. Michael is a chronic asthmatic so this did not result in a happy weekend for our family.
What books have you read this year that you felt let you down? Do you have a different view on the two books I have discussed above? I would love to hear your view.
December 5, 2016
Why we should be grateful to Shakespeare (and not complain about Shakespeare setworks)
I have always loved Shakespeare and Dickens. I never complained about these set work books when I was at school and I used to sit by myself reading Dickens with a dictionary. I was well aware then, and I am still well aware, that the average school goer is not a big fan of Shakespeare. The chorus of groans when the choice of Shakespearean play for the year is announced, then and now, is a testimony to this viewpoint.
Not many people are aware, however, how many common English words and phrases are attributable to Shakespeare and his genius. Shakespeare invented over 1 700 English words by changing them in various ways such as adding prefixes and suffixes, changing verbs into adjectives and using common words in a totally new and original way. A few examples of words invented by Shakespeare are blood-stained, excitement, fashionable, mimic, amazement and gossip. Imagine life without these words, particularly fashionable and gossip!
In addition, many everyday phrases that we use originate from Shakespearean plays. the ones that immediately spring to my mind are as follows:
Milk of human kindness - Macbeth;
Set my teeth on edge - Henry IV Part 1;
Wear my heart upon my sleeve - Othello;
As good luck would have it - The Merry Wives of Windsor; and
Break the ice - Taming of the shrew
Who has not attended a conference where everyone starts off introducing themselves and with an "icebreaker" to get things going.
Shakespeare apparently had the largest vocabulary of any writer at twenty four thousand words. He was also familiar with seven foreign languages which he used in his plays.
Not only do we have all the amazing new words and phrases to be grateful to Shakespeare for, but he also still has an on-going influence on modern writers. Many writers have, and continue, to use quotes from Shakespeare as titles for their books.
Modern children are very fortunate. There are a multitude of modernise and abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays available to them. The abridged Shakespearean plays published by Orchard Books are retold in modern English and are beautifully illustrated by Tony Ross. My sons have both read the entire series and have, I firmly believe, benefited from this early introduction to Shakespeare. I can remember my oldest son, Gregory, sitting giggling over the Taming of the shrew at the tender age of nine. He read it three times. Shakespeare's plays are also now available as graphic novels. I am not a big fan of graphic novels but that is a story for another day.
I hope that the schools continue to encourage Shakespeare and our children continue to benefit from his incredible talent and to learn to appreciate his contribute to our modern language.
Not many people are aware, however, how many common English words and phrases are attributable to Shakespeare and his genius. Shakespeare invented over 1 700 English words by changing them in various ways such as adding prefixes and suffixes, changing verbs into adjectives and using common words in a totally new and original way. A few examples of words invented by Shakespeare are blood-stained, excitement, fashionable, mimic, amazement and gossip. Imagine life without these words, particularly fashionable and gossip!
In addition, many everyday phrases that we use originate from Shakespearean plays. the ones that immediately spring to my mind are as follows:
Milk of human kindness - Macbeth;
Set my teeth on edge - Henry IV Part 1;
Wear my heart upon my sleeve - Othello;
As good luck would have it - The Merry Wives of Windsor; and
Break the ice - Taming of the shrew
Who has not attended a conference where everyone starts off introducing themselves and with an "icebreaker" to get things going.
Shakespeare apparently had the largest vocabulary of any writer at twenty four thousand words. He was also familiar with seven foreign languages which he used in his plays.
Not only do we have all the amazing new words and phrases to be grateful to Shakespeare for, but he also still has an on-going influence on modern writers. Many writers have, and continue, to use quotes from Shakespeare as titles for their books.
Modern children are very fortunate. There are a multitude of modernise and abridged versions of Shakespeare's plays available to them. The abridged Shakespearean plays published by Orchard Books are retold in modern English and are beautifully illustrated by Tony Ross. My sons have both read the entire series and have, I firmly believe, benefited from this early introduction to Shakespeare. I can remember my oldest son, Gregory, sitting giggling over the Taming of the shrew at the tender age of nine. He read it three times. Shakespeare's plays are also now available as graphic novels. I am not a big fan of graphic novels but that is a story for another day.
I hope that the schools continue to encourage Shakespeare and our children continue to benefit from his incredible talent and to learn to appreciate his contribute to our modern language.
November 28, 2016
Are Enid Blyton's books still relevant for modern children?
I loved to read as a very young girl. I learned to read when I was four and have been devouring books ever since. As the oldest of four girls, I usually only received new books on my birthday or for Christmas. As a result, I haunted our local library, and read everything on their shelves. Enid Blyton was one of my most admired authors and I absolutely loved her books. She wrote over 700 books so there were plenty to choose from. I read as many as I could, the stories about Mr Pink-Whistle and Mr Meddle, the Wishing Chair series of books, books about girls at school, namely, the St Clare series and the Malory Towers series and, of course, the very well known Famous Five and Secret Seven series of books. I managed over the years to acquire them all and when I was twelve I created my own library with library cards and the works. My very favourite Enid Blyton books were, and still are, The Land of Far Beyond (I paid GBP 90 plus postage for a copy of this last year - shhhh! Don't tell my husband) and the adventure books such as The Valley of Adventure (my personal favourite), The Castle of Adventure and many others.
I have encouraged both my sons to read Enid Blyton's books and I have also read extracts and short stories of hers to the children in my Sunday School.
There has been a lot of controversy about Enid Blyton and her books, particularly with regards to the quality of her writing and her politics.
So, are her books still relevant for modern children? Many of the issues that were identified in her books have been amended and changed. For example, the gollywog, who was a good character, that featured in her Noddy series of books has disappeared. So, it would seem, that this particular concern is no longer relevant. The quality of her writing? Well, I for one think her simple style of writing is perfect for the age group she wrote for and her creativity is completely amazing. Her stories for older age groups teach children about independence and the idea of going adventuring without adult supervision, while impractical in our modern world, are very appealing to that age group. Her characters are very responsible in her books so she is not sending a message of irresponsible and silly behaviour in these unsupervised circumstances. I find that very attractive in a book series as so many modern books seem to promote rudeness and lack of respect towards authority figures. The modern books about schools also seem to focus on silly and "bad" behaviour in pre-teen and teenage characters to create the humour and interest and I am not a fan of that. My own oldest son tried to melt his crayons on the heater at school, after reading a story in which the main character did the same thing. He also blew pepper right into the fact of my younger son, a chronic asthmatic, after seeing this done in a popular television show.
In summary, in my opinion, Enid Blyton books are still amazing and portals to wonderful worlds populated by Brownies, Elves, Fairies and other magical creatures as well as thrilling adventures where children conquer various bad characters.
So, what do you think? Would you recommend Enid Blyton books to your children.
I have encouraged both my sons to read Enid Blyton's books and I have also read extracts and short stories of hers to the children in my Sunday School.
There has been a lot of controversy about Enid Blyton and her books, particularly with regards to the quality of her writing and her politics.
So, are her books still relevant for modern children? Many of the issues that were identified in her books have been amended and changed. For example, the gollywog, who was a good character, that featured in her Noddy series of books has disappeared. So, it would seem, that this particular concern is no longer relevant. The quality of her writing? Well, I for one think her simple style of writing is perfect for the age group she wrote for and her creativity is completely amazing. Her stories for older age groups teach children about independence and the idea of going adventuring without adult supervision, while impractical in our modern world, are very appealing to that age group. Her characters are very responsible in her books so she is not sending a message of irresponsible and silly behaviour in these unsupervised circumstances. I find that very attractive in a book series as so many modern books seem to promote rudeness and lack of respect towards authority figures. The modern books about schools also seem to focus on silly and "bad" behaviour in pre-teen and teenage characters to create the humour and interest and I am not a fan of that. My own oldest son tried to melt his crayons on the heater at school, after reading a story in which the main character did the same thing. He also blew pepper right into the fact of my younger son, a chronic asthmatic, after seeing this done in a popular television show.
In summary, in my opinion, Enid Blyton books are still amazing and portals to wonderful worlds populated by Brownies, Elves, Fairies and other magical creatures as well as thrilling adventures where children conquer various bad characters.
So, what do you think? Would you recommend Enid Blyton books to your children.
November 21, 2016
Who is the most evil character in the Harry Potter series
My older son asked me yesterday "Mom, who do you think is the most evil character in the Harry Potter book series?" I didn't give my reply much thought at all "Well, it must be Lord Voldemort!" - he is the fascist-styled leader of a group of evil witches and wizards in the books and the mastermind behind the plot to rid the world of non-magical people, or Muggles, as they are called in the book.
"Are you sure?" asked Greg, aged 13 and three quarters. "Lord Voldemort is evil but he isn't the character that disturbs me the most." In Greg's world, he has a list of the three most evil characters in the world of Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort appears on the list - as number three! So who could possibly be worse? "I really don't like Bellatrix Lestrange." I thought about that, yes, Bellatrix is a truly evil witch, Lord Voldemort's most loyal follower and the one who is instrumental in carrying out his plans. Bellatrix is very happy to torture and murder anyone who stands in the path to glory and dominance for her Master. "She's my number 2." Number 2, I gasped in amazement - who could possibly be worse. I wracked my brain to think who could fit the most evil bill; it has been a while since I read Harry Potter.
"The character I detest the most is Delores Umbridge", says Greg with a little smile. "She is a teacher and should share knowledge with and inspire her students. Instead, she betrays her position of trust and tortures Harry. She makes him cut the words "I must not tell lies" into his hand and the whole time she has a sickly sweet smile on her face." A very interesting view and one I would not necessarily have arrived at myself. On reflection thought, I absolutely agree with Greg.
So what do you think? Who is the most detestable character in the Harry Potter series - let me know by commenting.
"Are you sure?" asked Greg, aged 13 and three quarters. "Lord Voldemort is evil but he isn't the character that disturbs me the most." In Greg's world, he has a list of the three most evil characters in the world of Harry Potter. Lord Voldemort appears on the list - as number three! So who could possibly be worse? "I really don't like Bellatrix Lestrange." I thought about that, yes, Bellatrix is a truly evil witch, Lord Voldemort's most loyal follower and the one who is instrumental in carrying out his plans. Bellatrix is very happy to torture and murder anyone who stands in the path to glory and dominance for her Master. "She's my number 2." Number 2, I gasped in amazement - who could possibly be worse. I wracked my brain to think who could fit the most evil bill; it has been a while since I read Harry Potter.
"The character I detest the most is Delores Umbridge", says Greg with a little smile. "She is a teacher and should share knowledge with and inspire her students. Instead, she betrays her position of trust and tortures Harry. She makes him cut the words "I must not tell lies" into his hand and the whole time she has a sickly sweet smile on her face." A very interesting view and one I would not necessarily have arrived at myself. On reflection thought, I absolutely agree with Greg.
So what do you think? Who is the most detestable character in the Harry Potter series - let me know by commenting.
November 18, 2016
Hype or Like Fridays
Hype or Like Fridays is a theme created by Jill @ Rant and Rave Books, Larkin @ Wonderfilled Reads and Britt @ Geronimo Reads. This week the subject is "Pair a book with a holiday food or drink" and my choices are as follows:
Adult books:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte goes with Christmas pudding containing coins. This book is delicious but there is something about it that is like biting on a coin and feeling your teeth scrape.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles goes with a strawberry daiquiri. It is delightfully juicy and strong and it almost certainly makes you cry when you finish it.
Children's books:
How the Grinch stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss goes with sherbet. It fizzes and froths with action and then fills your mouth with delicious sweetness.
Mr Men A White Christmas by Roger Hargreaves goes with a gingerbread house. It is amazing to look at and delightful to consume with an interesting tangy aftertaste.
Adult books:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte goes with Christmas pudding containing coins. This book is delicious but there is something about it that is like biting on a coin and feeling your teeth scrape.
Tess of the D'Urbervilles goes with a strawberry daiquiri. It is delightfully juicy and strong and it almost certainly makes you cry when you finish it.
Children's books:
How the Grinch stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss goes with sherbet. It fizzes and froths with action and then fills your mouth with delicious sweetness.
Mr Men A White Christmas by Roger Hargreaves goes with a gingerbread house. It is amazing to look at and delightful to consume with an interesting tangy aftertaste.
