Tribune issue 16, Enough is Enough edited by Ronan Burtenshaw. The Enough is Enough issue looks at the evolution of the Enough is Enough movement, and at each of its demands for the future, to begin to make life better for all, ending food poverty, sorting out below standard homes, cutting energy bills, fairer taxes, and real pay rises to help people to get through the cost of living crisis. Plus a really interesting history of women's football, which flourished after the first world war, but was dismantled after the second world war, and is now beginning to regain its place in mainstream sport.
Published by Tribune Publishing. Find out more here - https://tribunemag.co.uk/
Frog's Bog by Marielle Bayliss and Mariela Malova. Whether he's dunked in a bog by Fox, dive-bombed by Dragonfly, speckled with wood chips by Woodpecker or croaking off-key in his very own frog chorus, Frog can't seem to find the perfect place to relax. Thankfully, the ever-present bees are on hand to help make Frog's Bog the best bog around. It all ends well, and we learn lots of new nature words like bog, brook and stream. The rhyming text will help the youngest children to develop an awareness of language structures without realising! And older children can try to complete the rhyming strings as they become familiar with the story. This is the first in a new series of titles aimed at showing children the benefits of living in a caring, sharing world. Published by Graffeg. Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/products/frogs-bog
Hugg 'n' Bugg, The Comb by Ian Brown and Eoin Clarke. Another story starring the unlikely pairing of Hugg, a messy yeti, and Bugg, a flea that feels the cold, shows the wonder of teamwork in the Himalayas. The hairy snowman keeps the flea warm. The flea keeps his personal, living rug neat and tidy. A trip down the mountain for food and the discovery of a comb test their friendship. But, a run-in with rude leopards and a threat to their home from humans with tree-chopping machines, help Hugg ‘n Bugg see sense. Nice rhyming text, and illustrations that children will find really funny, and an opportunity to discuss disappearing habitats and the loss of forests. Published by Graffeg. Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/products/hugg-n-bugg-the-comb
The Versatile Reptile by Nicola Davies and illustrated by Abbie Cameron. When most people think of reptiles, they think scaly, cold blooded and possibly poisonous. But the young adventurer loves reptiles and is rather disappointed that we have so few in the UK. So she goes off round the world to seek out some of her favourites and discover the versatile world of the reptile. We discover snakes, crocodiles and dragons, lizards, turtles and a funny creature that sneezes salt out through its nose. Brilliant illustrations bring the reptiles to life, in this lovely book that inspire talk about the natural world. Published by Graffeg. Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/collections/childrens-books/products/the-versatile-reptile
I am Human, a book of empathy by Susan Verde and Peter H Reynolds. What does it mean to be human? We dream and wonder and learn, but also make mistakes and feel sad or fearful. This beautiful book explains it all in perfect words and illustrations. Published by @abramskids Find out more here - https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/i-am-human_9781419731655/
Occupy by Noam Chomsky, a Penguin Special. Noam Chomsky's thoughts on the Occupy movement, an international movement that expressed opposition to social and economic inequality, and campaigned for better democracy, highlighting the plight of the 99% at the hands of the wealthy 1%. This short book recounts some of the author's speeches, questions he was asked, and his answers, in support of the movement and its efforts to increase civic participation, economic equality, democracy and freedom. The struggle continues, and his questions are just as relevant today as 10 years ago, as he is asked how we can separate money from politics, and how can we redefine growth in terms of human equality and quality of life. Published by @penguin (2012) . Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/188153/occupy-by-chomsky-noam/9780241964019
A Child like You by Nai'ma B Robert and Nadine Kaadan. Four brave children watch, listen, search, and feel, as they experience the inequalities, dangers and injustices of life in our world. They campaign to save our planet, show that refugees can lead the way, stand up for diverse and inclusive books, speak out against child slavery. As usual at the moment, this really is a timely piece, each poetic page helping us to think about others, and our world, with kindness and empathy...skills which we must teach and foster in our youngest children as they become knowledgeable learners and activists for life. But, all around there are other children who campaign, inspire, and show courage, determination and hope, they are cheered on for being themselves, they are brave and creative and they see the hope in the world. "Standing up for themselves, championing others. Seeing the change...making the change. Being the change." I feel like I shouldn't need adults to read children's picture books. But I wish they would read this one. The real-life stories of the characters are told at the end of the book, and they are heartbreaking 💚 Summed up in the press release..."an empowering salute to today's children: the heroes of tomorrow". Published by Otter-Barry Books and endorsed by Amnesty @amnestyinternational @otterbarrybooks
Find out more here - https://www.otterbarrybooks.com/books/a-child-like-you
Slow knowledge and the unhurried child - time for slow pedagogies in early childhood education by Alison Clark. This seems really important right now, as the government can only talk about the early years in terms of childcare, forgetting that at the heart of this are actual human babies and children in the most developmentally crucial years. The author explores the relationship with time in the early years, arguing for the valuing of slow pedagogies and slow knowledge. The pressure for children to become "school ready" is taking away the "time" that they need to develop at their own pace and to learn in the moment. Listening is at the heart of this, and times like sharing a snack and being outdoors are great opportunities to meet children where they are, answer their questions and delight in their awe and wonder.
I think this unhurried practice comes easier to childminders who can stop on a walk to wonder at a spider's web or to balance on a low wall.
The problem is that practitioners need time to be slow, to think about children's learning and to reflect on practice, and that is difficult, and it is also difficult for families. But developing attachments, developing emotional literacy and being mindful all need time. And government must reprioritise childhood over childcare so that families are able to enjoy their children's childhoods without some of the pressures currently faced.
Published by Routledge as part of the Contesting Early Childhood series. Find out more here - https://www.routledge.com/Slow-Knowledge-and-the-Unhurried-Child-Time-for-Slow-Pedagogies-in-Early/Clark/p/book/9780367508814
Smoke gets in your eyes by Caitlin Doughty and other lessons from the crematorium. The author works in a crematorium and has always had a fascination with death. She soon realises that there must be a better way to do death, dreaming one day of her own business where families can understand the process, take part in it, and have a more natural death experience for their loved one, because after all it is the only certain natural experience we will all encounter along with birth. She talks about death rituals in other countries and cultures, and pleads the case for healthier attitudes around death and dying.
I learnt an awful lot from this book, which is entertaining and funny, while being informative, and inviting reflection and thought. She highlights a problem which exists but of which we are mostly unaware, quoted on her website as
Environmental - the modern funeral industry distances us from natural processes and poisons the earth,
Financial - the $20 billion funeral industrial complex turns bereaved individual's grief into corporate profits,
Ritual - the technicians who vanish the dead behind closed doors can Rob families of the experience of mourning, and
Access - the ability to obtain a good death differs drastically across race, gender, and socioeconomic lines.
The book is written from an American perspective, but she has done a lot of research around the world and mentions the state of the industry and what we are rushed into in the UK and Europe too.
Published by Canongate Books Canongate Books Find out more here - https://canongate.co.uk/books/2093-smoke-gets-in-your-eyes-and-other-lessons-from-the-crematorium/ and https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/
Dogs who Work, the canines we cannot live without by Valeria Aloise and Margot Tissot, and translated by Jeffrey K. Butt. This is a beautiful hardback book which would make a perfect gift for a dog-loving child, sparking an interest in history, places and cultures. Because dogs have long been benefitting humans with their skills or strength - humans and dogs working "hand-in-paw" to save lives, detect danger or just being there. Rounding up sheep, chasing bad guys, helping people see and be independent, offering a special kind of therapy and comfort, or detecting cancer are just a few of the amazing tasks dogs help us with. Did you know, they can also detect leaks in water systems, and in America dogs have even been Mayor of a town. There's also a look back through history at some forgotten work, like taking messages in the First World War, and a look at some famous names in the doggie world. Published by Helvetiq @helvetiq Find out more here - https://helvetiq.com/us/dogs-who-work
And the bit that really interests me, even above all that interesting stuff, Mine looks at how the wider global role of self-regulation can help create a sustainable future. She discusses the UN sustainable development goals from an early childhood perspective, the OECD's Future Skills for 2030 comprising the 4 C's of creative thinking, critical thinking, communication skills and collaboration, and Professor Chris Pascal's Five P's and a T of peace, power, pedagogy, play, planet and technology. All this just makes me think, well we should be right on track for the future then, if all these top agencies and professionals are on it....although of course we need governments to be on it too, and we are really in need of a system change here, to focus on the child at the heart of it all, and a healthy planet for them as a reason to do it.
And as the author says, we shouldn't avoid teaching our early childhood educators about neuroscience and the brain just because it sounds difficult - "we each have a brain, mind and body, and we each need to know how these function and how we can help ourselves - and others - to function as optimally as possible"; and if this all leads to a better world too then it's a win-win. Published by Routledge. Find out more here - https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-neuroscience-of-the-developing-child/mine-conkbayir/9781032355764
Howard's End by E M Forster. I'm reading this as a daily serial from the Serial App (which is excellent, ad-free and intended to get people into the habit of reading a small amount each day). Three families, London and Hilton (a village in Hertfordshire) and a house called Howard's End. And the thread linking it all together is connection, as the author puts it - "Only connect". Set in the 1910's, before the First World War, when things were still very formal, we meet the Schlegel sisters and their brother, and are taken on a journey with them, at the heart of which is Howard's End. No spoilers here, but I loved it, and it's taken a place as one of the best books I ever read. And I learned some new vocabulary too! And did you know that this book is where the TV quiz Only Connect gets its name?
Published by Penguin. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/183807/howards-end-by-e-m-forster/9780141199405
The Road to Wigan Pier Diary by George Orwell, part of The Orwell Diaries (pp23-72). He describes his journey round the industrial north of England after the Great Depression, between January and March 1936, to report on living conditions there. His journey begins in Coventry on the 31st January 1936 and ends near Barnsley on the 25th March. He discovers bleak living conditions, dire poverty and hunger. The journey takes him to the very heart of communities that he sees would benefit greatly from socialism, a kindness, empathy and sharing of resources that would give so many people better lives. I can imagine what he would have thought of England today.
Published by @penguin Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/175313/the-orwell-diaries-by-orwell-george/9780141191546. This was a real time read with the diary entries published by the Orwell Foundation on Substack during February and March 2023 here - https://orwell.substack.com/. The Road to Wigan Pier, the book which resulted from the trip and the diaries is published separately - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/57269/the-road-to-wigan-pier-by-george-orwell-introduction-by-richard-hoggart-note-on-the-text-by-peter-davison/9780141185293
Tribune magazine issue 17 Austerity 2.0. It's not so much what they tell us, as what they don't tell us alongside this. For example, it sounds like a lot of money (and it is) to spend the £28 billion it would cost for every public sector worker to get a pay rise in line with inflation. Even if these figures were accurate (they are disputed by unions), it's still only half of the £55 billion increase in wealth enjoyed by Britain's 177 billionaires in 2022....
In "How austerity ruined Britain", Grace Blakeley looks back at the history of austerity, and the cuts made to public services since 2010 which have decimated the NHS, early years, schools, social care, youth work and so we could go on. Between 2010 and 2020 there were 334327 excess deaths, the number of food banks went from 35 to 2572, 8000 libraries closed, 800000 more children in working households were living in poverty, 940 youth clubs closed, the richest 10% increased their wealth by £2.6 trillion, funding for local government fell by 60%, and 1 in 5 people are now living in poverty. There's more, but that's enough to get the idea. And as Rob Calvert Jump & Jo Michell write at the end of their article "the conservatives have no new ideas about how to manage the economy in the face of the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis: austerity, eventual tax cuts, and deregulation are all that is on offer. A change of direction is desperately needed." Well said. It can all be summed up by the quote from the late Bob Crow "If you fight, you won't always win; but if you don't fight, you will always lose." Published by @tribunepublishing Find out more here - https://tribunemag.co.uk/ if you search around a bit, an offer of a print and digital subscription for one year for £10 might pop up, it did for me...
Under the duvet by Marian Keyes. A collection of the author's journalism, some previously unpublished. It's a witty and sometimes hilarious look at her life up to 2001, when she's just starting out, emigrating from Dublin to London looking for work, becoming an alcoholic, learning to drive, getting married, and moving back to Dublin. Published in paperback by Penguin Books in 2002. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/2022/02/where-to-start-reading-marian-keyes-books
You're only young twice by Quentin Blake. Gorgeous illustrations in this special celebration of the art of ageing from one of the world's greatest illustrators. The oldies eat, mess around outside, tell stories, paint, write, play, relax, hang in trees and celebrate just being. Happy birthday to me ☺️, thank you Hannah ❤️ Published by @andersenpress Find out more here - https://www.quentinblake.com/books/youre-only-young-twice
The Wood in Winter by John Lewis-Stempel. Poems by Nancy Campbell and Jackie Kay, and a short story by John Lewis-Stempel. He stops on his way home to rediscover an ancient holly tree in an ancient wood where he gathered sprigs as a child to decorate his grandparents' house. And is enchanted by a fox as they watch each other in the silence of the wood. Perfect. Published by @candlestickpress Find out more here - https://www.candlestickpress.co.uk/pamphlet/the-wood-in-winter-by-john-lewis-stempel/
I've been reading | A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara. A little board book with a very big, necessary and brilliant mission. Helping our little activists and future citizens of the world to learn words like justice, ally, freedom, rights, peace, and fairness.
"Open minds Operate best.
Critical thinking Over tests.
Wisdom can't be memorised.
Educate! Agitate! Organise!"
Brilliantly written, with rhyming text and gorgeous illustrations. Published by Triangle Square books. Find out more here - https://www.sevenstories.com/books/4405-little-activist-board-book-bundle
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