Speaking Well In Public

Mr Men celebrate four decades of reading fun

7th August 2011

The Mr Men franchise is 40 years old this week – and still sells a copy every 27 seconds.

The creator, Roger Hargreaves, died in 1988 yet he remains the third most successful author of the last decade behind JK Rowling and Dan Brown.

Hargreaves’ son Adam says that he thinks their success is down to the simplicity of the characters and the tales. “They are wonderful and simple and that’s what my dad was striving for. Even the shape and the size of the books were designed so that a child could hold them. My dad took essentially parts of beings and created the characters – that’s why everyone recognises parts of themselves in them.”

Rick McShane from Waterstone’s bookshop says “Kids’ literacy and getting kids to read has become incredibly important over the last few years. What you’ve got with Roger is someone that starts children reading from a young age. You have their parents reading to them and then the children use the books themselves in their first steps of reading alone.”                                        Sky News

Specsavers commits to literacy

4th August, 2011

Specsavers  have joined the drive to promote literacy in the UK  and the intrinsic link between reading and eyecare, with a new initiative to give away thousands of books this summer.

Until Saturday 3 September every customer who has an eye examination can claim a free book.                                                           

Reading to children is so important to help develop a  love of reading, literacy and words, yet so many parents shy away from even trying. Speaking Well In Public teaches techniques for reading to children that will be enjoyed by all generations.

Why read aloud to children?                                                  

Books for reading to children

Reading aloud to children – the course

“I was lucky enough to be brought up in a house where reading was as normal as eating and drinking, and it remains that way today. I believe this appetite for reading is a gift which can only be handed down by parents.”

Michael Bond
Creator of Paddington Bear

Michael Bond at Wikipedia

Official Paddington Bear site

Quoted from an article in the Evening Standard 23rd June 2011

Michael Bond, a perennial children’s favourite, began his writing career in 1945 after serving in the RAF during the Second World War. His first book, A Bear Called Paddington, hit the shelves in 1958.

The little Peruvian bear with a penchant for marmalade sandwiches became a national treasure and Bond, who still writes – and still lives near Paddington station – spoke poignantly about what it means to read with a child.

“I believe the most precious thing you can give a small child is your time,” he said. “Second only to that is the reading of a bedtime story last thing at night, for at that age reading is a shared experience that will last a lifetime.

“I was lucky enough to be brought up in a house where reading was as normal as eating and drinking, and it remains that way today. I believe this appetite for reading is a gift which can only be handed down by parents.”

He said he feels that to leave reading until a child starts school is a mistake, because “by then there are so many other distractions at the press of a button that it is often too late”.

24^th June 2011 A letter from Equity, the actors’ union, to the Evening Standard:

“We, the undersigned, wish to add our support to the Evening Standard’s Get London Reading campaign, that highlights the unacceptable levels of illiteracy in our capital and throughout the UK. As members of the actors’ trade union Equity and professional readers of audiobooks, we appreciate perhaps more than most the power and the joy that comes from being able to interpret the written word.

It is shocking that in this modern day and age anyone should be deprived of the gift of literacy. We fully endorse the Evening Standard’s efforts to tackle this monumental problem, and would like to assist in the campaign in any way we are able, as well as encourage others to become involved.”

I’ve added an article to the Reading Matters heading which explores authors for parents and teachers to read aloud to children.

Recommended for reading to children

Tales of mystery, adventure and the great outdoors,  theatre, ballet and life on the stage,  other worlds and mythology … a great start to a bookshelf to keep for life.

“Employers have serious concerns about the basic skills of school and college leavers and many have had to use remedial training as a result, according to a survey from the CBI. The survey of 566 employers found that 42% are not satisfied with the basic use of English by school and college leavers, 35% are concerned with basic numeracy skills and 44% have had to invest in remedial training for school and college leavers.”

PM Magazine June 2011

From the Evening Standard’s Get London Reading campaign:

• One in five London parents has such poor literacy skills they cannot read a bedtime story to their children.

• The National Literacy Trust report that 370,000 mothers and fathers are not confident enough to read aloud – significantly reducing their child’s chances of learning to read.

• Hundreds of thousands of mothers and fathers in London … lack the confidence to read books to their children.

• “It is a tragedy. Every parent wants to best for their children – they have a vital role in developing their children’s literacy skills. Nursery rhymes, bedtime stories, word games and chatter with parents, grandparents and carers are the bedrock of children’s reading and writing.” Jonathan Douglas, director, the National Literacy Trust

• Today’s research highlights the crucial role parents play in encouraging their sons and daughters to read and write.

• Headteachers from the United Learning Trust, which runs 21 academy schools, said one-to-one reading can turn children’s lives around and urged parents to read to their children.

• “Reading transforms people’s lives.” Vanessa Gounden, businesswoman

• “My favourite time of day is when I read to my children, or just recently, listen to my son read to me.” Laura Bailey, model and writer

• “There’s nothing more important than getting children to read.” Daisy Goodwin, TV poetry presenter

• “It is never too late to start.” Oli Tomlinson, head of Paddington Academy

From the articles by Anna Davis, David Cohen,
Louise Jury and Miranda Bryant

Follow the campaign to get London reading at www.standard.co.uk