Ladybird book in the spotlight. ‘The Gingerbread Boy’ (1966) Artist: Robert Lumley

Why I became a teacher…

This is despicable!

99 days of daily walking. Walking in nature is beautiful ❤️ #parks #recreation #nature #mentalhealth

A bit late to the party but I read this gem of a book to my class and we were all totally overwhelmed. What a beautiful story. Nate will stay in my heart. What a wonderful main character. My class are now desperate for me to read the sequel to them. Some books are just pure magic! #kidlit #books

Went for an evening walk today. Just beautiful 🩷 #nature #trees

Tulips are incredibly beautiful flowers 😍

I went into the woods yesterday to lose myself for a brief moment

What a beautiful programme #TheAssembly is. Absolutely stunning. Caught me unawares and made me cry. Just brilliant.

Against my better judgment, giving Series 2 of Rings of Power a go. Episode 3, so much of it is in darkness. Feels like I’m listening to the radio. Why do programme makers do this??

Free access resource to help with commemorations of #veday80thanniversary #VEDay for KS2 from the Imperial War Museum teams that includes how to use accounts to study the event. Worth looking into! Link: tinyurl.com/3vhktj5n

Love #BlackMirror and I’m sure that everyone has their favourite episodes. The ones that have stayed with me are: Nosedive, Black Museum and Common People. Such a clever drama series. They don’t get every episode right but when they do it’s pure magic!

Actually crying at the end of this beautiful book. “Birdie” by @jprosewriter.bsky.social is a powerful thoughtful story of loss, friendship, hope and finding your place. It also bravely tackles prejudice and racism. I loved the relationships and honesty in this. A wonderful book.

Blossom watch 🩷🌸

For the #Kidlituk gang

The main way to improve the reading sat would be to take the time element out of it. They can either read and understand it or they can’t. What’s an hour got to do with anything? Let them do it till they’re finished if you want to know if they can read.

Milchick, for me, has indubitably been the most wonderful, brilliant, complex and underrated character of Severance. He deserves all the awards!

How I wanted patent leather shoes like this when I was a little girl.

For anyone out there who's reading TYGER with a class - or on their own! - here's a video I made about the inspiration of William Blake's great poem, The Tyger! www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJtD...

Totally gutted. I love Agatha Christie and am a huge fan of the adaptations of her books on the screen. Was so excited about #TowardsZero. Really wanted to love it - but what a let down. So, here’s a picture of some Agatha Christie books I bought last year from her family home.

Went to see #Elektra this evening. An off the cuff, spur of the moment thing. I don’t like the story of Elektra as I don’t understand her but- I thought I’d give this a go nonetheless. Let me spare you any heartache and tell you to not go! 75 minutes of pure agony. Such a shame!

Saw this incredible film about 3 years ago. Incredibly moving and thought provoking. Stayed with me for such a long time. Because it was on Apple TV, barely anyone saw it. If you haven’t seen it, give it a go. It’s like reading a good novel. No spoilers - but it’s worth watching.

Why should children read? Because reading for pleasure has the biggest impact of any factor on children's life chances. And imagining a better world is the first step to building one. So come what may - please keep reading books with kids, and encouraging them to read. It has never mattered more.

If you're looking for helpful reviews of children's books, the @justimaginecentre.bsky.social team do an amazing job. Over 600 reviews posted during 2024. Well-written and can be found by theme, genre, subject or age. Highly recommended. justimagine.co.uk/childrens-bo...

In another timeline, there's a government putting huge funding into schools & libraries, giving teachers & librarians all the resources they need to help kids become readers - reading for themselves, thinking for themselves, creating a better world for us all. That's the timeline I want to live in.

Yesterday Inclusive Books for Children announced the 2025 shortlist for the IBC awards. #NewIllustrationoftheDay is by Ruth Hearson from the shortlisted Zeki Eats Out, in a series of books about Zeki by Anna McQuinn. A happy family scene drawn with warmth, rich colour & precision. From Alanna Max.

Incredibly excited about this tonight #planets #planetaryallignment www.bbc.co.uk/weather/arti...

Once a year, my class get the chance to learn Mandarin. This banger of a song is played to them and honestly, I need to share the joy! youtu.be/0fm11XFw8uY?...

For all the readers, writers, and dreamers 💙🍓 A #SneakPeek from #BlueJellyAndStrawberries. Very grateful for all the pre-orders so far, thank you! Out 6/3/25 (Illustration by Kate Sheppard)

This is not a drill! 5 minute warning until #TheTraitors final!

Well, that choice was the most satisfying thing that I’ve seen on #TheTraitors this year. Well done, Frankie

Surely, surely, surely, Alexander must win? He’s polite, fair and kind. (And unintentionally hilarious).

When you give with one hand - and take with the other 😭😭😭 #TheTraitors

In Mandeep's Cloudy Days by Kuljinder Kaur Brar, illustrated by Samrath Kaur (Annick Press), a child finds a creative way to express her feelings and weather emotional storms. Here's my Booklist #bookreview: www.booklistonline.com/Mandeep-s-Cl... #SEL #kidlit

I grew up with second-third-fourth hand ladybird books. The illustrations were pure magic. And these endpapers - I used to pore over them for hours to see if I could recognise which stories they were from 🐞

Ladybird book in the spotlight. The Story of Newspapers, 1969 Artist: Ron Embleton

I shared this with my class, they genuinely found it so interesting and inspiring!

Absolutely adored this prequel to “When the Sky Falls” “The Dawn of Adonis” by @philearle.bsky.social is a truly brilliant breathless run across London as Nettie and Toff flee with the baby Adonis from Goliath Deeds, one of the most terrifying villains I’ve come across in any children’s book. Fab!

My favourite children's book of the year: SAFIYYAH'S WAR by Hiba Noor Khan. Absolutely beautiful & brilliant; every school & library should have a copy. To which end, I am giving away FREE COPIES TO SCHOOLS & LIBRARIES! Repost & follow to enter; closes 25th Jan 2025! #BooksOfTheYear #books #giveaway

There's still time to enter my SAFIYYAH'S WAR giveaway - please pass it on to any teachers & librarians you might know! #EduSky #BookSky

Whatever happens, never forget: READING FOR PLEASURE has the biggest positive impact of any factor on children's life chances. So always make time to share books with kids, and help them find books to love. Make reading central to everything you do. It will change their lives forever! #literacy

The second #SundayMorningBookChat is in honour of great series! Series are a great way to hook someone in to reading… so what are your favourite series both complete and not finished yet…

Thank you @whatsfsaid.bsky.social for our signed copy of Tyger. We have a queue of children who have started reading it 🥰

Joe - English teacher - There’s a lot less of us now! Oh dear! #TheTraitors

A great reminder for you but also for your staff. Print out for the staff room or put in an all staff email? Courtesy of Advanced Life Skills on Instagram

Gen X are losing their mind today as Liverpool play Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup! #AccringtonStanley

I love Minah and I hope she wins. This definitely made me giggle tonight! #TheTraitors

…If you don’t know his books then he’s definitely worth exploring…

What a #Illustrator #TorbenKuhlmann is… These are from his latest book “The Gray City.” You could spend hours discussing each image…

Kaz should be incredibly proud of the way that he has conducted himself throughout this process. To feel so isolated and alone - yet not lose your cool with people who are determined to misjudge you. Admirable #TheTraitors