No spoilers. Certainly no endings. No goodbyes. Only beginnings. Three of them. 'There were three of them, three girls.' - Raymie Nightingale, Kate DiCamillo (2016) This much is true. There were three girls. Right there, right from the start. In the space of two short chapters, just seven well-spaced pages, we meet the … Continue reading Not goodbye: Kate DiCamillo’s Beverly, Right Here.
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‘Mansions in the head’: images, words, and the memories they conjure.
'Seeing comes before words... ...It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding land; we explain that world with words, but words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it.' 'Images were first made to conjure up the appearance of something that was absent'. Ways of Seeing John Berger 'Memory … Continue reading ‘Mansions in the head’: images, words, and the memories they conjure.
I know where I am going: writing fantastical, personal recounts.
This blog, much like my last post on picturebook biographies, is another complement to a blog I wrote for my employers @HertsEnglish. In that blog I explore statutory writing assessment but will also refer to some ideas for writing in the primary classroom. The blogs on this site serve to go into greater detail around … Continue reading I know where I am going: writing fantastical, personal recounts.
Bringing Life to Words (and Pictures): picturebook biographies for children
This blog complements another written for my employer's site (visit us on Twitter: @Herts English). In that blog, I offer up some advice on helping children to demonstrate a particular standard in statutory writing assessments. I won't get caught up in further detail here, other than to say that the other blog includes a section … Continue reading Bringing Life to Words (and Pictures): picturebook biographies for children
The Florida Project: a sense of an ending
I think the ending of The Florida Project is one of the most powerful I have seen in a good few years. It’s a film with many strengths. The writing is earthy and fresh. Poetic too... "You know why this is my favourite tree? Cause it's tipped over, and it's still growing." … Continue reading The Florida Project: a sense of an ending
A short blog about short stories…
I shan't beat about the bush. This is not how it was supposed to be. I have just spent most of the afternoon writing a blog on the use of short stories in KS2 and lost all of it just before publishing. This is take 2 with some of the heart removed. Apologies. Out of … Continue reading A short blog about short stories…
Breathing lessons: an evening with Kate DiCamillo
'He turned over and found Muriel. She sighed in her sleep and lifted his hand and placed it upon her stomach. The robe had fallen open; he felt smooth skin, and then a corrugated ridge of flesh jutting across her abdomen. The Caesarean, he thought. And it seemed to him, as he sank into his … Continue reading Breathing lessons: an evening with Kate DiCamillo
Pick ‘n’ mix: other blogs and articles on reading and writing.
My personal blog was looking a little (very) sparse, and I keep meaning to add to it. Hopefully I will in the summer. Busy times though, eh? . For the sake of avoiding the 'one track record' label, I've gathered some links to some of my other bits and bobs written across the past couple … Continue reading Pick ‘n’ mix: other blogs and articles on reading and writing.
Written from the heart: Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale
Rather than mark the end of book week with a book list, or some passing suggestions, I’d rather tell you about one very special book. Perfect is a big word, isn’t it? Completed. Everything in the right place. I think it applies to Raymie Nightingale – the most satisfyingly ‘complete’ children’s book that I read … Continue reading Written from the heart: Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale
