Monday 5 October 2009

Reading - mine and my daughter's

It is Monday again and it is not as bad as last week.

This afternoon I am reading part of my book Singing in a foreign land (eek!) at the launch of the local writers' group's book. Their book was organised and printed long before we moved here but they asked me to read a little of my story of life in Africa. Until last night I felt flattered by this: today, I'm petrified. Suddenly nothing seems worth reading!

Maybe this is worse than last week.

Thank you to everyone for your support on my last post. I'm quite overwhelmed. I look forward to telling you in a month or six that all is totally fine and the teacher can't shut my daughter up. Somehow I think we have to break a cycle of don't-know-answer therefore don't-speak therefore don't-learn therefore don't-know-answer ... I am sure it will come, with time and patience.

In the meantime, I thought I'd amuse you with the books my daughter chose from the library. I try to encourage some variety and something that might challenge her a little. So she chose this:


and this:


and this:


and this:


and best of all - a book I couldn't imagine ever existed, but she picked out from a hundred paces:


My Big Pink Book of Everything!

What a girl!


8 comments:

Ladybird World Mother said...

Every one of those books is bloody marvellous! And you will have so much fun reading them too! Glad to hear you are more upbeat about it all... oh, and Maternal Tales's comment was spot on...
enjoy those books! xx

Hadriana's Treasures said...

Hi Catharine...hope everything is much better now especially with your daughter. I completely agree with the comment about children doing different things at different stages. :)

My daughter would absolutely love your daughter's choices. Shame that you have moved away as we could have got the two of them together!

Good luck with your reading. You'll be absolutely fine. I know it.

Catharine Withenay said...

LWM: I know - I'm a secret Charlie & Lola fan myself! And thanks for your comments too - we are working through it all slowly. And with lots of playdates!

Hadriana: We can still get together ... it just may not be very soon or often! And thank you: the book reading went ok (phew!) - at least, my fellow writers seem to love it. Now then ... to find a publisher ...

Unknown said...

The book choice made me laugh - young children aren't into variety are they? We're snowed under with children's books and my eldest only ever wants to read the same four or five. When we last went to the library he only wanted to borrow books with stories about fish. The Charlie & Lola ones are a good choice though. Just read your last post too, good luck with managing your daughter at her school. I've always thought school suits some children more than others and I hope you're able to work something out.

cheshire wife said...

There certainly seems to be variety in those book titles. Times have changed since the days of 'Janet & John'!

The bike shed said...

Thanks for popping by my blog - I recognise a few of your followers, so hey, maybe we have something in common in what we write.

I have three boys so pink books of everything are not quite their thing, though my two teenagers are suddenly interested in all things to do with girls - I wonder why!

Catharine Withenay said...

Whistlejacket - fish, eh? I've just got back from being persuaded to buy books through school: a secret boy's book for my son and a magical dragon for my daughter - no Charlie and Lola books in sight!

CW - times have changed - all the books I kept from childhood seem so dated (and I like to think it wasn't that long ago!)

Mark - nice of you to call by! I think you should be relieved your boys aren't wanting the Big Pink book of Everything ...!! Good luck with the girls issue - it is a stage of parenthood that I dread!

Working Mum said...

He he he! I love Charlie and Lola too. They do have phases on particular books, don't they? On Saturday my daughter made me read her the entire 'Alfie' series one after another.

PS Left a comment on your last post (full of typos), hope your daughter is a little happier now.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...