I say! Hodder Children’s are updating Enid Blyton’s Famous Five to encourage a “new generation of readers“.
Super!
New contemporary covers, changing “mother and father” to “mum and dad”, “school tunic” to “uniform”. Dastardly stuff.
My personal favourite? “Awful swatter” now becomes “bookworm”.
Each day during Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, we’ll be bringing you te kupu o te rā – the word of the day, complete with audio so you can hear the word said aloud and read in a sentence.
Today’s word is : Sandwich – hanawiti
I have a sandwich.
He hanawiti tāku.
On Sunday 15 August from 10am-3pm some of New Zealand’s best children’s authors and illustrators will be heading to the Christchurch Town Hall for the Storylines Free Family Day. The whole day is FREE and it’s a chance for you to come and meet some of your favourite authors and illustrators, including Margaret Mahy, Joy Cowley, Gavin Bishop, and the creators of the Wonky Donkey book, Craig Smith and Katz Cowley.
As well as meeting all these cool people and maybe even getting your books signed, there are heaps of fun things for you to do, including face painting, creating your own bookmark or mask, and learning about the world around you in the Factopia zone. Come dressed as your favourite book character and you might even score a spot prize.
To find out more about what’s happening on the day you can grab a programme from your local library or visit the Storylines website.
Jane Austen has experienced great popularity in recent years. Since the 1990s there have been numerous takes on favourites such as Emma, Sense & Sensibility and of course Pride and Prejudice. But perhaps we should dub 2007 (the 190th anniversary of her death) the Year of Jane Austen’s Triumph:
The TV series Lost in Austen (2008) deftly captures the fascination the modern world has with Austen’s work; our genteel and romantic sensibilities are alive and well!
And what better way to spend an evening than in the delightfully diverting company of Austen’s heroines? We can cringe appreciatively when Lizzie encounters Mr Collins, tut over Catherine’s wild fancies at Northanger Abbey, and feel suitably embarrassed as Emma’s matchmaking goes awry!
As to version, there’s plenty of choice. Emma can be blond or dark-haired, if we watch the 1995 or 1996 versions respectively. And if we really want to, we can watch Jane & Lizzy in black and white (wearing large hoop skirts) in the 1940s classic. Enter Laurence Olivier as Darcy (woah!).
But there is soon to be a new twist coming to the screen.
Christchurch City Libraries Blog 