CBA2024: The Fastest Tortoise in Town

‘The Fastest Tortoise in Town’ is a wonderful story! Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise, has been entered into a Fun Run by her owner-and best friend- Lorraine. Convinced that she has no chance of winning, Barbara Hendricks is less enthusiastic for the venture than Lorraine, but with encouragement and support, she finds the courage to try!

There is so much to explore in the story. In addition to conversations about taking part, doing your best and the normality of worrying about things like this, children are sure to enjoy finding out about all the animals which take part in the race. The humorous ending makes the link to the fable of ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’ which there are many re-tellings of including one illustrated by Brian Wildsmith (OUP ISBN: 978-0192727084) and one by Helen Ward (Templar ISBN: 978-1787419414).

The illustrations are just fabulous with so much to notice and enjoy on each page. The range of changing expressions on Barbara Hendricks’ face as she goes through a whole gamut of emotions is just wonderful! These pictures are sure to inspire children to draw and this can be put to good use in creating a little game based on the book!

Children love playing with magnets and this game offers a wealth of possibilities for investigating their properties, creating ‘fair tests’, working scientifically…but this magnetic race game can just be played and enjoyed for the pure fun of it!

On a piece of thin cardboard (from a cereal packet or similar), draw a race track. This can be whatever size you like, but allowing enough room for all the players will be important. Although there are six creatures racing in the story, it would be better to have perhaps three players at a time and race in heats!

Next, make your playing pieces to represent the animals in the race. We have used match boxes for this, but flat pieces of card will do just as well. To the bottom of each piece, attach a paperclip. Now, each player can select a piece and a magnet. Place the pieces on the board at the start line an each player needs to hold their magnet underneath the board. On the start command, each player moves their magnet forwards, taking their piece with it. The winner is the one who crosses the finish line first.

You might need to do a little experimenting with the available magnets to find out how best to use this with children. Some magnets are strong enough to work through table tops whilst others are not and so the board will need to be either held up by others while playing or be raised in some way- small piles of books, for example. I used small strips of magnetic tape inside the bottom edge of the matchboxes which worked very well. Experiment - and have fun!

The Fastest Tortoise in Town

Howard Calvert, illustrated by Karen Obuhanych

Walker ISBN: 978-1529501506

CBA2024: The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea

‘The Princess and the (Greedy) Pea’ by Leigh Hodgkinson is one of the four fabulous titles shortlisted for the 2024 Children’s Book Awards Books in the Younger Children Category. It is a wonderfully playful cautionary tale which uses the cumulative format of ‘There was an old woman who swallowed a fly…’ to retell the story of ‘The Princess and the Pea’-with a twist! Beautifully illustrated, it is a complete delight- one of those books which appeals as much to an adult sharing the story as to the children enjoying it!

There are so many ways in which this lovely book could be used as the starting point for further fun! If children aren’t familiar with ‘There was an old woman…’ or the ‘Princess and the Pea’, there is a lovely retelling of the Old Woman illustrated by Pam Adams (Child's Play International Ltd ISBN: 978-0859537278) and there are a number of retellings of ‘The Princess and the Pea’, including one by Rachel Isadora (Puffin ISBN: ‎ 978-0142413937), Lauren Child (Puffin ISBN: 978-0141500140) and Mini Grey (Red Fox ISBN: 978-0099432333) which considers things from the pea’s point of view.

It’s always fun to play a game, however, so we have created ‘Feed the Pea’ which can be adapted to suit players of all ages! All you need is card, coloured paints or pens, scissors and paper. You need to decide on the size which you would like your game to be. This is a table top version, but it can be as big as you like!

First, decide on the size you would like your game to be and cut a piece of card for the back board. This will need to have a hole cut into it later for the pea’s mouth- but don’t do this yet!

Next, draw round something round to create a Pea which will fill the backboard. Cut out this circle and then draw round another circle inside this one to create the mouth. Carefully cut this out, leaving a hole (NB: The pea could be drawn/painted onto the actual backboard). Draw round two white circles, two smaller green circles and finally two little black circles and then stick these together to form the eyes (see below!). Stick these onto the pea, add a nose and then draw round two circles in green for the cheeks.

Now, mount your pea onto the back board and cut out the mouth-hole. The card for this needs to be fairly stiff to make sure Pea stands up. Once mounted, you need to create a stand to support Pea. This can be done in a variety of ways which need to be adapted depending on the size of your pea. One method is shown below.

Scrunch up different coloured pieces of paper to represent the different foods which Pea eats in the book- green for the Brussels sprout, red for the soup, brown for the bread and so on… The object of the game is to get a piece of each food through Pea’s open mouth. Points can be scored for each piece which makes it through. For the smaller game, pieces will need to be flicked whereas larger games can have things thrown or if you chose to use small balls, kicked through the mouth. Children will enjoy creating rules and adapting the game to suit them!

Have fun!

The Princess and the (greedy) Pea

Leigh Hodgkinson

Walker ISBN: 978-1529503005

NNFN2023 One day Non-Fiction Conference

Saturday 11th November dawned bright and beautiful, if a little chilly, as we made our way to Sidcot School, ready to welcome all the delegates for our one day non-fiction conference. Months of wondering, worrying and preparing - and the day had finally arrived!

National Non-Fiction November is the perfect time to celebrate all things factual so a one day conference seemed like a really good idea. Sidcot School generously agreed to let us use their beautiful Arts Centre for the day which made a fantastic setting for our event.

Heather from Reading Rocks had arrived the night before and not being distracted by the amazing array of books she had brought with her was a real challenge, but as the publishers began to arrive and set up, there was plenty to do! Nosy Crow, Hachette, Walker, bsmall and Magic Cat were soon ready, brimming with tempting examples of the very best factual books on offer.

There was a lovely atmosphere as delegates started to arrive and enjoyed chatting to the publishers and Heather, browsing the books, having a warming cuppa and meeting up with friends old and new. Soon, 10 o’clock arrived and we were ready to begin.

The first of our fantastic speakers was Isabel Thomas, author of many books. Her passion for science and nature is inspiring and her talk was a real treat. She spoke of the importance of helping children to make connections, inspiring their imagination and developing their creativity. She talked about how the brain spikes when it encounters something new, encouraging individuals to discover and question, and how to encourage children to see science as a subject which might lead to future possibilities. We were all disappointed when her talk came to an end as she was fascinating!

After holding a two minute silence for Remembrance, it was tea break time. This was sponsored by ‘Kay’s Incredible Inventions’ and we had the most delicious cupcakes! We challenged the delegates to take the most inventive pictures they could come up with, featuring both book and cake, which caused much merriment! The winner received a signed copy of the book.

After a cuppa, a cake and plenty of book-ish chat, everyone returned to the auditorium to hear from Heather and the many ways in which Reading Rocks supports teachers, schools, children and parents in sharing the best books available.

Next, Andy Seed kept us entertained, starting with a (light-hearted!) rant about the term ‘non-fiction’ which caused plenty of discussion. He spoke passionately about the joy of ‘factual’ texts, how they engage readers and the varying styles and appeal of information books- he gave everyone plenty to think about as well as a glimpse of his latest ‘Interview with a…’ book.

Lunch followed- with another competition. Andy came with a companion- an Egyptian coffin- so we asked for selfies with two signed copies of ‘The Curse of the Tomb Robbers’ on offer!

After lunch came the publishers’ presentations. What a treat to hear about so many gorgeous information books in a mixture of in person and video presentations. The books were on available in the bookshop for everyone to have a closer look at and enjoy at their leisure.

Our final speaker of the day was Nicola Davies, who drew on her own early experiences of factual books to illustrate the importance of images and allowing children opportunities to develop their visual literacy by decoding pictures, tables, maps… She argued a strong case for not dumbing things down for children and allowing them to explore non-fiction by ‘skipping and dipping’, going back and forth in a book as a child leads and sharing a special reading experience where adult and child are co-learners, discovering things together.

Nicola kindly drew our raffle for two places on a Non-Fiction webinar, generously donated by CLPE. The winners were delighted! More books, browsing, buying, cake and chatter followed before everyone started to leave.

It was a lovely day and our wonderful publishers generously donated books which we will be taking to Charlton Farm, part of Children’s Hospice South West. A huge thank you from the Somerset CBG team to them, our amazing authors, Sidcot School, Reading Rocks, CLPE and members of other FCBG groups who came to support. See you next year..?

NNFN2023: Guess Who?

With less than a week to go, everyone is getting ready for activities to share with groups/ classes/ individuals as part of the celebrations! Playing ‘Guess Who?’ with non-fiction book covers is a brilliant way of encouraging children to look closely at a range of information books and to spark their interest in these!

As with the traditional game of ‘Guess Who?’, any question can only be given a yes/no answer, encouraging the questioner (or team) to be precise with what is being asked. Copies of covers can be made or the actual books can be used providing there is enough space to spread these out without the other players being able to see.

Focusing on the covers is sure to pique children’s interest about the books and introduce them to books which they might not otherwise have encountered. Have fun!

NNFN2023: Looking forward to Conference

Our one-day Non-Fiction Conference is rapidly approaching and excitement is mounting! I asked one of our youngest members, Alicja, what she is most looking forward to!

It’s hard to choose just one thing as there will be so much going on! It’s always fun to find out what’s in the goodie bags - and the Somerset CBG logo (designed by Steve Antony) is really sweet so it’s a bag I will use. All of the speakers are going to be really interesting, but I am particularly excited about hearing Nicola Davies speak as I’ve never heard her before and I love her books. Although not non-fiction, ‘The New Girl’ and ‘The Pond’ are two of my favourites.

There are still a few tickets available for the day which you can book via Eventbrite (if you are not a Federation of Children’s Book Groups member) here or by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com if you are a member. What are you looking forward to?

NNFN2023 Ideas: Oobleck

Goop is great fun to make and explore- and offers plenty to discuss as it doesn’t behave as you think it should! Is it solid? Is it liquid? This substance is known as Oobleck and gets its unusual name from a Dr Seuss story, Bartholomew and the Oobleck. It is a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it doesn’t follow Newton’s law of viscosity. Non-Newtonian fluids become runnier or thicker when the force on them changes and children are enthralled by how this substance can be both liquid and solid!

To make the goop, you need cornflour, water and food colouring in whatever colours you fancy! The measurements are not exact as it needs to be mixed to the right consistency and it is a good idea to protect surfaces and clothing as much as possible- I speak from experience!

Mix the water and food colouring into the cornflour, until it reaches a thick consistency. If you make smaller batches in different colours, children can experiment with mixing these and observing what happens.

Another fun way to explore oobleck is to freeze it. Put the mixture in an ice cube tray or other mould, then put it in the freezer for several hours. Things like flower petals can be added to the mixture to create interest. It will thaw slowly whilst being played with, offering more opportunities for scientific discussions!

Although I have never tried this, I have been reliably informed by colleagues that fluffy oobleck can be created by putting some cornflour in a bowl and adding shaving foam on top. Food colouring can be added if required and everything needs to be mixed, adding more cornflour or shaving foam until the desired consistency has been achieved.

Enjoy feeling the texture and discussing the properties of the goop whilst making patterns and shapes in the mixture. Great fun for everyone!

NNFN2023: Looking forward to Conference!

There are many reasons to be excited about our one-day Non-Fiction Conference next month. Andrea is a member of the Somerset CBG Committee and a school librarian. Here’s what she is looking forward to!

‘I am looking forward to hearing all of the speakers – the opportunity to hear three in one day is really exciting. I am particularly looking forward to hearing Andy Seed. I have used his books in lessons, and although I met him at a previous FCBG event, I’ve never heard him speak before.

I am also looking forward to networking with other people from other schools – it is great having the opportunity to talk to people doing a similar job in a different setting and you can always learn something.

And there will be cake! Cake and books - sounds like the perfect day out!’

Representatives from Nosy Crow, Hachette, Magic Cat, Walker and bsmall publishing will be joining us on the day and many other publishers are sending video presentations about their non-fiction books. These will be offered at a discounted price on the day by the fabulous Reading Rocks who will be providing the bookshop!

Some tickets are still available here or for members by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com. What are you looking forward to?

NNFN2023 Ideas: Shape Books

Shape books are great fun to make and appeal to all ages! These can be made in a variety of different ways- regular (where the front and back cover match), those with added elements (such as legs or wings) and the three fold variety where the front cover opens down the middle instead of from the edge. There are some excellent books on this subject available and it can become very addictive!

A basic ‘body’ shape like the one on the left above can be transformed into a whole variety of creatures by adding (or drawing) additional elements. The cat could become a tiger or a lion, but also a rabbit or a dog. Add an ached shape under the body to create legs for an elephant or a cow…whatever you can imagine. A basic bird shape like the one shown can become a parrot or a penguin. Cut the feet off by curving into the body and you have a robin or a blackbird. Fish, butterflies, boats, buses…any basic shape can be stapled, sewn, hole-punched or glued to make a wonderful little book!

This is an activity which can be enjoyed at any time of year- not just saved for National Non-Fiction November.

NNFN2023: Andy Seed

Andy Seed is a great champion of non-fiction, author of many books for children. According to his website his books include:

• Fun information books for children

• Books of things to do, again for kids

• Stories for children

• Memoirs for adults

• Non-fiction books for children

• Jokes

  His books are often humorous, lovely and engaging, making them a pleasure to share with children. Andy was involved with last year’s National Non-Fiction November with his ‘Interview with …’ books being the focus for the competition. We are thrilled that Andy is able to join us for our conference next month.

‘The Clue is in the Poo and Other Stuff Too’ is an amazing treasure trove of facts about nature! It is a fabulous blend of information, things to do and delightful illustrations, all perfect for engaging even the most reluctant reader.

The book starts with information about being a ‘nature detective’, with rules of tracking and the tools needed explained. There is a lot about poo as might be expected from the title- how to use it to identify which creatures have been around, for example- as well as plenty of ‘toilet trivia’.

However, the book is about ‘other stuff too’ and the reader is shown different animal and bird tracks and given advice for what to look for when spotting possible animal homes. Throughout the book, there are quizzes to keep the reader on their toes and test their new found knowledge. Presented with the light, humorous touch which Andy is so well-loved for, ‘The Clue is in the Poo and Other Stuff Too’ is both fascinating and informative- the perfect accompaniment for getting a class outside and seeking out the creatures which inhabit their local environment.

‘A Giant Dose of Gross’ is in the same vein, full of the world’s most disgusting animals- and some are really disgusting! From parasites to creatures that produce revolting amounts of gas, there is certainly something to amuse, entertain and educate the most curious between these covers.

The illustrations are just as entertaining with little speech bubbles adding humorous comments. Fact boxes add more details about yet more revolting animals and their habits. It is a cornucopia of things that some children will love!

There are two quizzes at the end of the book and a comprehensive index which help you locate the animals and the disgusting stuff! Try page 46 for the top piddle fact…

Completely absorbing, 'Wild Facts about Nature' offers page after page of fascinating facts about nature. Published in partnership with the RSPB, the book offers all the fun facts, jokes, quizzes, things to do, puzzles and so on you might expect from the one and only, Andy Seed!

Organised into clear sections with headings like 'Places with Tales to Tell', 'Peculiar Plants' and 'Nutty Nature', the book is crammed with information, brilliantly presented in bite sized chunks. Each page is carefully laid out to allow the maximum information to be as easily accessible as possible. And there is so much to learn...

Can you say 'otter' in Maori? Or any of the other 14 languages featured on page 83? Did you know that three new types of hairy spiders that feast on birds and bats were reported by Brazilian researchers in 2017? Do you know what a 'caracal', a 'kodkod' or a 'serval' is? And what about an 'axolotl'? Find out all about them on page 76.

There are jokes, riddles and puzzles...

Why are rhinos wrinkly?

They don't like being ironed.

Brilliantly illustrated by Scott Garrett, 'Wild Facts about Nature' is an absolute must have for anyone who is nuts about nature, fascinated by facts or likes a laugh!

The ‘Interview with…’ series of books is on its fourth title, with ‘Interview with a Panda and Other Endangered Animals Too’ being published today. You can talk to Andy about any of his books at the Conference as well as listening to him speak. Make sure you book your ticket here!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Instant Ice Cream

This idea is instantly appealing because it has both ‘WOW’ and ‘YUM’ factors! The link https://learning.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/resources/instant-ice-cream/ takes you to the Science Museum website where it explains how to conduct the experiment - and offers additional things to try which will encourage scientific discussions and spark curiosity! I know, strictly speaking, it has little to do with the theme of ‘Wonderful Water’- but it’s a great way of engaging children and might lead to looking a recipe books to investigate other ice cream recipes as well as science books to explain the science. (Thankfully, the web page offers an explanation for those of us who need one!)

We had excellent fun as a family making this! Enjoy!

NNFN Ideas: Postcard Competition 2

The theme of National Non-Fiction November this year is ‘Wonderful Water’, and our competition has been inspired by ‘Sea Change: Save the Ocean’, edited by Tobias Hickey of the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society at Worcester University. Published by Otter-Barry Books, this is a collection of original postcards and messages from 50 illustrators across the world, working to celebrate and protect the precious life in our oceans.

To enter, children are invited to create their own postcard. On one side, they should create (paint/ draw/ collage/ print etc) a picture of their favourite watery location and then on the reverse, write about why this place is so important to them.

There are three age group categories: 5-7 (30-40 words) 8-10 (40-60 words) 11-12 (60-100 words)

 Each will be judged on their originality, creativity and presentation, according to age.

Please send entries to Sea Change Competition, 123 Frederick Road, Cheam, Sutton, SM1 2HT

or email to nnfn@fcbg.org.uk

Closing date: Monday 4th December 2023

Bubble printing is always great fun to try (no matter how old you are) and creates some wonderfully watery pattern- perfect for using as a background for our postcard competition! Put down plenty of paper as this can get a little messy…

You need some wide rimmed cups or small bowls, food colouring, washing-up liquid, drinking straws and paper. Put a small amount of water at the bottom of your cup/bowl and add s few drops of food colouring and several drops of washing up liquid. You can use paint instead of food colouring, but might need to experiment with this! Give this a good mix.

Blow steadily into the mixture through a drinking straw until bubbles rise above the rim of the container (In the picture below, we hadn’t added enough food colour so just added more and blew again). Lower a piece of paper carefully onto the bubbles and as they pop, they will leave patterns on the paper. Repeat this until you are happy the paper is covered. More than one colour can be used to add to the interest.

Once dry, this can be used as the background for a drawing, painting or collage. My pictures show a few poor examples as by the time I got around to taking any, most pieces had been taken away! Will they be used to create entries for the competition?

Have fun!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Lemonade Lollies

Perhaps this is more of a summer-time make, but who doesn’t love a lolly? With the theme of NNFN being ‘Wonderful Water’, this is a simple, enjoyable activity which offers plenty to discuss as well as resulting in a tasty treat! This idea is not included in the FCBG booklet- but makes a refreshing accompaniment to any book session.

To create about 18 (small-ish!) lollies, you will need 6 juicy, unwaxed lemons, 250ml of runny honey, 100 ml of cold water and 18 (or as many as you require!) clean, empty yoghurt pots with a lolly stick for each one.

First, finely grate the zest from 3 of the lemons and place the zest in a pan with the honey and 500ml of water. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Squeeze the juice from all the lemons. Next, strain the honey and lemon water through a sieve into a bowl and pour in some of the lemon juice. Stir and taste, adding more juice until it tastes just right!*

Leave the lemonade to cool in the fridge and then add the rest of the water to dilute it. Stir the mixture well before pouring an equal amount into each of the yoghurt pots. Place in the freezer until partially set before pushing a lolly stick into each one. Return the pots to the freezer until each is completely solid. Finally- enjoy!

* At this point, the juice will make a zesty drink. Pour a little of the mixture into a glass and top up with fizzy or still water. Add slices of lemon and ice cubes if required. Or you could make a lemon sorbet!

This activity offers plenty of scientific concepts to discuss and children might like to make one of the books suggested to record the recipe so that they can make this tasty drink again and again!

Don’t forget to look at our booklet for lots more ideas to support celebrating NNFN23.

NNFN2023: Looking forward to Conference!

Bev is our group secretary and is really looking forward to the Non-fiction Conference. For Bev, a highlight of the day will be the Publishers’ Exhibition.

‘It is always a delight to be able to talk to the publishers about their books and get a sneak preview of up-and-coming titles. Working in a school library with children from pre-school to sixth form, this is a wonderful opportunity to discover books for the whole school community and know what to recommend to colleagues. It really helps to keep my knowledge of what’s available current - and the publishers are always so helpful in sharing their expertise.’

Representatives from Nosy Crow, Hachette, Magic Cat, Walker and bsmall publishing will be joining us on the day and many other publishers are sending video presentations about their non-fiction books. These will be offered at a discounted price on the day by the fabulous Reading Rocks who will be providing the bookshop!

Some tickets are still available here or for members by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com. What are you looking forward to?

NNFN2023 Ideas: Matchboxes

‘Matchboxes’ is a lovely activity to share with children and one which is easily adapted to fiction, poetry- anything you wish! These boxes are readily available at craft shops, but any small- or larger- box can be used to accommodate the number and size of the objects. There is usually a lot of excitement around the opening of the box and exploring the contents. The idea is for the children to make a connection between the objects in the box and possible topics and, in my experience, the level of conversation, connections, ideas and memories this generates is amazing.

If the boxes are carefully created with some non-fiction texts in mind, then it becomes very easy to guide children to these so that they can discover more. An Egyptian themed box will quickly help identify what the group knows about each object- and by association, places they have visited, things they have seen, connected books and films and plenty of general knowledge facts. It might also raise questions- What is the significance of the hippo? Is the blue figure a mummy? How was papyrus made? - which can then be explored through some of the texts available. A good teacher knows that a little planning goes a long way and so making sure they can actually find information about the objects on offer is important. The children might wish to turn the box into a mini-museum by adding labels with information to each object.

Other boxes might be more open ended. Fossils and pictures/ small toys of dinosaurs might lead children to discuss the work of palaeontologists like Mary Anning, how fossils are created, the Jurassic Coast or Darwin and evolution.

Children also enjoy creating their own boxes and so another book group session might be devoted to sharing those they have made themselves! Have fun!

NNFN2023: Isabel Thomas

A prolific author, Isabel Thomas has written over 180 books about science and nature aimed at young people. With her passion for science and her engaging style, her books are always a pleasure to read. Not only appealing to children, her work is also very useful for teachers, supporting and developing understanding. We are delighted that Isabel is joining us for our one-day conference as she is amazing to listen to- bursting with energy and enthusiasm and brimming with scientific knowledge.

‘Moth’ is a real gift to the Y6 teacher when teaching the Science P of S strand : to identify how animals and plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways and that adaptation may lead to evolution. The story of the moth is told clearly, effortlessly explaining the ‘science bit’ and encouraging the reader to go and look for these wonderful creatures. A message of hope - hope for survival, hope for adaptation and hope for change- is conveyed by their story which is beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated by Daniel Egneus. Another book created by this pairing is ‘Fox’, which tells the ‘circle of life’ in clear, easily understood language, helping young children find answers to the big question, ‘What happens when we die?’.

The conference offers a wonderful opportunity for everyone to meet Isabel and hear from an amazing non-fiction author, who effortlessly explains scientific questions in a way children (and adults) can both understand and enjoy! It’s a not-to-be-missed event- make sure you book your ticket here!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Postcard Competition

The theme this year is ‘Wonderful Water’, and our competition has been inspired by ‘Sea Change: Save the Ocean’, edited by Tobias Hickey of the International Centre for the Picture Book in Society at Worcester University. Published by Otter-Barry Books, this is a collection of original postcards and messages from 50 illustrators across the world, working to celebrate and protect the precious life in our oceans.

To enter, children are invited to create their own postcard. On one side, they should create (paint/ draw/ collage/ print etc) a picture of their favourite watery location and then on the reverse, write about why this place is so important to them.

There are three age group categories: 5-7 (30-40 words) 8-10 (40-60 words) 11-12 (60-100 words)

 Each will be judged on their originality, creativity and presentation, according to age.

Please send entries to Sea Change Competition, 123 Frederick Road, Cheam, Sutton, SM1 2HT

or email to nnfn@fcbg.org.uk

Closing date: Monday 4th December 2023

Inspired by the gorgeous illustrations created by the contributors to ‘Sea Change’, we decided to play around with some ideas for creating the picture side of a postcard. Living close to the sea, beaches and seaside trips were a common theme when discussing places which are important.

Encaustic work is a form of painting which involves using heated wax. The molten wax is then applied to a surface, usually wood or canvas. The word ‘encaustic’ originates from the Ancient Greek ἐγκαυστικός, which means ‘burning in’ and the oldest examples of this art form are the Romano-Egyptian mummy portraits from around 100-300 AD. These days, small irons are generally used to melt the wax which is then applied to card, paper or other surfaces.

As a teacher, I have enjoyed teaching children Encaustic art as part of work on the Egyptians. When keen to have a turn at something (and I have never known a child who hasn’t wanted to have a go at this!), they are keen to pay attention to safety guidance and quick to understand and follow ‘rules’. Working with a small group, however, is much easier. Having watched a demonstration and experimented a little, everyone was keen to have a go!

Soon, filled with confidence, lots of experimentation was taking place and much ooohing and aaahing as different effects were discovered and more colours added! We have more ideas to explore and share before anyone decides what they might use as their entry to the competition, but everyone agreed encaustic art is great fun!

NNFN2023 Ideas: Accordion Books

A booklet of ideas for NNFN is available to download here. This has been developed to offer some practical suggestions which FCBG groups- or anyone- might like to use to celebrate non-fiction during November… or at anytime of the year!

During October, some ideas from the booklet will be explored here in more detail, starting today with Accordion Books. Also known as Zig-Zag books, these little booklets make an attractive, fun way to present facts, instructions or information which children have collected. In its simplest form, the book can be square or rectangular, but with older or more dextrous children, it can take a shape which links to the subject it contains.

The easiest way to make one of these books is to take a sheet of A4 paper and fold this into eight sections as shown above. This can then be cut along the horizontal central line to create two strips of four sections each. Take one of these strips and fold the sections in a zig-zag pattern (see middle picture). If desired, a cover can be added as shown in the final picture. Larger books can be created by carefully sticking a second strip to the first and both sides of each page can be written on.

A simple house shape can create a book the shape of a building- or with a little imagination, can be used for a character wearing a hat, like the witch pictured above. Father Christmas or an elf might make an appealing Christmas themed book or Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood or a princess could make the cover!

A domed shape lends itself to all manner of adaptations, for example, faces of animals and people- upside down the curve could be a beard - and a cut out section at the bottom (see second photo) adds legs. The dipped curve at the top offers the suggestion of horns or antlers. The whole book could, of course, take the shape of something, e.g. a train or an animal, but this takes some planning to make into a zig-zag book.

Hope this is helpful…more to come soon!

National Non-Fiction November 2023

It’s only a month to go until November- the month in which the FCBG shines a spotlight on the importance of non-fiction- and Somerset CBG are at the heart of this year’s celebrations with our one-day conference. There is still time for booking tickets on Eventbrite or by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com .

This month, we will be sharing information, ideas and books in preparation for the month ahead. A ‘Wonderful Water’ booklist is full of ideas of titles linked to the theme and a booklet of ideas and activities to try with groups- or at home- are available by clicking the links.

There is also a wonderful competition in association with Otter-Barry Books based on ‘Sea Change: Save the Ocean’, a wonderful collection of fifty original pictures and messages from illustrators around the world which are an appeal to save our seas and oceans. More details about how to enter can be found here.

Save the Date!

Somerset CBG are delighted to announce that we will be hosting You Couldn’t Make it Up! a one-day non-fiction conference on Saturday 11th November as part of the celebrations for National Non-Fiction November 2023.

Sidcot School have kindly agreed to let us use their Arts’ Centre for this event, giving us a lovely location for the day. Sidcot is easy to find and there is plenty of parking on site for those coming by car.

Doors will open at 9am, allowing an hour before our first speaker for delegates to browse the bookshop which will be provided by Heather from Reading Rocks and we are very excited to have the opportunity to work with her! She will be offering some amazing deals on selected books, highlighted in the publishers’ presentations. There will also be a Publishers’ Exhibition for delegates to explore, offering a wonderful opportunity to find out about their books and discuss them. Tea and coffee will be available at this time as well and both the Exhibition and the bookshop will be available all day!

We have an incredible line up of speakers. Isabel Thomas is the author of many non-fiction titles including ‘Moth’, ‘The Bedtime Book of Impossible Questions’ and ‘Thirty Trillion Cells’. Andy Seed’s books are full of humour and include the ‘Interview with a…’ series and ‘The Clue is in the Poo’. Famous for her time as a presenter on ‘The Really Wild Show’, Nicola Davies is now equally well-known for her writing, both fiction and non-fiction. Her books include ‘Tiny: The Invisible World of Microbes’, ‘Lots’ and ‘One World’. There will also be presentations from publishers, highlighting some of their non-fiction titles.

Delegates will also have the chance to win one of two free places at a CLPE Non-Fiction webinar. It will be a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded lovers of information books and tickets are only £10 for FCBG members and £20 for non-members. Lunch on the day is NOT included; however, there is plenty of space for everyone to bring their own sandwiches and there is a Co-op and a Spar in the nearby village of Winscombe, a fifteen minute walk from the school. The day will end at about 4pm.

Members of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups can find out how to book their tickets by emailing somersetcbg@gmail.com . Non-members can book tickets via Eventbrite.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Frome Writers’ Collective

On Saturday, we attended the Frome Writers’ Collective, hoping to spread the word about the Federation of Children’s Book Groups in general and the Somerset branch in particular. It was lovely to be amongst these book-lovers, many of whom were writers, there to share their work.

We had a little stall with information about the group and what we do as well as a few books for sale. There was a lot of interest in the work of the FCBG and we were delighted as a number of people signed up to find out more about Somerset CBG.

It was lovely to see Hunting Raven Books there as well as to find out more about local publishers and authors. A great way to spend time, we hope to be back next year!