Fining Schools for Poor Literacy Skills is a Bonkers Idea

Poor literacy skills was a contributing factor in last summer’s riots in England, according to the report out this week from the Riots, Communities and Victims panel.   Of course the report acknowledged the causes of the riots were complex and proposed a myriad of potential solutions to avoid a repetition but I think that one of the recommendations is ridiculous: that schools should be fined if children leave school without being able to read and write to an age-appropriate standard.

Of course it’s a disgrace that a fifth of school leavers only have the literacy skills of an 11 year old or younger, but I think there are two fundamental problems with this supposed solution:

1.       Where do the report authors think that money will come from? Schools are (by and large) not private enterprises, so they have a finite amount of funding and resources to spend on all pupils. So who will suffer if you take funds away from a school? It will only harm all the other pupils in the school who are already affected by limited resources.  According to the report the funds raised from fining schools would be used to improve the literacy standards of those lacking them.  Really? How? The administration of the system would take a chunk of the amount raised through fines. Wouldn’t it be much better to support schools with extra funding to ensure pupils learn to read while they are actually at school?

2.       Schools don’t operate in a vacuum and while I agree that it is a school’s job to teach reading and writing, they aren’t solely responsible for this. Parents have a role and far too many parents simply opt out of helping their children read. There was a report in the Mirror this week  where three out of four fathers said job pressures stop them bonding over a bedtime story and nearly one in 10 admitted they have never enjoyed a book with their children. I’m a parent myself and I know how time-pressured we all are, but we all make choices as to how to spend our time and I bet most of those dads could find the time to read to their children if they cut down on watching TV/playing a computer game/going to the pub etc. It only takes 10 minutes to read a bedtime story. And it’s not just parents. Libraries play a vital role in promoting a love of reading and yet the Government is busy making cuts to these services. Bookstart, another important initiative is also being continually threatened.

I’m glad the importance of literacy skills was highlighted in this report because it does link to so many personal and social problems but as a society we should be looking at ways to support schools not threatening them.

Bath Books for Babies and Toddlers

This weekend I bought my girls a new bath book. Bath books are a wonderful invention! I’m sure they didn’t exist when I was a child and in fact I don’t think you can get adult versions, but wouldn’t they be a fantastic idea? No soggy pages or danger of breaking your expensive e-reader! 

But I digress! Bath books for children are a great idea, especially for really young children. The pages are padded so they are easy for little fingers to grip and turn – much easier even than board and cloth books. And they often have extra features such as squirters or squeaky noises, which delight and amaze babies and toddlers! Of course, they don’t have to be limited to the bath but I think it’s terrific to have another part of the day where you can share books and stories with your children.

Our bath book collection ranges from simple picture books such as Quack Quack Quack in which ducks waddle, paddle, flap, quack and splash, to short stories such as Katie the Kitten from award-winning illustrator Axel Scheffler. The latest addition to the collection is The Sparkly Mermaid which has lots of bright colours and wonderful illustrations of the mermaid and her fishy friends (although there’s not as much sparkle as you’d expect from the title).

What’s your favourite bath book?

Book Review: The Moment by Douglas Kennedy

I can’t remember the last time a book moved me to tears, but The Moment by Douglas Kennedy opened the floodgates of emotion not once, not twice, but three times. Embarrassingly on one of those occasions I was on the tube, but thankfully no one question my emotional state (a minor benefit of the ‘keep oneself to oneself’ nature of London commuters!).

I’m an avid Douglas Kennedy fan and I think The Moment may have surpassed The Pursuit of Happiness as my favourite of his books. Admittedly it gets off to a slow start as we meet the main character, Thomas Nesbitt, in present-day Maine. Kennedy paints a picture of a lonely middle-aged man, coming to terms with the end of an unsatisfactory marriage. For me there was probably too much focus on the character at this point in his life, but trusting Kennedy’s calibre convinced me to persevere and I am so glad I did.  When Thomas receives a box from a woman named Petra Dussman, Kennedy transports the story to Cold War-era Berlin.

The book weaves together several tales of lost love. The primary story is of the intense love affair between Thomas and Petra, but it also intertwines a powerful story of parental love as well as one about homosexual love where one partner must keep the affair hidden.  I’m not a huge fan of love stories as such and some of the dialogue between Thomas and Petra was perhaps a little cloying but it conveys the intensity of their brief affair. 

It’s hard to explain what exactly moved me to tears without spoiling the plot but each of those scenes also surprised me – I did not see the twists of the plot coming at all.

Set against the political backdrop of Berlin as the coalface of the Cold War, the book paints a bleak picture for the people caught up in that situation and the heartbreak it rendered on so many people. I love reading books with a modern historical setting and learning something about our world.

I also love books that tie-up all the endings and The Moment mostly does that, although I would have loved to know what happened to one of the key secondary characters – Thomas’ flamboyant flatmate Alastair. That aside, I would thoroughly recommend The Moment if you’re looking for a book that will keep you gripped and surprise you with twists and turns. 

Libraries I Have Loved

Today hundreds of people are attending a lobby of Parliament to express their outrage at the threat of cuts and closures to libraries across the country. Sadly I couldn’t make the rally but I wanted to share my support for this important issue and blog about the libraries I have loved over the years and that have helped inspire my passion for reading.

The refurbished library in Carrickfergus

Some of my earliest memories involve the library. We lived in a small town called Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland and in the late 70s/early 80s there wasn’t much to do there, particularly if you didn’t have much money. So my mum took us to the library every week.  I can still remember the children’s section of that library and the joy of choosing my own books. I also remember the frustration of only being allowed to take out four books at a time!  Carrick Library was recently refurbished and seems to be thriving so I’m delighted that the first library I loved is still there to inspire more children with a love of reading.  



Rathcoole Library

 We moved from Carrick to Newtownabbey when I was seven years old and my new home spoilt me with its proximity to not one but two libraries! By joining both I was able to double my weekly lending limit and devoured up to eight books each week.  I was also old enough to visit these libraries on my own, so I could spend hours browsing the shelves. The first was in a large housing estate called Rathcoole and it provided a vital resource to the local community. It is still open but looks like it has reduced opening hours and services.  The second was in a portacabin in the grounds of my primary school and it looks like it has closed down.

When I moved to London one of the first things I did was join the local library and then had to keep changing libraries as I moved around the city! When we had our first daughter we were living in Walthamstow in north east London and the library there has a fantastic children’s section. There is lots of bright colourful seating so children are encouraged to sit and look at books. Every week there was a wonderful Rhyme Time (which I hope is still going) where the librarian sang songs and read a story.  It was always packed and we would never miss it.  

We moved from Walthamstow a few years ago and now live in the borough of Redbridge. Again we are close to two libraries – South Woodford and Wanstead – but thankfully lending limits have increased in the intervening years since I was a child! Both run wonderful Rhyme Time sessions which my girls love and have a fantastic choice of books.  S loves to choose her books each week and although B is more interested in pulling the books off the shelves  I am glad she is experiencing the delights of the library environment! I had been pleased that my local libraries seemed to be escaping the cuts but this week I received communication from the Council that there will be cuts to opening hours. I’m not happy and will be getting in touch with my MP to protest.

If you love your library then please support the Speak Up For Libraries campaign

Bedtime Stories; Goodnight Little Moo

Bedtime storytime is my favourite part of the day. I work full time, and as we live in London (long hours, long commute!) I don’t get home until 6.45pm. My wonderful hubby usually has the girls bathed and ready for bed by the time I arrive back so I can concentrate on snuggling up with them for a chat about their day and a bedtime story (or ten!).

It’s such a lovely way to finish their day. S is now 3 so she’s old enough to choose her stories and has a range of books to choose from – books of her own, books from the library or the latest book she has borrowed from pre-school (a fantastic initiative). Children love repetition so she’ll often choose the same book several nights in a row and we’ve recently been going through a Wizard of Oz phase! But we usually read three or four short books so we do get a bit of variety!

We have been reading bedtime stories to S since she was born. At first I’d just read her a simple story as she lay on the bed beside me. It became more challenging for a while when she wanted to just grab the book and wasn’t interested in sitting quietly! But now it is a really wonderful experience to cuddle up and read a story together.

B is 16 months so she’s at that wriggly stage and it’s definitely more challenging for her to sit still long enough to listen to a story! But she loves to have a board book of her own, looking at the pictures and turning the pages herself. So I’m delighted to see that the seed of loving books has been planted!

Reading a bedtime story is a great way to settle the girls down for sleeping and reading books about bedtime routines has been really effective in building their own routine. One of S’s absolute favourites for about six months was Goodnight Little Moo. It features Little Moo going through her bedtime routine of having a bath, brushing her teeth, putting on her pyjamas and having a hug with her mum. The story is told in a delightful rhyme, but one of the best features is the integral night light on Little Moo’s nose! You can use it as a comforting night light (which will automatically switch off after 15 minutes), but S preferred to switch the light on before we read the story and then she switched the light off at the end as we said ‘goodnight Little Moo’. I think she loved the ritual of it and it definitely became an element of her own bedtime routine for a long time! I’m sure I will be able to recite that story when I’m drawing my pension!

You can buy Goodnight Little Moo on Amazon or even better hunt it down at your local bookshop!

Nurture Your Local Bookshop

Reading tonight's Evening Standard and there is a wonderful, heart-warming story about an independent bookshop which has been saved by Twitter and Facebook, or rather saved via Twitter and Facebook.  You can read the story here but essentially the bookshop was undergoing financial troubles to the tune of £60k, and when they asked for help via their social networks, they were inundated with new customers - both in the shop and online - and fundraising events involving local writers. They're celebrating this Saturday with a party! What a lovely story! But it just highlights the challenges of bookshops in general and in particular independent bookshops in these digital, recessionary times.

Book Ends, an independent bookshop in Exmouth Market, London

In my own neighbourhood there are no bookshops, independent or otherwise. Oxfam books has plugged the gap, and while it does serve a valuable purpose, you don't get the same range of books or focus, particularly with children's books. We're lucky enough to have a library that hasn't suffered from the cutbacks and they do rhyme time and story time and have lots of book-related activities for kids. But bookshops can play a really important role in helping to inspire a love of books at an early age. There's a wonderful independent bookseller, which specialises in children's books, in Exmouth Market in London called Book Ends. It's like an Aladdin's cave and the range of books on offer is fantastic. I'd love to have a shop like this on my high street or even any kind of bookshop. So if you're lucky enough to have a local bookshop nurture it, buy from it, attend its events ... don't take it for granted because one day it might not be there.

About Book Loving Mum

When I was growing up I always had my nose in a book. Going to the library was the highlight of my week and I remember pleading for “just one more page” when my parents insisted it was lights out time! I have many fond memories of favourite books and characters from my childhood – including naming my first pet hamster Flossie after my favourite literary character Flossie Teacake!! Now that I have my own children I’m passionate about passing on my love my reading to them. Our bedtime story (or ten!) is the most precious part of my day.

I started my blog to have a record of the books we read and love as they grow up, the books I read myself along the way, and to connect with other parents who are passionate about books, reading and literacy issues.