Although I have to admit it’s the only one of the shortlist that I’ve actually read. But it is one of my favourite books:
I’m surprised only 8,000 people voted. I’d imagined a heated debate taking place across the nation. I think that says more about me than it should. Heigh ho.
I’ve been tagged by Rowan. This time to ‘fess up to the favourite children’s books in our house. This one I appreciate, as I’m always on the hunt for new books for our two. Amy is 4 and Irie is 2 and they both demand to be read to pretty much constantly. The age range makes for difficult choices, as Amy can happily sit through really quite long books now, while Irie is obviously at a much younger age. That said, all she wants is to be like her sister, so she’ll gamely try pretty much anything…
I’m assuming I can’t mention ones Rowan already has, which is a shame, as Irie’s favourite book by a country mile is Mr Wolf’s Pancakes… Still, there are plenty more…
First up has to be Amy’s current favourite. She’s obsessed with Mr Men at the moment, and Mr Dizzy has her in gales of laughter when the oh-so-smug Elephant shouts “Dopit dopit!” with a knot in its trunk. My mum brought us a whole heap of mid seventies editions of Mr Men books from my childhood recently and I must admit to finding the moral a touch iffy in quite a few of them, but this one is (apparently) genuinely funny. There’s no accounting for taste, I guess.
For Irie after Mr Wolf’s Pancakes it has to be Little Rabbit Foo Foo. He is so very naughty, which I think Irie rather digs. And his punishment only seems to cause amusement, not concern. Michael Rosen is cool, too, which helps.
After the Mr Men Amy’s next obsession is Topsy and Tim. Yes, yes… I’m not sure quite how my kids got into the children’s books equivalent of seventies public service films either. That said, Topsy and Tim At The Farm (for example), holds genuine appeal. The utterly real nature of the stories gives us lots to talk about and Amy is quite happy to place herself in the story. Irie thinks they’re boring - and says so.
Rastamouse And The Crucial Plan is mine really. I love reading it (it gives me a chance to do my shit Jamaican accent); the rhythm of the words and the rather cheesy plot (they are mice, after all) make it great for Dads to read aloud. I also like the fact that apart from White Teeth it’s one of the few places you’ll find the word Irie defined, as there’s a helpful dictionary of patois at the back of each book in the series.
Last but not least it was a toss up between two ancient books that Claire and I loved as kids. I’ve gone for Harry the Dirty Dog, but it could equally have been The Tiger Who Came To Tea. Both stories are really a bit rubbish in modern terms, but the kids seem to love them and I’ve read them so many times that I can recite both off by heart.
What this makes me realise is that our kids, despite having tens, nearly hundreds, of books seem to go for the older ones. I’m guessing this is down to the fact that we own lots of books that Claire and I liked when we were children ourselves and so read them more often, but it does seem a little odd.
I’m pretty sure I’ll read anything that gets dragged off the shelf (except perhaps a rather appalling rendition of the nativity which makes my skin crawl) so maybe they’re choosing the Topsy and Tim, Mr Men, Harry the Dirty Dog and so on by themselves? Time will tell, I guess. If I find Amy with a Secret Seven habit a year or two from now then I’ll know it’s actually all down to me.
So, who to tag? Richard (if you’re reading this), Stef (leave something in the comments), Monty (after your “bat before ball” comment the other day I’m looking to your parenting skillz to get me through) and Francois (anything except Richard Scarry, the girls won’t buy it however hard I try). I’m desperate for recommendations, so any other readers with kids please take up the baton too.
Dora? Pah! Fifi? Bob the Builder? Underground Ernie? Charlie and Lola? Spiderman? Pah and pah again!
These are nothing compared to the power of Rastamouse!
The author and the Austen plot that exposed publishers’ pride and prejudice
Now, don’t get me wrong. I can understand entirely how this would have happened (if, for example, I was skimming this week’s submissions and saw someone sending me Austen, could I be arsed writing a specific rejection? Probably not). But…
It does, however, make me think of a current colleague of ours, who has written 4 novels, none of which have been accepted. Instead of getting a straight rejection, though, she has been asked to send more work (hence the 4 novels and still working with us, rather than 1 novel and an easy life in the South of France). Seems to me that as the publishing industry undergoes it’s own crisis akin to music and films getting that publishing deal is just going to get harder and harder.
No longer is the powerful debut novel enough; instead they want to see if you’ve got a series in you that they can milk for the next few years. The literary equivalent of Die Hard 4.0 or the 20th, 25th, 30th, 35th anniversary edition of Dark Side of the Moon. Oh joy.
I reckon the incessant rain is getting to everyone.
While I wilf hideously the TV is currently on in the background, showing Channel 4’s The Human Footprint. I’ve no idea where they get their stats, but they’ve just stated a remarkable ‘fact’:
There are now more households in Britain that own two cars than own two novels
Is that really true? Christ.
My Mum, gawd bless ‘er, hasn’t bought a lot of cookbooks recently. In fact, it’s fair to say, she hasn’t bought any new cookbooks in about 30 years. On the shelves in the kitchen are carefully arranged a set of Associated Book Club Cordon Bleu books (with covers remarkably like Antonia’s Marguerite Patten cards) that are still regularly thumbed. Not for her the delights of Jamie, Nigel or Gordon. Oh no!
She will, then, absolutely love oldcookbooks.com. An almost limitless mine of antique cookbooks.
The covers alone are enough for me, but I imagine the contents are just as delectable. Mmm mmm mmmmm!
Friend of mine found this little beauty at Argos. Apparently the same company make matching side and occasional tables. I think I’ve found my new living room look!