Everything I read in April 2024 - fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's books.
How Green was my Valley by Richard Llewellyn. Or rather How Wet is my Valley by The Hudson family...
Joking aside the book was an immediate best seller when it was published in 1939, and has become one of the best loved novels since then, also being made into a film. Little Huw Morgan is growing up in a South Wales mining community in the early 20th century, where life revolves around the mine, the chapel, the family home and the mountain. It's written from Huw's perspective as he witnesses the beginnings of the union movement, the sounds of the choirs, and the hard work of his mother, father and brothers. The valley isn't always as green in reality as in his memory of growing up, as the mining and its buildings and tips alter the landscape forever. I absolutely loved this, couldn't put it down.
And as for us, we did eventually dry out, and as always had some wonderful valley and mountain walks.
Published by Penguin Books. Find out more here - https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/57321/how-green-was-my-valley-by-richard-llewellyn/9780141185859
Holloway by Robert MacFarlane, Stanley Donwood and Dan Richards. The authors walk in search of ancient paths or Holloways carved into the landscape over hundreds of years. Robert MacFarlane visited this particular Holloway with his good friend Roger Deakin before Deakin died, returning with Donwood and Richards later to retrace the journey. It's beautifully descriptive, perfectly illustrated, and wholly imparts the atmosphere of the Holloway. Published by Faber & Faber. Find out more here - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/01/holloway-robert-macfarlane-review
Can you hear the trees talking? by Peter Wohlleben, a young reader's edition of The Hidden Life of Trees. Translated by Shelley Tanaka. Beautifully illustrated edition of the bestselling Hidden Life of Trees - the science of how trees feel and communicate. All sorts of inspiration in this children's edition, questions, quizzes, things to go out and look for to help us all discover the wonder of forests, trees, or our local parks. Published by Greystone books in 2020. Find out more here - https://www.waterstones.com/book/can-you-hear-the-trees-talking/peter-wohlleben/9781771644341
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver. Whether studying the leaves of a tree or mourning her treasured dog Percy, Mary Oliver is beautifully open to the teachings contained within the smallest of moments. In A Thousand Mornings she explores, with startling clarity, humour and kindness, the mysteries of our daily experience. I love Mary Oliver's writing, she perfectly describes everyday things like the sunrise, the tide coming in, or the flowers and birds on a walk, making us more aware of the little things around us, helping us to be more mindful as we go about our lives. Published by Little, Brown an imprint of Hachette. Find out more here - https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/mary-oliver/a-thousand-mornings/9781472153760/
Part of my year of promoting the power of poetry.
A very unusual journey into play by Ben Kingston-Hughes. I was inspired to get this book after watching the author's talk on nurturing joyful interactions (link below - it's well worth watching and I challenge anyone not to be inspired...) It turns out that play is a fundamental human instinct, as well as a neurological devlopment proicess that actually builds brains. Play can heal, as well as unlock imagination, creativity and problem solving. We learn that risky and challenging play is good, helping children to build resilience and important skills for the future. And we learn the bleak truth that many children are play-deprived, with all sorts of negative consequences for development and health. So play, along with curiosity and nurturing are the building blocks of the author's approach.
Play is also a human right - Article 31 (leisure, play and culture) - Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and
artistic activities. Find out more here - https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/
And ultimately, in this book, we learn that play is the future of humanity (no pressure) - the author tells us that "we change the world ecvery time we work woith children" and that "there are no perks to our work except the knowledge that we are, child by child, making the world a better place"
He ends with a very simple manifesto - that "if every government in every country in the world invested in children so that every child in the world experienced play, curiosity and nurturing with caring adults full of compassion and joy, within 2 generations our entire species would have changed for the better" - less war-like, more empathic, with better mental health, less anti-social behaviour, less anxiety and better prospects for lifelong emotional well-being. If only.
Essential reading and important knowledge for anyone who works with children or has children of their own, or knows some children.
Published by Corwin Press an imporint of Sage. Find out more here - https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/author/ben-kingston-hughes Watch or listen to the inspiring talk here - https://realisetraining.com/nurturing-joyful-interactions-for-vulnerable-children/ And more from Ben Kingston-Hughes here - http://www.iinspired.org.uk/
Queen of the Sky by Jackie Morris. A peregrine that would not have survived were it not for Jackie Morris's friend Ffion. A bit of luck that Ffion saw the pergrine fall from the sky and into the sea. A huge amount of courage, resilience and learning along the way. And eventually a goodbye as the peregrine returns to her natural habitat and the rest of her life. Jackie Morris tells this story through her words, photographs annd paintings. And it is a truly inspirational story of hope that we can replicate this as we strive to restore habitats and make the world a better place for its wild creatures.
Published by Graffeg. Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/collections/jackie-morris-1/products/queen-of-the-sky-compact-edition
The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow by Jackie Morris. Fairy tales or lullabies or both, these interwoven tales tell of imaginary lands, music and animals, all accompanied by the beautiful art of Jackie Morris. The artwork was originally commissioned as Christmas cards by the charity Help Musicians UK, but Jackie Morris uses her amazing storytelling skills to link the pictures and characters within them, which read like the fairy tales I read when I was small.
I'm reading articles in the paper about deforestation, and fittingly I move into the last few pages of this book, which tells of a Queen who plants a new forest of singing ringing trees filled with birds and birdsong. Maybe we could at least stop cutting down the beautiful old trees that share the earth with us.
As usual, thoughtful storytelling and illuminating illustrations from the brilliant Jackie Morris.
Published by Graffeg in August 2020. Find out more here - https://graffeg.com/collections/jackie-morris-1/products/the-quiet-music-of-gently-falling-snow-compact-edition and here - helpmusicians.org.uk
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