South Bucks Children’s Book Group

Paws for Thought

Dear Members,

Welcome to the South Bucks Children’s

Book Group Summer Newsletter.

We have enjoyed some wonderful

activities over spring and summer term

this year:

Lots of families thoroughly enjoyed

our "Kings and Queens" event, in celebration of the Queen's

Diamond Jubilee during the Easter holidays.

The children dressed in royal costume for a morning of stories, songs and

crafts with a fun regal theme.

We were really excited to welcome the amazing author Steve Cole to High

Wycombe, as part of Wycombe Arts Festival in May. We all had a wonderful

time listening to Steve’s fantastical adventures, “From Astrosaurus to Z Rex - The wild worlds of Steve

cole.” Steve really captivated everyone, with his zany & inspiring imagination.

The South Bucks Children's Book Group also held a successful wildlife event for

National Non-Fiction Day, “Nature’s Wonderful Flying Machines”.

We were delighted to meet Julie the Wildlife Ranger and Rose the Daubenton

water bat and discovered lots of interesting facts about these amazing

creatures. We all went home with some great treats for feeding our garden

birds too.

We would like to share with you some exciting,

book related events and activities for you to enjoy

over the summer holidays.

Here are some dates for your diary:

You are most welcome to join us for

“Farmyard Tails”

our

Stories in Wycombe Museum Gardens,

on

Friday 17th August at 2:30pm.

Bring your friends, a rug and a picnic

for a lovely afternoon of stories, for

younger children, followed by a paper

craft activity.

Don’t forget to bring your favourite

farmyard animal or tractor along to show everyone.

Do enter our Raffle for beautiful picture

books prizes.

“Babbleabout”

A brilliant local website which shares our passion for

children’s books, for both learning and

play. This is a fantastic resource for

books, games, activities, ideas and

suggestions, especially over the summer

holidays, with a really useful subject or age search index.

So for inspiration for local bookshops, websites and places to

visit, click on http://babbleabout.co.uk/

You can also add your own favourites so everyone can enjoy

book related treasures!

Don’t forget to sign up at your local Library for “Story

Lab”, the Summer Reading Challenge. Check out the website

for lots of information: http://www.story-lab.org.uk

Every year, thousands of families all over the country take part in the UK’s biggest reading

event for children. Held at nearly all libraries in the UK it is completely free. The Summer

Reading Challenge is run by the charity The Reading Agency.

Every year there’s a different theme, and this year it’s called Story Lab. The aim of the

challenge is to get children to read six books from their library during the summer holidays.

The Summer Reading Challenge is designed for children of all ages and reading abilities.

They can read any books they like – fact books, stories, joke books, picture books – it’s up to

them. Audio books count too! As long as you’re borrowing them from the library, they all

count.

Every child who reads six books gets a certificate, and most libraries are offering other

rewards, too. For example, there are Bronze, Silver and Gold stickers for children reading 2,

4 and 6 books with secret website codes they can use online to unlock special animations.

Just ask the library staff when you join up.

The Story Lab website allows your child to log the books they have read and unlock extra

content as they work through the Challenge. They can also find new books to read,

recommended by other children, take part in a story writing competition and play online

games.

Story Lab is aimed at children aged four to 11 although it is open to any child. So visit your

local library at the start of the summer holidays – the sooner you go the longer your child

will have to read six books, where staff will enrol your child and give them a membership

pack.

You can go to any UK library that is running Story Lab and you don’t have to keep going to

the same library. So if you are on holiday in the UK your child can still keep up with the

Summer Reading Challenge.

Story Lab is all about giving children a love of books and

the opportunity to share some of the great titles in our

libraries with family & friends.

Beaconsfield Library is holding Story Lab events on

Thursdays and Wycombe Library on Wednesdays. For a full list

of Summer Reading Challenge events and activities your local

library is running call 0845 2303232 or see

http://apps1.buckscc.gov.uk/eforms2005/events/elist.aspx?kw=re

ading%20challenge

South Bucks Children’s Book Group Autumn

Term Events

We are really looking forward to

welcoming the wonderful children’s

author and award winning bookshop

owner Tamara Macfarlane to our special

"Members Only" evening, to be held on

Friday 7th September

7pm - 9pm

at “Gregories”

Beaconsfield

Tamara Macfarlane founded the award

winning “Tales on Moon Lane”

children’s bookshop in Herne Hill and

subsequently opened a second shop in

Primrose Hill, filling it with even

more of her favourite books.

Tamara also started writing her own children’s stories

and is author of the delightful “Amazing Esme” and

“Amazing Esme and the Sweet Shop Circus”, both full of

Esmes’ wildly imaginative adventures.

We are thrilled Tamara has kindly

agreed to visit South Bucks

Children’s Book Group.

So join us for Coffee and Cake and

hear all about Tamara’s varied life,

writing her wonderful children's

book "Amazing Esme" and running her

award winning bookshop "Tales on Moon Lane".

This evening is open to adults and older children aged

9 years and over.

Book Swaps

Watch this space for dates of our forthcoming autumn term

Book Swaps,

at Ash Hill Primary School and High Wycombe Church of

England Primary School, after school at 3:30pm.

Hughenden, King’s Wood, Disraeli and Mary Towerton Primary

Schools are also hoping to host book swaps too.

Book swaps are a great way for good condition second hand

children’s books to be exchanged for other wonderful books

your children haven’t yet read.

If you can’t get to the book swaps, SBCBG are always happy

to collect any children’s books you may like to donate?

Would your local primary school like to host a book swap?

Please get in touch with us for further information.

We also look forward to Stories Under the Apple Tree after

the summer break. A wonderful way to enjoy the lovely late

summer/early autumn, gathered together in a delightful garden

setting, to listen to amazing stories.

Bedtime Stories are a wonderful way to gather a small group

of children in the comfort of a front room for a lovely cosy

evening of hot chocolate and stories before going home to bed.

If you or a friend would like to host your own Bedtime Stories

evening, please contact me for information for a simple, yet

delightful time for sharing stories with your children and

their friends.

Known as the children's choice, the Red House Children's Book Award is a very special and unique award for an author to win because their young readers are the judges. Children from around the country nominate their favourite books and young voters vote for their favourite.

Each year children from all over the country read and review hundreds of books, and the top 50 of these are the “Pick of the Year”. Their favourite10 shortlisted books are chosen from the top 50 titles and placed into three categories:

Books for Younger Children Books for Younger Readers Books for Older Readers

The final overall Winner is then judged entirely by children. These brilliant books are chosen by children for the shortlist because young testers loved reading and reviewing them. Why not share them with your children so they can vote for their favourite? The next shortlist will be announced later this autumn for your children’s reading delight, when

they can help choose a winner.

Would your local school like to take part, so lots more children can enjoy these excellent titles

and place their own votes too? Please get in touch with us to find out how.

www.redhousechildrensbookaward.co.uk

Red House - The Home of Children's Books

Red House specialises in selecting the best books for children of all ages. From board books and picture

books for sharing with little ones, to adventure stories and reading scheme sets to encourage young readers

and fantastic teen fiction from bestselling authors, you'll find it all here.

www.redhouse.co.uk

The Children’s Book Show is celebrating its’ 10th birthday this year

with a thrilling line up of the very best writers and illustrators from all over the world. We

have 11 authors and illustrators performing in 12 venues across the country and a programme

of free workshops in schools – starting in Bexhill on 28th September and finishing in Coventry

on 8th November.

From internationally acclaimed artists such as Ulf Stark (Sweden) and Carll Cneut

(Belgium), to household favourites Michael Rosen and Alexis Deacon, The Children’s Bookshow

is set to inspire and delight children with great poems, beautiful illustrations and fabulous

stories.

Nearby Dates and Venues:

Tuesday 2nd October 11 am – Alexis Deacon at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London

Wednesday 24th October 1.30 pm – Kit Wright and Posy Simmonds at Oxford Playhouse

The Children’s Bookshow is an organisation that arranges an annual tour of children’s authors

and illustrators. The tour takes place in the autumn and coincides with Children’s Book Week.

The aim of The Children’s Bookshow is to foster a lifelong love of literature in children

by bringing them the best writers and illustrators to inspire and guide them.

For more details see http://www.thechildrensbookshow.com

We very much look forward to seeing you and your

friends at our events. Please pass on this newsletter

and our events information to everyone you know. We

wish you all a lovely, fun filled summer.

Regards,

South Bucks Children’s Book Group – bringing children

& books together.