Books I’m Giving For Christmas – 2018
Can you believe it’s that time already? It seems like yesterday I was writing the 2017 version of this post (we still have all of those books by the way).…
Surviving Term Two with Young Children
Summer has gone, the Easter Bunny has been, we've commiserated with the ANZACs and the excitement of a new year of school has long passed. Our friends in the northern…
10 Picture books that encourage empathy (and one chapter book)
I do my best to as a mother to resist the rush rush rush that seems to be the norm for children these days. I limit their activities, I have…
What little boys love to read (4-7 years)
(Disclaimer: I do realise that much of this applies to girls. I was one once. I was also a tomboy and read “boy” books. I started my working life as…
Why bed-time stories are so important
It's 7.15pm on a weeknight. Mr Ueckerman is out at a dinner. The boys and I have eaten and I'm cleaning up. I ask Mr 6 to help Mr almost-4…
Competition Win
As an unpublished author, one of the best ways for me to receive feedback on my work is by entering competitions for aspiring authors. This year I have faired pretty…
Building your children’s library: 6 places to buy books
Young children love hearing their favourite stories over and over (and over) again. However, as they grow older and want to hear longer books, they prefer novelty. Which means more…
Books around the house: normalising reading
When I was ten years old, we lived with my grandfather for seven months. He lived in an old stone house surrounded by lush farmland in Cornwall, in the south…
Sparking the joy of reading
My eldest son is nearly six (how on earth did that happen?) and he recently brought home a reader from school called Rough and Smooth. He has been trending towards…