A Little, Aloud for Children by Angela Macmillan
| A Little, Aloud for Children by Angela Macmillan | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Anne Thompson
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| Summary: An inspirational collection of stories and poems selected for reading aloud to children and young people compiled by The Reader Organisation. This anthology contains something for everyone and is highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 464 | Date: June 2012 |
| Publisher: David Fickling Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780857560421 | |
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This very special anthology of story extracts and poems to share aloud is a wonderful idea from The Reader Organisation to encourage reading aloud to children by parents, teachers, grandparents, librarians, friends or even other children. The terrific and very varied selection includes something to appeal to all tastes. It should tempt the reader to seek out the original books from which the extracts are taken and maybe to try children’s fiction that they have not considered before. The book includes classics, tried and tested old favourites and newer titles too. Dipping into this anthology for the first time feels a little like meeting old and maybe long forgotten friends and making new ones along the way.
The foreward is by Michael Morpurgo and Angela Macmillan provides helpful guidance on how to make the most of this excellent selection of fiction. All the extracts have been selected by the Reader Organisation, whose team has unique experience in the effect and benefits of books that immediately capture children's interest and imagination. It includes extracts ranging from modern day favourites (David Almond, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Neil Gaiman) to old classics (Kipling, Dickens, E Nesbit) and poems include offerings from Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl and Shakespeare. There are stories to make you laugh, cry, feel a bit scared or simply to make you think.
I am not always a fan of anthologies, sometimes finding them a bit disjointed and frustrating but enjoyed this one very much. What makes it work so well? Chiefly the fact that the extracts are so well chosen. The pairing of a story extract and a poem under one theme makes the reader think more about the extract just read and adds a little to the understanding too.
This book cries out to be read aloud and I found myself doing so even with no-one to listen to me! At the start of each extract an approximate reading time is given and a brief background to the story. Reading aloud should be a pleasurable experience for both the reader and the listener and this book will do so much to promote this. I feel sure that it will become a well-thumbed family favourite and will work brilliantly in schools and libraries too. It would also make a lovely gift. Highly recommended.
I would like to thank the publishers for sending the copy of this book to the Bookbag. All royalties from the sale of this book will go direct to The Reader Organisation.
If this makes you want to read another children’s anthology you could try The Orchard Book of Swords, Sorcerers and Superheroes by Tony Bradman and Tony Ross
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You can read more book reviews or buy A Little, Aloud for Children by Angela Macmillan at Amazon.com.
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