Book of the Month March – The Amazing Five Year Old
I was sent this book to review by the wonderful Sarah at KMB and I was thrilled.
Flip starts school in May this year and I was very keen to have a read through this book. It is written by a teacher who has many years experience with new entrants in NZ. I have to confess the teaching, parenting and wanna-be alpha mum in me were all curious as to what I would find.
The book itself is small and short definitely not a mighty tome that will take weeks to get through – an afternoon or 2 while the boys are sleeping were all I needed.
The book is broken into 4 sections: Physical Skills, Social Skills, Academic Skills and Getting Ready for School.
It is written in a clear concise style and not full of teaching or parenting theory. It has some checklists of key skills in it which made me happy – never one to neglect a good checklist! – but it is not over-hyped. There is no expectation you’ll have reading, addition, subtraction and physics done before day 1. I like that it has skills that aren’t just academic. I think there can be a tendency for parents (mothers???) to get a little over enthused with the academic readiness and forget about plain old manners and common fears like ‘where is the toilet’.
I think this book is a worthwhile read for people who want a bit of direction for their interactions with their child in terms of physical, social and intellectual development. It doesn’t make any great claims to present theories that are new or steeped in research it is more like a very helpful, long before-school interview with an experienced and friendly teacher.
If you aren’t familiar with school routines and the kind of skills your little one will need I think you would find it positive and encouraging – it may also help to settle any anxieties you have about the big start. And if like me, you like to feel ahead of the game you will get a great deal of satisfaction from going through and spending some time building the skills your little person DOES actually need before they hit the big 5.
Book of the Month February – My Life In France by Julia Child
Well of course reading this had to be a response to the movie!
The Book
In the effort to look after this mind of mine – or at least keep it working! I am reading a book per month, aside from the swath of craft books and home magazines that usually occupy my reading time.
I really enjoyed this book although there was a lot of French in terms of words especially when describing menus.
The thing that really struck me from this book was how hard Julia Child worked on her cook book testing and re-testing every recipe multiple times. Even before she had the book contract she invested hours and years into the cookbook and learning. She was obsessed with learning and deepening her skill level.
After reading the book I had such a respect for her and have definitely thought about the process of success. Julia Child never set about on her course to develop a name for herself or to become famous. She followed her passion wholeheartedly because it was her passion and for no other goal. I like that. I find that challenging.
The other thing I loved was the partnership between her and Paul. They were such a team and they obviously held one another with total affection. Both of them believed and lived the dreams each other held. I love that.
There was a lot in this book that you didn’t get in the movie but I do still adore the movie. There were lots more details about their friendships and the actual publishing process and even more about food. As my sister said you could have had a whole movie just about Julia Child’s without Julie blog at all.
I’d like to read the book of the blog as well this year. I just need to reserve it at the library.
