The Places You Will Go

Picture Book of the Month: Tales of Oliver Pig

March 2006

Tales of Oliver Pig
By Jean Van Leuwen
Illustrated by Arthur Lobel
Publisher: Bodley Beginners

This is one of those books that is the word-and-pictures equivalent of a glass of warm milk, crumbly, just-baked slice of butter cake or snuggling under the covers on a chilly night while your mum (or anyone) reads you a story.

Oliver Pig lives with his mum and dad, and his baby sister, Amanda, who says "Gah!" to everything.

This collection comprises five short tales that describe family life to a T.

Mums with small children will be able to relate to Snowsuits - oh, the blood (nearly), sweat and tears that goes into getting children ready for an outing!

Arnold Lobel's illustrations are so pretty - soft colours, smudged lines, full of delicate details. (Well, they are softly-coloured in my Bodley beginners edition. The cover of the Puffin edition shown here shows a rather more primary-coloured Oliver!)

Both pictures and words convey the feelings of warmth and security that come with being part of a close, loving, giving family.

Read (or listen) and be comforted.

A Little Aside

My column is due today, but I can't think of anything to say. This happens about once every couple of months. Of course, it's not like everything I do think of saying in the column is worth saying in the first place.

And I'm sure I keep repeating myself, but ... that's just for the benefit of new readers - that's the story I'm sticking to anyway!

But seriously, I've been writing Tots to Teens for nearly three years and there are days when I wonder if it's time to retire the column. I guess everyone has those days - when they feel like they want to crawl under a rock and hiss at everyone who goes by. :-)

Letters and emails from readers keep me going though. It's nice to know I've touched the lives of children, teenagers and parents. As long as that keeps on happening, I'll continue writing, no matter how much I long to hiss instead!

Dislike These? Well, Your Daughter Probably Loves Them!

Are books like Gossip Girl, A-List and The Clique the sort you want your kids to read? Should such books be included in libraries? Would parents like young adult books to come with warning stickers?

You can read what I think in today's Tots to Teens, which I've so helpfully reproduced below ... ;-)

Do also read Roger Sutton's comments in his blog, and try the link to Naomi Wolf's article and Q&A. You will have to register (if you haven't already) to read it but it's FOC.

Mini Review: Because of Winn-Dixie

BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE

By Kate Di Camiillo

Publisher: Candlewicj Press, 192 pages

India Opal Buloni, the lonely only daughter of the new preacher in town, meets a stray dog when she's out grocery shopping and decides to adopt him.

Winn-Dixie (the name of convenience store she frequents) is the moniker Opal chooses for her new pet and things begin to change for the 10-year-old from the moment this large, hairy, ugly mutt enters her life.

Off to the Library

My bookcases are once again bursting at their seams (or equivalent). I have to have another clear-out. Soon.

It's difficult to choose what books to remove from my collection but at least I know that they'll be going to a good home: I can't remember if I've blogged about the library I'm helping set up. It's in Section 17 Petaling Jaya and when it's up and running it's going to have a rather good collection of children's books - if I say so myself.

Anyway, I'm going to spend a few hours this evening going through my books and choosing titles to "retire". I will ask myself the following questions to help me decide:

1. Have I ever read this book?
2. Did I know I owned this book?
3. Will I ever read this book (again)?
4. Do I want my children to read it someday?

To justify keeping a book, I need to say yes to at least three of these questions., but it's not like I'll never see the ones that have to go ever again cos they'll be right there in the library.

My old Puffins are definitely staying though. I write about them in today's Tots to Teens and I've pasted the whole article at the end of this post.

Puffin celebrates 65 years this year and Kinokuniya is offering a 20% discount on one Puffin per cutout of the column.

Time, I Need More Time!

I've not been very successful at keeping my new year resolution to update this blog more regularly. I have reintroduced the Picture Book of the Month sidebar though - pat on the back!

Can I plead two fulltime jobs: "journalist" and Mother?

(I feel uncomfortable calling myself a journalist because I think I do it very badly ... but that's another story.)

I wish I could buy or borrow more time for every thing I want to do. Every day brings a new project of some sort - for example, the children's book festival I'm organising with a few kindred spirits. I'm losing a lot of sleep over this festival, but it seems to be shaping up nicely.

If you'd like to read my Tots to Teens piece on the festival, click on the continue reading link. I've reproduced the article in full because links to stories on the Star Online always expire after a week or two.

I have another book-related project up my sleeve, which I will reveal in a few months. I divide the time I'm not being a "journalist" and a mum between this and the festival and so you can understand why this blog goes so long without anything new in it.

But enough of excuses. Starting next week, I'm going to try to find a few spare minutes at least once every few days just for The Place You Will Go.

I've just read The New Policeman by Kate Thompson and in that book, the reason why no one has time to do anything is cos it's leaking into an alternate universe - time is literally running out. The hero of the novel, which won last year's Whitbread children's book award, eventually finds the leak and manages to seal it. If only that was all that was happening here.

I think, in my case, it's just a matter of trying to cram at least 40-hrs worth of stuff into 24 hrs. Either that or I'm just really bad at time management.

Adele Geras: Telling Stories Her Way

The Guardian's World Book Day programme ended with a seminar about reading for pleasure in secondary schools. The high point was a talk by Adele Geras on her own experiences writing for children.

You can listen to the podcast of this hilarious, interesting and enlightening talk here.

Geras' latest young adult novel Ithaka has been longlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

World Book Day

World Book Day was celebrated in the United Kingdom and Ireland yesterday (2 March 2006).

To mark the event, The Guardian Unlimited held an online survey about readers' tastes in endings in novels. The results show that most people prefer to close their books feeling happy, and Pride and Prejudice seems to be a big favourite when it comes to novels with happy endings.

Read more here and here.

Other World Book Day celebrations included children's authors entertaining kids in The Guardian's Newsroom Theatre. You can listen to Malachy Doyle reading his picture book The Dancing Tiger; Ian Whybrow singing songs; and many more.