Living Books for Children

Ukraine Children’s Books

/ classicallycuriousblog / Leave a comment

As we approach two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, escalating the Russo-Ukrainian war that began in 2014, I’m sharing some (mostly) fiction set in the Ukraine. Sadly, the backdrop is either the wars of the twentieth century or the current war.

If I were to pick one from my list below, I would start with the remarkable diary of 12-year-old Yeva Skalietska who fled Ukraine in 2022. My girls and I attended a remarkably composed presentation given by Yeva at the Oxford Literary Festival last spring and came home fighting over who was going to read the diary first.

Continue reading →

Visiting Madrid

/ classicallycuriousblog / 1 Comment

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.

— Saint Augustine

With 2023 stretched out ahead, perhaps plan a city trip with the family and discover a few more pages of the world. Cities are great places to take children of all ages – museums, parks, food, buses to jump on and off, and new treasures around every corner. It may be a nearby city such as Exeter, Manchester or York, or somewhere further afield.

Last October half term took us on our first family foreign city trip since pre-Covid. And what an adventure! It was a 5-day trip including travel, so we had 3 full days to explore Spain’s capital city. Short but sweet. Any longer and the kids might not have been so willing to walk for miles. Continue reading →

Just Choose One

/ classicallycuriousblog / Leave a comment
Here in Oxford, carol services are in full flow. Nativity costumes are being aired, Christmas jumpers are enjoying their annual frolic, turkeys are ordered.

14 more sleeps (as I write).

Christmas is nearly here.

If your to-do list is as long as mine, can I suggest adding just one more? It won’t make much difference to the list but it will help keep the magic alive for the independent readers in your life.

Choose a book.

Just one.

Gift of knowledge concept with a pile of books and reading glasses with Christmas ornaments

As the children wait impatiently for Christmas, rather than you getting overwhelmed by the endless festive titles adorning the shopfronts, or feeling burdened by the long lists pouring into your inbox, just choose one.

Let’s keep life simple, and dare I say it, a little more enjoyable.

Take time to just choose one book your child might enjoy as they wait for Christmas – it could already be sitting at home on a bookshelf collecting dust, or be picked up on a quick trip to the library or local bookshop, or bought online.

So as you scroll the list below — Just Choose One.

CHRISTMAS CHAPTER BOOKS

51uaii0i2cl._ac_uy436_ql65_

51nonw-ypql-_sx328_bo1204203200_

61cdkd8rivl._bg0000_fmpng_ac_sy320_sx320_

51s9goqimhl-_sx335_bo1204203200_1

51jwweqe08l-_sx336_bo1204203200_

51bewsentdl-_sx323_bo1204203200_

612pzspectl-_sx321_bo1204203200_

51ghea0yfll-_sx349_bo1204203200_

51emp4e5j1s._sx372_bo1204203200_

511uy17styl._sx324_bo1204203200_

51plidaotdl-_sx327_bo1204203200_

51j9stejl-_ac_us436_ql65_

51gskvfnpsl-_sx352_bo1204203200_

51doqsaxo5l-_sx324_bo1204203200_

61lqsfwaj4l-_sx325_bo1204203200_

51kLf7PsQXL

51z0Fu-Y8qL._SX323_BO1204203200_

51KjkQI3q5L._SX334_BO1204203200_

61OWbYrSo7L._SX341_BO1204203200_

61oqihorbal._sx390_bo1204203200_

518mqoiwvtl._sx324_bo1204203200_

51aqxrhr6ll._sx350_bo1204203200_

5108wsgtt4l._sx329_bo1204203200_

51ys1mpqefl._sx323_bo1204203200_

5188uecktvl._ac_uy436_ql65_

Continue reading →

Here in Oxford, carol services are in full flow. Nativity costumes are being aired, Christmas jumpers are enjoying their annual frolic, turkeys are ordered.

14 more sleeps (as I write).

Christmas is nearly here.

If your to-do list is as long as mine, can I suggest adding just one more? It won’t make much difference to the list but it will help keep the magic alive for the independent readers in your life.

Choose a book.

Just one.

Gift of knowledge concept with a pile of books and reading glasses with Christmas ornaments

As the children wait impatiently for Christmas, rather than you getting overwhelmed by the endless festive titles adorning the shopfronts, or feeling burdened by the long lists pouring into your inbox, just choose one.

Let’s keep life simple, and dare I say it, a little more enjoyable.

Take time to just choose one book your child might enjoy as they wait for Christmas – it could already be sitting at home on a bookshelf collecting dust, or be picked up on a quick trip to the library or local bookshop, or bought online.

So as you scroll the list below — Just Choose One.

CHRISTMAS CHAPTER BOOKS

51uaii0i2cl._ac_uy436_ql65_

51nonw-ypql-_sx328_bo1204203200_

61cdkd8rivl._bg0000_fmpng_ac_sy320_sx320_

51s9goqimhl-_sx335_bo1204203200_1

51jwweqe08l-_sx336_bo1204203200_

51bewsentdl-_sx323_bo1204203200_

612pzspectl-_sx321_bo1204203200_

51ghea0yfll-_sx349_bo1204203200_

51emp4e5j1s._sx372_bo1204203200_

511uy17styl._sx324_bo1204203200_

51plidaotdl-_sx327_bo1204203200_

51j9stejl-_ac_us436_ql65_

51gskvfnpsl-_sx352_bo1204203200_

51doqsaxo5l-_sx324_bo1204203200_

61lqsfwaj4l-_sx325_bo1204203200_

51kLf7PsQXL

51z0Fu-Y8qL._SX323_BO1204203200_

51KjkQI3q5L._SX334_BO1204203200_

61OWbYrSo7L._SX341_BO1204203200_

61oqihorbal._sx390_bo1204203200_

518mqoiwvtl._sx324_bo1204203200_

51aqxrhr6ll._sx350_bo1204203200_

5108wsgtt4l._sx329_bo1204203200_

51ys1mpqefl._sx323_bo1204203200_

5188uecktvl._ac_uy436_ql65_

Continue reading →

Starting Out as an Independent Reader 6+

/ classicallycuriousblog / 1 Comment

Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, or a duty. It should be offered as a gift.

— Kate DiCamillo

I couldn’t agree more with Kate DiCamillo. So let’s get offering.

These early years of independent reading are laying down foundations for our children.  For a child to be immersed in a story and taken off to a faraway land will come naturally and be easy for some children, but many will need a helping hand or two. Continue reading →

Over 20 Books for 9-12yr olds

/ classicallycuriousblog / 1 Comment

“It is through the power and music and magic of stories and poems that children can expand their own intellectual curiosity, develop the empathy and awareness that they will need to tackle the complexities of their own emotions, of the human condition in which they find themselves.”

— Michael Morpurgo

Continue reading →

Christmas is Coming 2021

/ classicallycuriousblog / 1 Comment

…the most startling thing about this wonderful tree was that hundreds of tapers glittered like stars in its dark branches, and the tree itself, shining with an inner light, invited the children to pick its blossoms and fruits.

– The Nutcracker, E.T.A. Hoffman Continue reading →

Getting in the Picture

/ classicallycuriousblog / Leave a comment

“To really instil a love of art, children need to be encouraged to have a go and be creative themselves.”

— James Mayhew

In the last three blogposts I have shown how James Mayhew brings life to museums in Katie’s Picture Show, and now in this final post I want to explore how he brings life to the artwork itself.

Katie frame 1

Mayhew’s story begins in the Classical world. Continue reading →