WTF Are We Going To Do Now

Books for boys can be hard to choose.

Parents who want to encourage the reading habit can sometimes feel that they are fighting a losing battle when their kids eschew books for all the other distractions of the modern boy’s existence.

Video games, play station, TV, computer games, football, playing with friends, judo, swimming club, chatting on the mobile, surfing the net…. there are so many more activities to occupy boys attention nowadays than in the heyday of Arthur Ransome.

Yet the more the modern child is bombarded by multi-media, the more children appear to be affected by attention deficit disorders, finding it hard to concentrate on a paragraph, let alone a whole novel.

So what do parents need to look out for when choosing a book for boys.

1 Exciting stories.

2 Well defined, colourful characters.

3 Writing style which is neither wordy nor inaccessible.

4 Writing style which does not talk down to kids.

5 A male protagonist.

6 A setting which provides excitement.

7 Fast pace.

8 A central character with whom boys can identify.

9 A story in which boys take central stage in the action and are not controlled by adults.

10 Cliff hanger chapter endings.

Today’s children can often feel isolated by the seeming chaos of modern life. Children’s books can help them realise they are not alone in this and in the isolation of the character in the novel, they can see their own reflection.

When I started writing, I realised that several of my own main characters, particularly boys, were locked into this isolation, a feeling of being different. In my first novel, “The Boy From The Hills,” Jamie is a lonely boy who wanders the hills near his home when he meets a strange boy near a standing stone. Kai, who has been transported through time from the Bronze Age, also reflects the loneliness of modern life when he becomes trapped in a century he cannot understand nor identify with.

In “The Guardian and the Goddess,” my main character is even more isolated. In “The Boy From The Hills,” Jamie and Kai become friends and learn from each other, easing the loneliness of both their existences. However, Tom in “The Guardian the Goddess,” has no friends. He is a bright kid from a poor estate, his classmates from backgrounds very different to his own. He gains his solace from his relationship with the landscape and the spirits who inhabit the parkland he loves.

Books specifically for boys have always had an important place. In the early decades of the 20th century, Biggles, Jennings and William captured the imagination of countless boys. Today a browse through the bookstore will uncover up-to-date races through time, space and life relevant to the modern child. Harry Potter’s appeal lies in his normalness. Hermione is a far clever magician than Harry but Harry is the Hero; the boy who could so easily live down your child’s street, or be your child.

So have a browse in the bookstore, or on the internet. Read the many excellent children’s literature blogs. Take a look in the children’s library at Books for Keeps and the Times Eductional Supplement which review the new releases. Take a look at the websites of those of us who have books specifically written with boys in mind, with boys at centre stage, taking the lead in adventures.

A gift of an excellent book will give a boy entry to other worlds, new friends, an escape from day to lifeand a realisation that, however confusing and isolating the modern world may seem, with a good book in his hands, he is never, ever alone.

Cara Louise

Cara Louise Children’s Books

http://www.caralouisebooks.com

Author: Cara Louise
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Tissot virtual reality

Originally posted 2010-07-19 12:18:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“My Mom’s got alien blobs inside of her. They’re called cancer.” Punk Wig is a children’s picture book with a story of a little boy who supports his mom as she gets her “alien blobs zapped with medicine”.

I love kid’s books… books with lots of pictures and a great story. Reading parents know what I’m talking about. I like to read them aloud to my kids and use all sorts of different voices. Maybe I love them because I am still a kid at heart, who knows?

There are times when you read a book and know that it is important. The potential is right there in your hands and you can only imagine the impact that this book could have if people knew of its existence.

Punk Wig a one of those books. It is a story of a little boy whose mom has cancer. The book is written from the boy’s point of view, in a child’s language. This book is unlike any I have read before. Lori Ries writes about this very serious subject in a matter of fact way and adds a hint of humor. Erin Eitter Kono’s illustrations enrich the story line. They are comfortingly simple, yet show a sense of fun.

The story begins with a Mom, Dad, and a little boy heading out to the hospital. The little boy explains that his “mom has alien blobs inside of her”. Next we see Mom in bed in the hospital, surrounded by flowers and cards. Later when Mom is home, there are several pictures where she looks tired and worn out. The little boy is loving and comforting to his mom and says, “I… give her my gorilla cup that was mine when I was little.” Later, the cancer treatment causes Mom’s hair to fall out. When Mom is feeling better, they go to “Harriet’s Hair” and try on wigs. They have a fun time trying on all of these crazy wigs! Mom eventually chooses a spiky orange long wig and it is named Punk Wig.

The book focuses on the importance of just being together as mom and son. They are shown picking out a pumpkin (as orange as the wig!), swinging together, and of course, trying on all of those wacky wigs. My favorite picture of the whole book is Mom wearing a black leather jacket, jeans and her orange spiky Punk Wig! At the end of the book, Mom’s hair has grown back and the little boy is grinning ear to ear: he now gets to wear the Punk Wig.

Lori Ries gets it just right. She blends just the right amount of sensitivity, childlike charm with a healthy sense of humor.

Children often times are the innocent victims when a parent has cancer. Explaining to children what is happening can be a tricky endeavor. A book like Punk Wig might be the perfect tool to begin that conversation: simple language, attractive pictures, and an amusing story of love and support.

Reading to a child is an important way to foster a love of books and spend quality time together. It helps children to explore with their imagination and learn about the world around them.

Kristi Tiedt

Author: Kristi Tiedt
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Cellphone, mobile phone

Originally posted 2010-09-22 21:10:14. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

By the time my son was born, he already had a bookshelf full of books. What else would you expect from a baby whose mother teaches English? Since he was my first child, I really had little knowledge of what one was “supposed” to read to a newborn. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t matter if you read Sports Illustrated, The Economist, The Bible or the dictionary to a newborn; they just love to hear your voice, and I operate under the theory that limiting a baby’s exposure to new and challenging words (assuming that he will not understand) is to do him a disservice. Neither my husband nor I have shied away from books that were “too advanced” for him, and I can see that it is paying off.

Having now praised the benefits of high-level texts, let me go back to the basics: those building blocks to communication: letters. ABC books. I confess to having no fewer than fifteen different alphabet books, and that’s not counting the Sesame Street series of 26 books (one for each letter). By the way, those books are incredible, and Xander loves them: the familiar characters, the rhymes, the silliness, everything, and I give that series of books a lot of credit for Xander’s interest in words and reading.

A few other ABC books for super young readers that you won’t mind reading over and over:

Animal Action ABC by Karen Pandell, Handprint Books- I love this one for several reasons. All of the ABCs match up to action words. Kids are inundated with nouns; it’s wonderful to provide a book of 26 great verbs like charge, inflate, and leap! Each letter/action word is accompanied by a full color photo of an animal in action, in addition to a picture of a child doing the same thing. In our family, reading this book would often require all of us attempting the suggested action, as well. This was, and still is, one of Xander’s favorites.

The Elephant Alphabet by Gene Yates, Kidsbooks- This one is really funny. Every page depicts a boldly colored elephant trying to mold himself into the shape of a particular letter. The caption for each picture contains several words containing the particular letter: “G elephant gulps garlic and turns green.”

All of these books have enhanced Xander’s ability to hear letter sounds. Early on, he was able to identify the first letters of words he didn’t even know. To encourage this, we enunciated letter sounds, played quiz-type games, looked at other books and fun flash cards, and showed him what words look like as we read. I also have to give props to a DVD from Leap Frog called The Letter Factory. Xander loved it, and the songs stuck with him.

Last, if you’ve had it with a particular book, just put it away for awhile. “Find” it again later; your child will be excited and happy, and you may even like it again, yourself.

Christie Stockstill

Author: Christie Stockstill
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Cool mobile gadgets

Originally posted 2010-07-18 11:43:34. Republished by Blog Post Promoter