No. 87 - Carrie's War

Hi all!

I finally got around to reading Carrie's War this weekend!

As I'd been avoiding reading it for such a long time I decided that I would try and read it pretty much in one go. Get it over and done with, you might say, not that I can tell you why I was so hesitant to read this book. I think maybe I'd just loss my motivation. I don't often read books in one go, it usually takes me weeks to finish a book, so I came away feeling a bit phased, like i'd been plunged into an alien world! However, this totally immersive experience did help me get to know the plot and the characters much better than if I'd read it in a more stilted way, so that was positive!

This book was not at all what I was expecting. I was expecting a fairly ordinary wartime story of evacuation. A domestic, wholesome, account of daily life in WW2, with a fair share of sadness too. Instead, Nina Bawden's book is a peculiar mix of Goodnight, Mr Tom and a Dickens novel; an interesting combination of domestic and the slightly uncanny. Carrie and her brother are sent to live in rural Wales with God-fearing shop keeper Mr Evans and his sister Lou. Aunty Lou is a lovely but timid lady, frightened of her brother's temper and very keen to please. Mr Evans is a strict, mean man, with strong religious and moral views. Carrie and Nick go to school with the other evacuees in the local chapel, and enjoy the fresh mountain air in their time off. These are all key elements that you might expect in an story about evacuees for the 8-12 age group. However, when the children are sent on an errand to Druids Bottom (no giggling please...), the house of Mr Evan's other sister, whom he disowned when she married, the tone of the story starts to change. On her death bed, Mrs Gotobed (the other sister), is looked after by her beautiful and mysterious housekeeper Hepzibah Green. Also living with the women is Mister Johnny Gotobed, a relative of the family with learning disabilities, and evacuee Albert Sandwich. It is here that it all gets a bit Dickensian! For starters the names have all the quirk of Dickens characters, and Mrs Gotobed has a slight Miss Haversham feel about her! In fact I think all the characters at Druids Bottom could have stepped out of any one of Dickens's classics. Also, due to their rural location, Druids Bottom is still living in the Victorian period, allowing for a clear contrast between the Evans' shop and the rural farmhouse. It is this other setting that made the book stand out for me.

Hepzibah Green is by far my favourite character, a caring, motherly housekeeper, rumoured to be a witch. She is always just about the serve up dinner whenever the children arrive, she is a gifted herbalist, and a very good story teller. She makes Druids Bottom a magical place, and it is around her that the story weaves itself, right up until the very end.

I don't want to give too much away, because I feel I've been doing that too much in my reviews recently, but this story is certainly set in two very different camps. There's the domestic, homely and fairly ordinary world of the Evans's and then their is the magical, valley setting of Druids Bottom, with its myths and intrigue. The actual narrative is also split between two worlds, the past and the present, as the main plot is bracketed by the older Carrie returning to Druids Bottom with her own family. This allows for a lovely little plot twist right at the very end of the book, which I wont give away!

This book was a total surprise, but I actually really enjoyed it! The cover of my copy says that Carrie's War is 'A heartwarming, unforgettable story', a sentiment I was sceptical about to begin with, but I've not been able to shake the characters and haunting plot quite yet. If you're looking for a book that explores what it was like to be an evacuee then this is not the book for you, the war is sort of incidental to the story. Instead this book is an emotional, intriguing tale of friendship, family and loyalty.

Thanks for reading, L x

Next up a firm favourite of mine, one of Jean de Brunhoff's Babar books.

Children's lit is for life not just for Christmas!

The festive season has been and gone. We're all wondering why there's still Quality Street knocking about, and whether enough time has passed to warrant buying more cheese, and for it not to count as a cheeseboard anymore...? I've just about got my head around what day of the week it is again! Thursday right? Anyway, with all the confusion comes the calm and quiet, which allows you to look back over your presents and truly appreciate what you were given by the ones you love, and what fun you had gifting things to them too. I thought I'd share with you the two beautiful children's books I was given for Christmas, and the three I chose to give to the little people in my life, and what I thought of We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

First up, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, illustrated by the incredibly talented Jim Kay! 

This book is beyond beautiful! I was keenly anticipating receiving this book for Christmas, hoping that my other half would continue the tradition he set last year when he bought me the first one, and he didn't disappoint! Hooray, and thank you Martin! I came to Harry Potter late but have since found myself totally enchanted by the Wizarding World, and Jim Kay really brings it to life in these books! The Chamber of Secrets is packed with stunning illustrations, bold double page spreads, little intriguing details and fabulous mark making. Magic oozes from it's pages, it's truly spectacular! This book is a real treasure, as is the first one, and I can't wait to see what the next one will look like!

Secondly, a touching picture book about love, loyalty, pride and a piano playing bear. 

I came across David Litchfield's debut picture book The Bear and the Piano on one of my many visits to my local Waterstones's children's section not that long ago, though it was released in 2015. We stood and poured over the enchanting illustrations, and were really touched by the story, reading it aloud like we do with every story we come across (Someone should really employ us!)! So when I unwrapped this book at Christmas I was over the moon! Again, thank you Martin! Here's a little about it.

A bear cub discovers a piano in the forest, and with it a passion for music. Returning to the piano everyday he teaches himself to play, persistently playing until the sounds he makes are beautiful. He gives performances for his fellow bears, until one day some humans suggest he could be a successful concert pianist in the city and so he goes with them. The bear becomes a huge star, packing concert halls every night, but he misses his home. Returning to the forest years later he believes that his family and friends have forgotten him, but in fact they have been keeping up with his progress and have created a shrine to him around his beloved piano, full of his CDs, newspaper cuttings and programs. This book is so tenderly written that I can't help but feel a bit teary when the bear finds his friends have not forgotten him. It's quite moving! In a good way! I urge you all, young and old, to get hold of a copy of this gorgeous book, as it definitely contains a message for all of us.

Now, from one bear to another. I wanted to quickly talk to you about the Channel 4 adaptation of We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen that hit our screens on Christmas Eve. I watched it on Christmas day with my mum and my boyfriend, and while they were happily enjoying the story of a children on an adventure I was a sobbing wreck! It broke me! And here's why!
The whole thing was beautifully done, using hand drawn animation that stayed true to Helen Oxenbury's delightful illustrations in the book. However, what got me was the new additions to the story. The children had clearly lost their Grandpa fairly recently according to this new version, and it was full of sentimental moments where the children remembered him whilst they were walking, and the addition of a recently widowed Granny upped the emotion considerably!  When Rosie broke away from the others in the cave and discovered the bear, made friends with him, and gave him Grandpa's scarf to keep him warm I was holding my tears back! My lip wobbled as the other children dragged the little girl away from the bear and back home. It upset me even more when, as in the book, the children locked the bear out and hid upstairs! By the time the Rosie was telling Granny that she missed Grandpa during the Christmas festivities I was a mess! The end credits rolled and I burst into uncontrollable tears! "The bear is Grandpa", I sobbed, "and the others haven't noticed!" Whether it was the exhaustion of Christmas, or whether this adaptation really had pushed all my emotional buttons it was hard to tell! I thought about it more later on and another thing struck me. Maybe the Bear wasn't Grandpa at all, but a representation of grief. The children ran away from it because they didn't want to face the loss they felt, all accept Rosie who was openly grieving for her lost grandparent. Now, I can hear you all saying "It's just a story Lottie, I can't be that deep!" But one thing my MA has taught me is that there are often a lot more layers to things than you think! But, yes, I probably read to much into it, and besides, that's not how Michael Rosen's story goes anyway! That's just a joyous exploration by children of their terrain and imaginations, without the sentimentality we all have to suffer just because it's Christmas! All in all I was impressed with the adaptation of this classic picture book, and theres a really lovely video about how it was made that you can watch here if you're interested. I just could have done without the emotional breakdown, thats all!!!



I'd also like to share with you the children's books that I gifted this Christmas too. First up Mr Creep the Crook written by Allan Ahlberg and illustrated by Andre Amstutz.

Archie, who is 5, loves Janet and Allan Ahlberg's classic picture book Burglar Bill (a fav of mine, as you all probably know by now!!). So keeping with the spirit of 'cops and robbers' I bought him this book for Christmas. Part of Allan Ahlberg's Happy Families series, a collection of 20 books all with titles like the characters from the Happy Families card game, this book is truly charming! Mr Creep is a bit naughty, much like our friend Burglar Bill! Unlike Bill though, he's been caught! When he escapes from prison he decides to take his whole family, including their rather naughty dog, to the seaside. There he learns that being bad is not all its cracked up to be. Seeing as Archie liked the humour, the story and characters of Burglar Bill I thought this book might a hit, and I really hope it is! Also he's at the age where he's learning to read and the simple text and image layout seemed to me to be a nice beginners read, and if not his sister can always read it to him!


For her, I bought Claude on the Slopes by Alex. T. Smith.

Last year I bought her Claude in the Spotlight and she loved it! So knowing she was a fan of the debonair dog and his sock sidekick I chose her another. I love the Claude books, mainly for their humour, but also for their brilliant illustrations and retro feel. Claude is pretty cute and certainly endearing, and Sir Bobblysock is about as perfect as a slightly camp, anthropomorphised sock can get! The humour is both adult and child friendly, which I think is quite important in a children's book. In this particular book Claude and Sir Bobblysock go skiing, cause an avalanche and have to become mountain rescue!! It's brilliant! I would suggest that these books are a must read for any child between the ages of about 5 and 8, or any age to be honest! You'll love them!


 And lastly, a book for a baby.

When I set out to buy a book for my friends baby boy for his first christmas I had so many ideas! I wanted to get him a real classic, a beautiful book that he'd treasure, and then I remembered, 1- he's only very small, and 2- he might have a lot of the go-to classics already, and I didn't want to double up. I came across Peekaboo Zoo by Kate Merritt quite unexpectedly and I instantly fell in love with it's bright, bold baby friendly illustrations and fun flaps to lift (I love a 'lift the flap' book!). But the clincher for me was the little mirror on the last page, which lets the baby see their own reflection after saying peekaboo to all the animals throughout the book. This was a lovely touch, and also a nice interesting visual element for James too after the static illustrations. Reflections are fascinating things after all!


Ok, so there you go, a round up of the children's book I gave, received and enjoyed over Christmas.
I hope you liked it!

Thanks for reading! L x

A Year of Reading

Happy New Year everyone!

Sitting in front of the tele on Boxing Day night I realised that it had been a whole year since I had watched the countdown of the top 50 children's books that inspired this blog, and my reading journey began!

On Jan 6th 2016 I embarked upon this project for real, and began subjecting you all to my reviews and ramblings! A whole year on and I've managed to read just over 10% of the list, which I think is pretty good, seeing as its been a part time reading challenge alongside my usual yearly book intake. So I'm 13 books down and there are many more exciting titles left to explore, such as Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls, This is Not my Hat by Jon Klassen and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S Eliot. I'll admit that I have slowed down rather since the start of my MA in October, and I've not been devouring the books as quickly as I was during the summer. Carrie's War by Nina Bawden has been waiting patiently on my shelf for the last month! It's the next book on the list so I need to read it to get going again. I'll get on it soon! I am hoping that over the next few months I will rekindle my excitement for this project! I have promised myself that I will read more! I have also promised myself that I will keep a list of all the books I read this year, as I always seem to forget what I've read and when.

I've got a few more exciting things planned for Little Bookworm this year. I am hoping to expand what I write about, maybe a bit of critical theory, maybe a few interviews, maybe a bookshop tour or two, who knows. I just know that I should start exploring and experimenting with what I do here and hopefully good things will come of it! There has even been talk of starting a YouTube channel, so watch this space!

Anyway, this was just a quick post to mark the anniversary of my project I suppose. I'm planning another post, coming soon, about the books I received at Christmas, the ones I gifted, and I might even touch on the lovely adaptation of Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt too. And then of course there will be a post coming soon about Carrie's War!

Thanks for reading. L x