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What I read | July / August 2020



All the books I read, shared and enjoyed in July and August 2020.

[My own image - mint fields at Bramerton, Norfolk, July 2020]

Why I'm no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge. 
The multi-award-winning bestseller from 2017 has hit the book charts again recently. I'm reading it now since it's been on my shelf for a few months recommended by my daughter. And because I want to understand more about race and racism in Britain, especially it's history and how it affects people today. And because I want to raise awareness of the issues around race and racism. And because I am trying to be actively anti-racist. The book grabs you right from the beginning as you discover so much that you didn't realise, going back a long time, about how our country treated people of colour, and still does, and the way it is ingrained in systems and in minds. It's understandably award-winning, and is essential reading for anyone who, like me, wants to see a fair, more equitable, empathetic and kind world. This quote from the Observer, sums it up nicely, “A wake-up call to a nation in denial about the structural and institutional racisms occurring in our homes, offices and communities” Please read it.

Bloomsbury Publishing UK
http://renieddolodge.co.uk/

More on Twitter here - @renireni  @BloomsburyBooks


The Story of Babushka by Catherine Flores.  The Babushka has 5 bodies, each representing a different quality - beauty, wealth, talent, wisdom, and heart & inner voice - and each with a different name. She's happy with her life, but wants to find out her purpose. On her journey to discover her purpose, each of Babushka's bodies finds their own meaning. One falls in love, one helps a man from a flooded village and one seizes an opportunity to use her talents. But something is not right, Babushka is not her whole self, and can't fulfil her purpose, without all her bodies. But can the other bodies free Paula, the last one, trapped in the city in a cycle of money and work? And did Babushka learn the meaning of life? Well you will have to read the story to find out, suffice to say that she find out that "We can never be truly happy without the love that unites us together as one".  As well as being a beautiful, hard-backed gift book, this is full of lessons and things to make us think, such as the river full of rubbish and the smell of pollution in the air. But it is also a book of hope, and that is a very good thing.
Find out more here - http://www.thestoryofbabushka.com/ 


That Dog! by Emma Lazell. A story of two dog nappers, Penny and Pat and the clever "THAT dog" who foils their plan. A hilarious take on a traditional format, with goodies, baddies, silly mix-ups and with great illustrations.

Thanks to Pavilion Books



This month I also started to take a look at some Early Childhood education and care frameworks from around the world, inspired by my continued reading around and reflecting on what we do...


Realising the Ambition - the Scottish framework for early childhood care and education.  It's full of words that let us know as practitioners that it is a framework FOR THE CHILD, not for the setting or the government.  Among other things, it aims to "support improvement and quality by encouraging discussion, self reflection and questioning about relevant practice in each setting".  I like this quote, showing how it is focused on the child's needs foremost - 

"A young child’s development often involves repetition and cycles of actions and interactions. As a starting point, research with young children supports the view that the following dimensions are among the most important aspects of child development, underpinning not just learning but also essential for survival and flourishing: executive function and self-regulation, communication and language, confidence, creativity and curiosity, movement and coordination, and self and social development. Each of these five dimensions links to the others, but every child develops them differently and in different patterns... Development is not a race or an endurance contest."



In Great Numbers : How numbers shape the world we live in by Isabel Thomas, Robert Klanten, Maria-Elisabeth Niebius and Raphael Honigstein, and illustrated by Daniela Olejnikova. I love this book. OK, I did an A level in Maths, but the facts and figures in this book for young children, are mind-blowing. And the illustrations are stunning. We learn about time, symbols and representation of number, ancient mathematicians, measures, mass, money, temperature, seasons, calendars, time zones, pi, Ada Lovelace, the Enigma code.....wow!



Out of the wreckage : A new politics for an age of crisis by George Monbiot. Published in 2017, but so relevant. This funny thing is that George Monbiot explains all about the crisis we are in, but you are left with a huge amount of hope and inspiration. Actually, just like when you see him speak live (which we were lucky enough to do last October). This sums it up for me, I quote "We witness the resurgence of the kind of politics that until recently seemed to be everywhere in retreat. The potential consequences are grave. Governments founded on lies and exaggerations are making promises they cannot possibly keep, and blaming an even wider array of scapegoats when they fail to materialise, " and "By recognising our good nature and coming together to express it, we can overcome the multiple crises we face that cannot be solved alone. By reconnecting with each other we can conquer loneliness, unhappiness and the loss of our sense of meaning and purpose...By helping each other, we help ourselves...By rebuilding community, we become proud of our society...our institutions...our nations...ourselves." He goes on to outline how it is possible to make this work, and to hope for, and work towards, a politics of belonging. Very accessible and, I would say, essential.



Flight : Alberta's early learning and care framework : play, participation and possibilities.  This one is from Canada.

First, I loved the title.  Play, participation and possibilities sums up the opportunities we should give to children, who are described as "mighty learners and citizens".  In order to facilitate this adults must become co-learners, co-researchers and co-imaginers of possibilities, and truly reflective practitioners.  What a privilege we have.  Relationships are at the core of practice, play is "in the moment", in settings that are full of vitality, with shared professional values.  Goals for learning are holistic and play-based : well-being, play & playfulness, communication & literacies, and diversity & social responsibility, seeming to purposefully avoid the danger of a "tick-box curriculum", nurturing dispositions for learning and building & strengthening families and communities.  The values that the document seeks to instil are democratic citizenship, equity, intercultural competence & communication, and environmental sustainability.  These values should be at the heart of not only every early childhood curriculum, but every government and community in the world.  And it does make me sad that our government here in the UK does not hold all of these values dearly.  As you read through this document, you begin to see that this is a place that really values and trusts the professionalism of the early childhood workforce.  It is a document that is meant to convey a sense of the intended pedagogy, without telling anyone how to do it, or measuring what children must achieve by a certain point, while explaining the meaning and theory behind each value or goal.  Because the highest quality practitioners and settings reflect on their practice, linking this with children's learning, and understanding the "why" in what we do.  The document explains to us how to become a co-learner, co-researcher and co-imaginer of possibilities, and how we can nurture children's learning dispositions.  Play is at the centre, the environment is responsive, opening up possibilities and encouraging participation.  All the way through there are reflection points to encourage practitioners to think about how their practice embraces the values and goals.



Lillicorn : The Adventures of Lillicorn in WooWoo Land by Lisa Moss and Dr Thomas Bernard. Inspired by their twin daughters' imaginary tales of WooWoo land, the authors want to inspire the next generation of leaders in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), through story-telling. So the book is an adventure story about Lilli, who loves science and inventing, and who transforms into the superhero Lillicorn who teams up with the reader to solve problems to help save the day. The text is rhyming, and the illustrations are clear and bright. Instructions for the puzzles to solve are straightforward and link to STEM concepts such as pattern, trial and error, sequencing and spatial perception. This is a perfect for book for the older end of my usual reviewing range - probably 4 to 8. But an inquisitive 4 year old who loves a game within a story will love it. The story can be read and solved all in one go, or over several days. There are counters that are stored in the back of the book, used to solve the quests, and can be used over and over again.

More resources to accompany the book will be available on the website below. When all the quests are solved, your little scientist / engineer can download their own problem-solver certificate.

For more see - www.lillicorn.com and www.questfriendz.com



Nimesh the Adventurer by Ranjit Singh and Mehrdokht Amini. This is a lovely story of Nimesh's walk home from school...with a difference. Nimesh has a big imagination, and his walk home from school takes him to the bottom of the ocean, the North Pole, a pirate ship, the jungle and the best place of all...home.


Scruff by Alice Bowsher. As always from cicada books, a perfect quality hardback book that's lovely to look at and hold, as well as to share. A scruffy guy and a scruffy dog, but Scruff doesn't roll and jump and play like the other dogs... Turns out that Scruff just loves being pampered, so a bath and a haircut later (for dog and owner), and a perfect ending at the dog show.  Thanks to www.cicadabooks.co.uk



Special Delivery by elliot kruszynski. The house is getting a new delivery!! A baby!! Oh, hang on...not just one baby... A hilarious tale, told in few words and lots of gorgeous pictures, about getting the special deliveries mixed up, and getting them right in the end. Lovely.  Thanks to www.cicadabooks.co.uk




This is not a drill | an extinction rebellion handbook (Penguin Random House). A collection of essays introducing the climate and ecological emergency that we find ourselves in. From an introduction to the problem, to solutions and how to act, from politicians like Caroline Lucas and Clive Lewis, to scientists, economists and academics.
We are shocked, scared and ultimately hopeful that there is a solution ... we just have to convince the system and it's political leaders, or those that are wilfully ignorant, as well as extreme consumers of resources and producers of endless stuff driving the system, that now is the time to act.

And we have to do this with empathy and kindness for it is not us in the West, and in the Northern hemisphere that are already suffering (even though we are disproportionately responsible for the problem we are in), it is those in some of the World's poorest countries that are most vulnerable, but have contributed the least to the problem. And that's before we even get onto the mass extinctions and loss of biodiversity that is happening right now. I really recommend reading this, even if just to inform yourself or to raise awareness with others.

Extinction Rebellion


Challenge Everything, an Extinction Rebellion Youth Guide to Saving the Planet by Blue Sandford. A brilliant introduction to the climate and ecological emergency and to Extinction Rebellion for young people, written by a 17 year old youth activist, on a mission to inspire and encourage others to make their voices heard. It's accessible, explaining the concepts and why we need to act, it informs without pushing, and gives spaces for own reflection on what has been read, all interspersed with the iconic XR illustration style. She talks about being politically active, even without a vote, becoming educated and informed about the facts so that they can be explained to and shared with others. Topics such as civil disobedience and the possibility of arrest are discussed sensitively, while all the time reminding us that this is a personal choice depending on our own circumstances, and that there are many other ways to get involved. She asks us to challenge business, challenge government, challenge ourselves, and finally to QUESTION EVERYTHING.

Thanks to Pavilion Books



Climate Justice - a man-made problem with a feminist solution by Mary Robinson. Former President of Ireland, and UN Special Envoy on Climate Change writes this highly accessible take on the climate crisis, looking at several people, mostly women, who are making a big difference in their communities, and on the global stage. We travel through Uganda, Mississippi, Alaska, Chad, Kiribati, Norway, Vietnam, Canada and Australia, meeting some amazing people with interesting tales to tell about how they are raising awareness of the climate emergency, while fighting for climate justice - realising that climate change does not treat all people equally, and so the solution must take this into account. Reading this you realise that our government could and should do so much more, but must have the will to do so, and we must fight to make them.

In the words of the former President of Kiribati - "I'd rather plan for the worst, and hope for the best", as he fights of save his home islands and those he shares them with, from rising sea levels.



Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman. It's a while since I picked up a fiction book that I literally couldn't put down! I can see why it won so many awards, the storytelling is brilliant, little details of the back story being revealed almost without noticing. No spoilers here, you can't say too much without giving it all away, but talking with great sensitivity about mental health and loneliness. Seriously, read it before it's made into a film. it will make you laugh out loud, and cry too.


Little Rufus and the purple squirrel by Femi Osewa. A lovely tale of friendship, about a boy called Rufus who travels to the town of Friendship with the purple squirrel. Along the way Rufus gets a bit scared, but learns that friendship is beautiful, but needs work, and that friends need to be patient, and must work together. Which they do, and Friendship is a wonderful place as Rufus discovers.

Such a simple tale of perseverance, introducing the benefits and challenges of friendship for the youngest audience, and beautifully illustrated too



Talking to my daughter, a brief history of capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis.  Written by professor of Economics and former Greek finance minster, this book explains capitalism and economics in an extremely accessible way, written as if he is telling it as a story to his daughter.  He winds into the story, by way of explaining the finer points of economics, ancient and modern tales and family stories, in answer to his daughter's question "Why is there so much inequality?"  He does manage to disentangle the mysteries of our world, at least for me, and inspires us to call for change, to make the system fairer and more equitable.



The Rug Bear by Emma Rattray and illustrated by Michael Terry. I really liked this rhyming tale of mistaken identity, friendship and making sure no-one is left out. Reminiscent of classics like the Gruffalo, the rhyming text and repeated refrains will encourage children to join in, as they look out for the characters hidden in the pages.


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