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t's the first day of Spring, what better way to come back to the Blog and make up for my remiss in not keeping you updated!
It is also the perfect day for all things outdoors and fun, plus as Easter is almost upon us some Easter activity doesn't go amiss either.
This afternoon I've been busy celebrating Spring, being outdoors and organising an Easter Egg Hunt for the local community in which my School is located. Over 50 families and 100 children came along for some fun and games all of which was fantastically supported by the gerous publishers of children's books and so it is that I extend my thanks to:
Egmont - I cannot extend a big enough thank you for providing me with enough Thomas the Tank Engine books for every family to take one home.
PenguinRandomHouse and Walker Books - the children loved their stickers, thank you!
Bloomsbury, Hodder, HarperCollins - thank you very much for the books that went into our raffle and were much sought after!
Nosy Crow - the children loved the balloons and the outdoor goodies were perfect for the raffle, there were some very happy children... :)
Children made their own baskets, went on a hunt and then had the chance to meet the Easter bunny for their chocolate prize and extra gifts, they then all piled ono the School Quad to play games and enjoy the great outdoors. May Easter nests were consumed along with yummy biscuits, colouring in was done and a great time had by all.
The books we had were perfect too - Thomas and the Easter Egg Hunt was a real hit not only with children who love Thomas already but with them all as they sat with parents and began to share the story - so lovely to see. Emma the Easter Fairy was a popular choice among the older children and the bundles of books much sought after which was heartwarming to see - so many children who knew their book characters and were keen to get a new book.
So a large group of children in Leatherhead Surrey have this afternoon had their first Easter Egg hunt, played outdoors as the National Trust and their books urge us to do and they have hopefully all gone home ready to read and keep books alive and well.
Let's hope we can have more such occasions and grow more small people into big readers!
It's been a few weeks since I visited the Blog and gave you any news, but well, it has been Christmas and the New Year and we are all allowed a little break. Now that I am back I have lots of exciting news to share with you because I have spent most of this last week opening parcels of books - my desk at one point could not be seen for all the parcels and their lovely, exciting contents.
Everywhere you turn in recent days there have been reviews of the year and commentary on the best things from 2012 including books of course as well as insights into what 2013 could bring.
To begin then - the best books of 2012? I think my favourite book was quite possibly The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in Ship of her own Making by Catheryne M Valente, and I am now reading the sequel so will report on that soon. But really I don't thin it is fair to choose just one favourite and looking at the Bookseller Chart of bestselling titles many of these could rate among my favourites too along with all those which didn't reach the chart!
Looking into 2013 it is impossible to decide which books are going to prove a runaway success and which are going to tick along nicely pleasing a wide range of people. However we have to start somewhere and where better than with the talented Charlie Fletcher whose Far Rockaway is now out as a paperback and an ebook featuring a cover image based on the work of an Edinburgh School of Art student - inspiring and beautiful and just one title among the lovely parcels I have opened so far this new year! Read it for yourself to see what inspired the images and whether real girls can rescue themselves.
After this where can we go - well to the predicted trends for 2013 including more collaboration between readers and the publishing industry and in particular the new genre of 'new adult'. There is plenty to look forward to, plenty to get your reading teeth into already and lots of reasons to follow this Blog, our Twitter feed @Armadillomag, 'Like' our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Armadillomag and regularly vsiit the website www.armadillomagazine.co.uk
I look forward to seeing you all in all these places!
