Welcome to this week’s round up of all things in Children’s literature. It’s a busy edition, so dive right in!
Today is NSPCC Number Day, a brilliant reminder that numbers can do real good - and tell great stories too. Children’s literature has long been full of them: Enid Blyton introduced us to the Adventurous Four, the Famous Five and the Secret Seven, for example. Numbers help readers spot patterns, build curiosity and make sense of the world. And from an early age, too: I can still recite ‘One Ted Falls Out of Bed’ years after I last read it to my children. In this week’s weekly round-up, we bring you the most interesting figures, trends and insights from children’s publishing, so hopefully you can turn data into discussion and momentum for reading in your classroom.
The Pageticker Team
In the News/Useful Links
• Literacy and Lyrics Using Music and Sound in the Classroom
• Booktrust Inquiry into reading for pleasure summary
• Next week is Children’s Mental Health Week
Insights From Our Data
Continuing on the theme of numbers, we were curious in the office this week as to which number was most popular amongst children’s authors. So we dug into our book data, and this is what it told us:
In all, almost 2.5% of books - that’s 1 in 40 - have a number in their title. Despite One’s alternative uses - as a pronoun (e.g. The One That Got Away), a noun (e.g. The Big One) and as part of an adjectival phrase (e.g. The One and Only Ivan) - it doesn’t surpass the power of three!
Monthly Giveaway
Keep an eye on this space for February's giveaway.
Inspiring Initiatives
Esther Brown (@mrsbrownsbox) on Instagram often shares book recommendations and examples of how she encourages reading for pleasure in her school.
A few weeks ago, the school reading ambassadors shared three books in the Friday assembly (where parents can attend.)
They read the blurbs of the books, showed some of the illustrations and then gifted them to classes.
The reading ambassadors also shared their own research about reading and finished with the message that they hope they can inspire children and adults to read.
In Esther’s school, reading ambassadors plan to share a selection of books each week during their Friday assembly to help the community know more about the books that are available in school.
Handpicked Seasonal Suggestion
As next week is Children’s Mental Health Week, we thought we’d share a lovely picture book about courage and self-esteem. The Koala Who Could is a picture book by Rachel Bright suitable for children aged 2 and above.
Kevin, the koala likes to keep things exactly the same and stay firmly in his comfort zone. But Kevin comes to discover that if you step outside your comfort zone, you might just surprise yourself.
This book will make children chuckle and understand how to overcome worries.
Notable New Release
Our featured new release this week is The Night I Borrowed Time by Iqbal Hussain. It’s suitable for children aged 8 and above.
Zubair is the seventh son, which means lots of big brothers.
When his granny arrives from Pakistan with a mysterious amulet, Zubair discovers he can travel through time.
With his family falling apart, he decides to try and use his power to fix the past.
But every change has consequences, and one wrong move could destroy his future.
Pageticker Booklist
Finally, on our number theme, our Technical Lead, Matt, has pulled his three-year-old’s favourite counting books from his bookshelf. In no particular order, these are:
Spinderella - Julia Donaldson
One Fox - Kate Read
How Many Legs? - Kes Gray
Numberblocks First Numbers
One Ted Falls out of Bed - Julia Donaldson
Matt’s honourable mention goes to One Mole Digging a Hole, which has been read so enthusiastically that it is no longer photo-worthy!
Upcoming Dates
9-15 February Children’s Mental Health Week
10 Feb Safer Internet Day
13 Feb (KS1-5) Young Writers Competition deadline
17 Feb - Lunar New Year
5 March - World Book Day
19 March -Decline in Volitional Reading - Free Seminar with the Open University
Take a look at the events for the National Year of Readings
Did you enjoy our weekly round-up? Don’t miss the next one - hit the button below to get this straight to your inbox every Friday.
Pageticker is the UK's top-rated digital reading diary designed to help children develop habits that will fuel their curiosity and learning for life. Find out more.
Happy reading,
The Pageticker Team
