my cat, Mab
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| Let's talk about ... cats, dogs, horses, bunnies, hamsters... or anything with fur! (or feathers, not sure about scales though) |
today: Books About Animals
Books bring families closer:
Doesn’t snuggling on a sofa or sitting outdoors on a warm, sunny day give wonderful opportunities for different generations or siblings to enjoy books together? I have such fond memories of reading to my own daughters. They were relaxing times for cuddles and chats about things my girls noticed in stories. My husband or I could also iron out misunderstandings of pictures and text if they mattered.
Our children’s responses to books subtly told us what they’d already learnt, and their feelings about life. Grandparents comparing their own childhoods to stories and pictures enriched our children’s minds and gave them different perspectives. It works both ways, of course. I still find youngsters’ perceptions endearing ‒ they can say I’m five or twenty or a hundred years old, depending on the child or how I use my stories with them!
These days, it's a joy seeing my toddler grand-niece’s vocabulary grow phenomenally from her parents reading to her, supported, of course, by lots of other parent/grandparent interactions with her. She’s naturally curious about the pictures and characters, and Mum’s gentle questioning further develops her listening and thinking as well as her concentration. No doubt, she’s gaining skills for lifelong learning in the process.
I especially love igniting children’s imagination; inspiring their interest in sustainable farming and nature; and seeing families have fun together.
Alf the sheepdog is in for a surprise when he checks
which sheep have had their lambs.
Will he discover who has been up to mischief?
A delightful story with beautiful illustrations,
followed by a fun quiz that
includes counting and number recognition.
These spurred me to write my new Who Did This? story and the family quiz with it. Likewise, I included activity ideas in my Fin and the Red Deer book. My suggestions are easily altered for older siblings to join in ‒ I’ve seen very intricate traps made, for example, for ‘bad’ visitors to the castle! The activities are great for outdoors, but most can be adapted for indoors, such as making a bridge for the deer characters with wooden bricks.
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| When a family of red deer want to dance, they look for a place they can hear their feet tapping the rhythm. Can they persuade Fin, who looks after the drawbridge and moat, to let them practise on the castle bridge? In this charming story, Fin learns to share and makes new friends. Included are activity ideas for families, teachers and Forest School Leaders. |
Twenty years ago, I thought parents reading to young children was the norm at bedtime. Nowadays, more and more young children tell me they don’t regularly have a story. Time pressures and parental tiredness can be hard, but I think cosy bedtime stories are perfect for adults and children to unwind together and to promote restful nights.
And so, I’m struck by the power of books to bring families closer. I’m excited to publish other books which families can share.
Vix J Cooper
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Helen's Latest Releases
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A new edition with new additional scenes |
When the only choice is to run, where do you run to?
When the only sound is the song of the sea, do you listen?
Or do you drown in the embrace of a mermaid?
Throughout childhood, Jesamiah Mereno has suffered the bullying of his elder half-brother. Then, not quite fifteen years old, and on the day they bury their father, Jesamiah hits back. In consequence, he flees his Virginia home, changes his name to Jesamiah Acorne, and joins the crew of his father’s seafaring friend, Captain Malachias Taylor, aboard the privateer, Mermaid. He makes enemies, sees the ghost of his father, wonders who is the Cornish girl he hears in his mind – and tries to avoid the beguiling lure of a sensuous mermaid... An early coming-of-age tale of the young Jesamiah Acorne, set in the years before he becomes a pirate and Captain of the Sea Witch.
“I really enjoyed the insight offered into Jesamiah's backstory, and found the depiction of our teenage hero very moving.” Anna Belfrage, author
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Helen's cosy mystery set in 1970s north London
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| The first in a new series of quick-read, cosy mysteries set in the 1970s. A Mirror Murder https://getbook.at/MirrorMurder |
Eighteen-year-old library assistant Jan Christopher’s life is to change on a rainy Friday evening in July 1971, when her legal guardian and uncle, DCI Toby Christopher, gives her a lift home after work. Driving the car, is her uncle’s new Detective Constable, Laurie Walker – and it is love at first sight for the young couple. But romance is soon to take a back seat when a baby boy is taken from his pram, a naked man is scaring young ladies in nearby Epping Forest, and an elderly lady is found, brutally murdered... Are the events related? How will they affect the staff and public of the local library where Jan works – and will a blossoming romance survive a police investigation into murder?
“Lots of nostalgic, well-researched, detail about life in the 1970s, which readers of a certain age will lap up; plus some wonderful, and occasionally hilarious, ‘behind the counter’ scenes of working in a public library, which any previous or present-day library assistant will recognise!” Reader Review
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Helen